Communication · head to head
Line vs Textline
Line
Communication
Messaging app that dominates Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, now run by LY Corporation under joint SoftBank and Naver ownership
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Line line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.; Textline enterprise plan requires custom quote and demo booking
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Line and Textline actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Communication).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Line
- Line Pay
- Official Accounts
- Stickers and themes
- Line News
- Group and open chat
- Timeline
Only in Textline
Nothing recorded that Line does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Line
- A business selling to consumers in Japan that needs an Official Account rather than email or SMS to reach customersnot Textline
- An individual keeping in touch with contacts in Japan, Taiwan or Thailand where Line, not WhatsApp, is the defaultnot Textline
- A brand running promotions through Line stickers or Timeline content aimed at a Japanese audiencenot Textline
- A company processing consumer payments in Japan through Line Pay integrationnot Textline
Textline
- Responding to customer support tickets via SMS from a unified inboxnot Line
- Sending appointment reminders and conducting follow-ups via text messagenot Line
- Coordinating field teams across job sites with time-sensitive text updatesnot Line
- Running SMS campaigns to promote sales and capture leads with high engagementnot Line
- Managing HIPAA-compliant texting for healthcare patient communicationsnot Line
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Line
- Line has negligible market share outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, so it is the wrong choice for reaching contacts in most other regions.
- A 2021 incident exposed that some user data had been accessible from servers operated in China, which led to a formal restructuring of data governance and remains a reference point for privacy sensitive users.
- Standard chats are not end to end encrypted by default in the way Signal is; Letter Sealing, an opt-in encryption feature, has to be manually enabled per chat.
- Business messaging through Official Accounts becomes expensive quickly once a company exceeds the free monthly message allowance and moves to a metered plan.
- Ownership sits inside a SoftBank and Naver joint venture with a history of governance disputes between the two partners, which creates strategic uncertainty for enterprise customers relying on the platform long term.
Textline
- Enterprise plan requires custom quote and demo booking
- Additional message credits cost $0.03 each (purchased in advance)
- Backup credits cost $0.04 each with minimum 250-credit purchase
Pricing, plan by plan
Line
Free- LineFree
- Free messaging, voice and video calling
- Individual sticker sets typically cost a few hundred yen each
- Line Official Account has a free tier with message volume limits, then paid tiers by monthly message count
Textline
Free- EssentialsFree
- 600 message credits per month
- 3 agents included
- 3 years conversation history
- ProFree
- 2000 message credits per month
- 5 agents included
- Unlimited conversation history
- Enterprise$null/month
- Custom pricing
- All Pro features
- Flexible implementation
Which should you pick?
Choose Line if
- You need line pay.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web.
- You also want official accounts.
Questions people ask
- Is Line or Textline better?
- Neither clearly leads. Line starts at Free and Textline at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Line or Textline?
- Line starts at Free and Textline at Free.
- Does Line or Textline run on more platforms?
- Line runs on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Web. Textline runs on Web.
- Can I use Line for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Line best used for?
- Line is most often used for a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers, an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default, a brand running promotions through line stickers or timeline content aimed at a japanese audience, a company processing consumer payments in japan through line pay integration. Of those, a business selling to consumers in japan that needs an official account rather than email or sms to reach customers and an individual keeping in touch with contacts in japan, taiwan or thailand where line, not whatsapp, is the default are not what Textline is typically brought in for.
- What can Line do that Textline cannot?
- Line covers Line Pay, Official Accounts, Stickers and themes, Line News.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Line: Is Line encrypted by default?
Chats use standard transport encryption, but full end to end Letter Sealing encryption must be turned on manually per conversation, it is not the default.
Textline: Can I use Textline for free?
Yes, Essentials and Pro tiers are free to get started, with no credit card required. Essentials includes 600 message credits and 3 agents monthly. Pro includes 2000 credits and 5 agents. Enterprise requires a custom quote.
SourceLine: Does Line work well outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand?
Technically yes, but almost nobody uses it as their primary messenger outside those markets, so it is the wrong choice to reach most other audiences.
Textline: How much do extra message credits cost?
Additional message credits cost $0.03 per credit. Backup credits are available at $0.04 each with a minimum purchase of 250 credits.
SourceLine: Who owns Line now?
LY Corporation, formed from a merger of Line and Yahoo Japan businesses, controlled by A Holdings, a joint venture between SoftBank and Naver.
Textline: What are the costs for phone number registration?
10DLC registration costs $15 per campaign per month via The Campaign Registry. Toll-free numbers do not have a monthly registration fee.
SourceRelated pages
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