imessage vs circleback
imessage is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by anthropics. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official). circleback is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by circlebackai. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-official, Claude Code: claude-plugins-community). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-13. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  imessage |  circleback |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-official | Listed Version: 0.2.0 Forks (GitHub): 4 247 Stars (GitHub): 37 724 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 3 Not marked · First seen |
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Not listed | Listed Version: 1.0.0 Forks (GitHub): 5 Stars (GitHub): 3 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | imessage | circleback |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it (differs) | 1 (worse) | 2 (better) |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 37 724 (better) | 3 (worse) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 4 247 (better) | 5 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | Remote server (circleback.ai/api/mcp) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | Streamable HTTP |
| Tools it declares | Not published | Not published |
| Environment variables it asks for | Not published | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 3 | 1 |
| Licence | Not stated | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official | github.com/circlebackai/claude-code-plugin |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
| Endpoint at the last check (differs) | no remote endpoint we check | not checked yet |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
imessage
iMessage messaging bridge with built-in access control. Reads chat.db directly, sends via AppleScript. Manage pairing, allowlists, and policy via /imessage:access.
circleback
Circleback conversational context integration. Search and access meetings, emails, calendar events, and more.
How to run each
imessage As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install imessage@claude-plugins-officialcircleback As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin install circleback@claude-plugins-officialCommands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Neither one's marketplaces publish a list of tools, so there is nothing to compare.
Settings each asks for
Neither one's marketplaces publish the settings it asks for.
What it can do: imessage · What it can do: circleback · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-official/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.