Communication · head to head
LINE WORKS vs Textline
LINE WORKS
Communication
Business chat built on the LINE interface, aimed at Japanese firms whose staff and customers already use LINE
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: LINE WORKS the external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.; Textline enterprise plan requires custom quote and demo booking
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which LINE WORKS and Textline actually diverge.
| Attribute | LINE WORKS | Textline |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per user per month | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS | Web |
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 WORKS
- External LINE messaging
- Chat and channels
- Voice and video calls
- Shared address book
- Calendar and bulletin board
- Drive
- Business email
- Admin controls
Only in Textline
Nothing recorded that LINE WORKS does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
LINE WORKS
- A Japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over LINE rather than emailnot Textline
- A clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on LINE but under corporate retention and auditnot Textline
- A Japanese SME under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tiernot Textline
- The Japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standardnot Textline
Textline
- Responding to customer support tickets via SMS from a unified inboxnot LINE WORKS
- Sending appointment reminders and conducting follow-ups via text messagenot LINE WORKS
- Coordinating field teams across job sites with time-sensitive text updatesnot LINE WORKS
- Running SMS campaigns to promote sales and capture leads with high engagementnot LINE WORKS
- Managing HIPAA-compliant texting for healthcare patient communicationsnot LINE WORKS
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
LINE WORKS
- The external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.
- The free tier caps total storage at 5GB across the whole organisation, not per user, so a team sharing photos or documents exhausts it within weeks and is pushed onto a paid plan.
- Business email is only on the Advanced plan at 800 yen per user, so an organisation wanting both chat and mail pays nearly double the Standard rate for every seat including staff who only chat.
- Developer documentation, support and the integration catalogue are strongest in Japanese, which makes it awkward to administer from a non-Japanese IT function.
- It has no serious developer or engineering workflow story, so organisations that also run Slack or Teams for technical teams end up maintaining two chat systems and two directories.
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 WORKS
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 30 users
- 5GB total storage
- Chat, calls, calendar and address book
- Standard$450/month
- Unlimited users
- 1TB shared storage
- Annual contract price, 540 yen monthly
- Advanced$800/month
- Everything in Standard
- Business email
- 100TB shared storage
Textline
Free- EssentialsFree
- 600 message credits per month
- 3 agents included
- 3 years conversation history
- ProFree
- 2000 message credits per month
- 5 agents included
- Unlimited conversation history
- Enterprise$null/month
- Custom pricing
- All Pro features
- Flexible implementation
Which should you pick?
Choose LINE WORKS if
- You need external line messaging.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
- You also want chat and channels.
Questions people ask
- Is LINE WORKS or Textline better?
- Neither clearly leads. LINE WORKS 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 WORKS or Textline?
- LINE WORKS starts at Free and Textline at Free.
- Does LINE WORKS or Textline run on more platforms?
- LINE WORKS runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS. Textline runs on Web.
- Can I use LINE WORKS for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is LINE WORKS best used for?
- LINE WORKS is most often used for a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email, a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit, a japanese sme under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tier, the japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standard. Of those, a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email and a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit are not what Textline is typically brought in for.
- What can LINE WORKS do that Textline cannot?
- LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Chat and channels, Voice and video calls, Shared address book.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
LINE WORKS: Can LINE WORKS really message ordinary LINE users?
Yes. That is its core differentiator and the reason Japanese customer-facing businesses buy it.
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 WORKS: Is there a free plan?
Yes, up to 30 users with 5GB of total organisation storage.
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 WORKS: Does the Standard plan include email?
No. Business email is Advanced only, at 800 yen per user per month on an annual contract.
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.
SourceLINE WORKS: Is it worth buying outside Japan?
Generally no. Without the consumer LINE bridge it competes poorly against Slack, Teams or Lark on features and ecosystem.
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