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Drizzle ORM vs Soketi

Drizzle ORM logo

Drizzle ORM

Software Development

Headless TypeScript ORM and SQL query builder

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Soketi logo

Soketi

Developer Tools

Self-hosted, Pusher-compatible WebSockets server with a stalled maintenance record

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Drizzle ORM it is entirely community/sponsor-funded with no official paid support tier for enterprises needing SLAs.; Soketi maintenance has effectively stalled: the maintainer has said time is severely limited, releases are infrequent, and the community has been discussing whether the project is abandoned, which means security fixes may not arrive.
  • They diverge on capability: Drizzle ORM covers Type-safe query builder, Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Drizzle ORM and Soketi actually diverge.

Attributes where Drizzle ORM and Soketi differ
AttributeDrizzle ORMSoketi
Pricing modelopen-sourceOpen source, no licence fee
Platformsweb, apiLinux, macOS, Windows
CategorySoftware DevelopmentDeveloper Tools

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Drizzle ORM

  • Type-safe query builder
  • Schema migrations
  • Drizzle Studio
  • Multi-database support
  • Serverless-ready drivers
  • Zero dependencies

Only in Soketi

  • Pusher protocol compatibility
  • Presence and private channels
  • Horizontal scaling
  • App management backends
  • Webhooks
  • Prometheus metrics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Drizzle ORM

  • Type-safe database access in TypeScript backendsnot Soketi
  • Serverless and edge applications needing lightweight database driversnot Soketi
  • Teams migrating from raw SQL for better type safetynot Soketi
  • Projects wanting SQL-like control without a heavy ORM abstractionnot Soketi

Soketi

  • A Laravel application that already uses Echo and wants to stop paying a hosted realtime providernot Drizzle ORM
  • Realtime notifications or presence indicators where data must not leave your own infrastructure for compliance reasonsnot Drizzle ORM
  • A local or CI environment that needs a Pusher-compatible server without hitting a paid accountnot Drizzle ORM
  • A high-connection-count application where hosted per-connection pricing has become the largest line in the infrastructure billnot Drizzle ORM

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Drizzle ORM

  • It is entirely community/sponsor-funded with no official paid support tier for enterprises needing SLAs.
  • The relational query API is newer than the SQL-like API and has historically had fewer advanced features.
  • Documentation and ecosystem tooling are less mature than Prisma's, which has a larger community and GUI ecosystem.
  • MSSQL and CockroachCB support are newer additions still stabilizing toward a 1.0 release.

Soketi

  • Maintenance has effectively stalled: the maintainer has said time is severely limited, releases are infrequent, and the community has been discussing whether the project is abandoned, which means security fixes may not arrive.
  • Dependency drift on Node and uWebSockets.js will eventually force you to fork or migrate, and that cost is unbudgeted at the point you adopt it.
  • There is no commercial support to buy, so a production incident at three in the morning is entirely your problem with no escalation path.
  • Scaling beyond a single node needs Redis and careful configuration, and getting presence channels correct across nodes is a genuine source of subtle bugs.
  • It implements the Pusher protocol rather than tracking it, so any protocol feature Pusher adds later will not appear, and the compatibility guarantee slowly decays.

Pricing, plan by plan

Drizzle ORM

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full ORM and query builder
    • drizzle-kit migrations
    • Drizzle Studio

Soketi

Free
  • SoketiFree
    • MIT licensed
    • Unlimited connections subject to your own hardware
    • No vendor billing

Which should you pick?

Choose Drizzle ORM if

  • You need type-safe query builder.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want schema migrations.
Drizzle ORM review

Choose Soketi if

  • You need pusher protocol compatibility.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want presence and private channels.
Soketi review

Questions people ask

Is Drizzle ORM or Soketi better?
Neither clearly leads. Drizzle ORM starts at Free and Soketi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Drizzle ORM or Soketi?
Drizzle ORM starts at Free and Soketi at Free.
Does Drizzle ORM or Soketi run on more platforms?
Drizzle ORM runs on web, api. Soketi runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Drizzle ORM for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Drizzle ORM best used for?
Drizzle ORM is most often used for type-safe database access in typescript backends, serverless and edge applications needing lightweight database drivers, teams migrating from raw sql for better type safety, projects wanting sql-like control without a heavy orm abstraction. Of those, type-safe database access in typescript backends and serverless and edge applications needing lightweight database drivers are not what Soketi is typically brought in for.
What can Drizzle ORM do that Soketi cannot?
Drizzle ORM covers Type-safe query builder, Schema migrations, Drizzle Studio, Multi-database support. Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility, Presence and private channels, Horizontal scaling, App management backends.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Drizzle ORM: What does Drizzle ORM cost?

Drizzle ORM is completely free and open-source with no licensing fees; the team accepts community sponsorships and contributions rather than charging for the software.

Source
Soketi: Is Soketi still maintained?

Barely. The maintainer has stated that available time is very limited and releases have been sparse; treat it as community-maintained.

Drizzle ORM: Which databases does Drizzle support?

Drizzle supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MSSQL, CockroachDB and SingleStore, with specialized drivers for providers like Neon, Supabase, Vercel Postgres and Turso.

Source
Soketi: Do I need to change my client code?

No. Pusher client SDKs and Laravel Echo work by changing the host, port and credentials.

Drizzle ORM: Does Drizzle include migration tooling?

Yes, the drizzle-kit CLI provides generate, push, pull and check commands for managing schema migrations, and Drizzle Studio offers a visual way to browse and edit data.

Source
Soketi: What does it cost?

Nothing in licence fees. It is MIT licensed; you pay for the server it runs on.

Soketi: What are people moving to?

Laravel Reverb for Laravel applications, and Sockudo, a Rust reimplementation, for others.

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