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Web Development · head to head

npm vs Soketi

npm logo

npm

Web Development

Package manager for JavaScript

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Soketi logo

Soketi

Developer Tools

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

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: npm private packages require a paid user or organization account; the free registry publishes publicly only; 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: npm covers Package installation, Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which npm and Soketi actually diverge.

Attributes where npm and Soketi differ
AttributenpmSoketi
Pricing modelfreemiumOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsWindows, Macos, LinuxLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryWeb DevelopmentDeveloper Tools
Founded2014Unknown

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 npm

  • Package installation
  • Dependency management
  • Version management
  • Script running
  • Package publishing
  • Security auditing
  • Package discovery
  • CLI interface

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.

npm

  • Package managementnot Soketi
  • Dependency installationnot Soketi
  • Project scaffoldingnot Soketi
  • Build automationnot Soketi
  • Package publishingnot Soketi
  • Version controlnot Soketi

Soketi

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

Where each one falls short

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

npm

  • Private packages require a paid user or organization account; the free registry publishes publicly only

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

npm

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited public packages
    • Package discovery
    • npm CLI
  • Pro$7/month
    • Unlimited private packages
    • Package analytics
    • Support
  • Teams$7/month
    • Team management
    • Organization packages
    • Audit logs

Soketi

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

Which should you pick?

Choose npm if

  • You need package installation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, Macos, Linux.
  • You also want dependency management.
npm 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 npm or Soketi better?
Neither clearly leads. npm 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, npm or Soketi?
npm starts at Free and Soketi at Free.
Does npm or Soketi run on more platforms?
npm runs on Windows, Macos, Linux. Soketi runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use npm for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is npm best used for?
npm is most often used for package management, dependency installation, project scaffolding, build automation. Of those, package management and dependency installation are not what Soketi is typically brought in for.
What can npm do that Soketi cannot?
npm covers Package installation, Dependency management, Version management, Script running. Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility, Presence and private channels, Horizontal scaling, App management backends.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Soketi: Do I need to change my client code?

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

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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