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Developer Tools · head to head

GoLand vs Soketi

GoLand logo

GoLand

Developer Tools

JetBrains IDE for developing applications in Go

From
$24/month
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

  • Only Soketi has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: GoLand requires a paid subscription with no permanently free tier for commercial use.; 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: GoLand covers Smart code completion, Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which GoLand and Soketi actually diverge.

Attributes where GoLand and Soketi differ
AttributeGoLandSoketi
Starting price$24/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionOpen source, no licence fee
Free tierNoYes
Platformswindows, mac, linuxLinux, macOS, Windows
Founded2000Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).

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 GoLand

  • Smart code completion
  • Integrated debugger
  • Refactoring tools
  • Version control integration
  • Docker and Kubernetes support
  • Built-in terminal and database tools

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.

GoLand

  • Developing Go microservices and backend systemsnot Soketi
  • Debugging and profiling Go applicationsnot Soketi
  • Working with Docker and Kubernetes deploymentsnot Soketi
  • Refactoring large Go codebasesnot Soketi

Soketi

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

Where each one falls short

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

GoLand

  • Requires a paid subscription with no permanently free tier for commercial use.
  • Heavier resource usage than lightweight text editors like Vim or Sublime Text.
  • Primarily optimized for Go, so multi-language teams may prefer a broader IDE like VS Code or IntelliJ Ultimate.
  • License renewal pricing increases after the first year if a subscription lapses.

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

GoLand

$24/month
  • Individual$24/month
    • Personal use license
    • Access to GoLand
    • Free for students and open-source maintainers
  • Organization$34/month
    • Business use license
    • Access to GoLand
    • Volume and renewal discounts

Soketi

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

Which should you pick?

Choose GoLand if

  • You need smart code completion.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux.
  • You also want integrated debugger.
GoLand 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 GoLand or Soketi better?
Neither clearly leads. GoLand starts at $24/month and Soketi at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, GoLand or Soketi?
Soketi has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $24/month for GoLand and Free for Soketi.
Does GoLand or Soketi run on more platforms?
GoLand runs on windows, mac, linux. Soketi runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Soketi for free?
Yes. Soketi has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. GoLand starts at $24/month.
What is GoLand best used for?
GoLand is most often used for developing go microservices and backend systems, debugging and profiling go applications, working with docker and kubernetes deployments, refactoring large go codebases. Of those, developing go microservices and backend systems and debugging and profiling go applications are not what Soketi is typically brought in for.
What can GoLand do that Soketi cannot?
GoLand covers Smart code completion, Integrated debugger, Refactoring tools, Version control integration. Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility, Presence and private channels, Horizontal scaling, App management backends.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

GoLand: How much does GoLand cost?

GoLand is sold as a JetBrains Toolbox subscription starting around $24/month for individuals and $34/month for organizations, with discounts for longer commitments and free licenses for students and open-source maintainers.

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.

GoLand: Is there a free trial?

JetBrains offers a free trial period for GoLand before requiring purchase of a Toolbox subscription license.

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.

GoLand: What platforms does GoLand run on?

GoLand runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux as a desktop application distributed through JetBrains Toolbox.

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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