Frequently asked questions
Straight answers.
The questions we hear most on sales and onboarding calls — pricing, setup, deliverability, compliance, and integrations — answered plainly.
Pricing & getting started
How much does Tuco AI cost?
Tuco AI starts at $149/month for the Starter plan (one dedicated line) and $299/month for Growth (two lines), plus a one-time setup fee starting at $335 that scales with the number of lines. Enterprise is custom, with volume discounts as you add lines. There is no per-message fee — you pay for the line, not the volume.
What is the setup fee for?
The one-time setup fee (from $335, and scaling with how many lines you order) covers the real hardware behind each line: a physical iPhone and an eSIM the carrier activates for you. It is charged once, for the life of the line — not monthly — and it is what lets your messages send from a genuine Apple device instead of a recycled VOIP number.
Do you offer refunds or a free trial?
No. Tuco does not offer refunds, returns, or a free trial. Setup and every subscription payment are final when paid, because we buy real hardware for each line up front. Cancellation stops future charges only.
How long until my line is live?
Budget about two days. The carrier takes roughly 24–48 hours to activate the eSIM on each line — that is on their clock and no one can rush it — and we briefly warm the line before your first send. If you need to be sending tomorrow, iMessage is not the right tool, so plan the ramp before you promise anything to a client.
How it works
Is this real Apple hardware or recycled numbers?
Real Apple hardware — and you never touch it. Every line runs on a genuine iPhone with a fresh eSIM, hosted on a Mac in our facility. You do not bring your own device, keep phones charged, or babysit an internet connection: provisioning, power, connectivity, and health monitoring are all managed by us. There are no virtual machines and no recycled Twilio or VOIP numbers — genuine hardware and a fresh number are what keep a line trusted on Apple’s network.
Why iMessage instead of SMS?
iMessage delivers in about three seconds, opens at roughly 98%, and arrives as a trusted blue bubble showing your name and photo — with no A2P 10DLC registration and no “Spam Likely” carrier filtering. Recipients who are not on iMessage (Android) get automatic SMS fallback.
What are the sending limits?
Per line, about 50 new contacts per day and roughly 150 total messages per day (replies to existing threads are far more lenient). The caps exist to keep your line healthy on Apple’s network — go over and Apple starts blocking you. Add lines to scale volume.
What if the recipient isn’t on iMessage?
Tuco automatically detects a non-iMessage (Android) recipient and falls back to SMS through Twilio or your GoHighLevel connection, so the message still lands. You can set different fallback copy per step since SMS can’t carry rich attachments.
Can I get a specific area code?
We provision by ZIP code, not by guaranteed area code — local numbers outperform out-of-state ones. If a specific area code is exhausted (e.g. all 760s are gone) you’ll get the closest available, and specific-number requests can add to provisioning time.
Can I make and receive phone calls?
Yes. Every phone plan includes two-way calling on the same dedicated number that sends your iMessages, so leads recognize the caller when you dial out. Starter includes 500 minutes per month and Growth includes 1,000 (500 per line), and calls log to your CRM with recordings and transcripts. FaceTime audio is not available yet — it is on the roadmap — but standard phone calls on the same number work today.
Can I send images, video, and voice notes?
Yes — Tuco sends native Apple attachments: images, video, and real waveform voice notes. Don’t attach media to the very first message (recipients can’t download it before accepting), and large videos are hosted for you. Android recipients get a link instead of native video.
Deliverability, bans & compliance
What happens if a line gets banned?
Line health is checked every few minutes, and if Apple blocks a line you reach out to support and we handle the replacement with you. iMessage treats spam as a switch, not a score — even opt-in recipients can tap “Report Junk,” and roughly three reports can kill a number for good. The ladder is simple: the first ban is a free replacement, the second and third carry a $50 fee each, and on the fourth we part ways. For agencies this is tracked per client sub-account, not across your whole account — and every client must be opt-in only. Use a real first and last name (not a business name) and stay under the limits, and bans stay rare.
Can I use Tuco for cold outreach?
No — cold texting is not allowed. Tuco is for opt-in and inbound leads only: people who gave you their number through a form, an ad, a webinar, or an existing relationship. Cold-blasting purchased or scraped lists gets lines reported and banned, so it isn’t supported. iMessage shines on warm, high-intent audiences — speed-to-lead, not spray-and-pray.
Do I need A2P 10DLC?
No. iMessage runs on Apple’s network, not the US carrier SMS system, so A2P 10DLC registration and per-message carrier surcharges don’t apply — you skip the 1–4 week brand registration entirely. If you use SMS fallback, that leg does follow carrier rules, and we can handle that registration for you.
Is Tuco HIPAA compliant?
No. Tuco is not HIPAA or SOC 2 certified and offers no BAA. Use it for reminders, marketing, and opt-in communication — not for sending protected health information or other confidential records over text.
Integrations & AI
What does Tuco integrate with?
Native apps for HubSpot and GoHighLevel, plus Salesforce, n8n, Zapier, and Make via webhooks, and a REST API for anything else. Replies sync back into your CRM’s inbox, or route to the Tuco app, Telegram, or email. Most teams run Tuco as a plugin and rarely open the app.
Can I connect an AI agent?
Yes. Use the published tuco-mcp MCP server to drive Tuco from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client, or register a send-message tool on any model and route it to POST /api/messages. See the copy-paste build guide at tuco.ai/build-ai-agent for the exact endpoints, webhooks, and tool schemas.
Can AI draft or send the replies?
Yes. A knowledge base built from your website, docs, and past conversations auto-drafts replies, and you choose Manual, Copilot (you approve each draft), or Autopilot. Replies land in one unified inbox, and “stop” / negative sentiment is auto-tagged for opt-out.
Can I white-label or resell Tuco to my clients?
Yes. Agencies get a dashboard to provision a dedicated line per client sub-account (name, ZIP, photo), unified inboxes, and API-level white-labeling so clients see your brand, not Tuco. Line health, sending limits, and the ban ladder are tracked per client sub-account rather than across your whole account — and every client must be opt-in only. Volume and per-line discounts apply as you add clients.
Does Tuco work outside the US?
It works anywhere the recipient has an iMessage-capable Apple device, and we support US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand numbers. It’s strongest in the US where iPhone penetration is highest; for WhatsApp-heavy regions like LATAM we’ll point you to the better channel.
Still have a question?
See live pricing, or talk to us about your exact CRM and use case.