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Postgres vs Soketi

Postgres logo

Postgres

Technology

The world's most advanced open source database

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: Postgres each major version is supported for only 5 years after its initial release, after which it is end-of-life; 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: Postgres covers ACID compliance, Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Postgres and Soketi actually diverge.

Attributes where Postgres and Soketi differ
AttributePostgresSoketi
Pricing modelopen-sourceOpen source, no licence fee
PlatformsLinux, Windows, Macos, DockerLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryTechnologyDeveloper Tools
Founded1996Unknown

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 Postgres

  • ACID compliance
  • Complex queries
  • Foreign keys
  • Triggers
  • Views
  • Stored procedures
  • JSON/JSONB support
  • Full-text search

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.

Postgres

  • Running a general purpose relational database for applicationsnot Soketi
  • Self-hosting an open source SQL database with no licence feenot Soketi
  • Workloads needing extensions, JSON and full text search in one enginenot Soketi

Soketi

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

Where each one falls short

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

Postgres

  • Each major version is supported for only 5 years after its initial release, after which it is end-of-life
  • Major version upgrades break on-disk compatibility and require a full dump and reload or the pg_upgrade tool
  • New major versions ship about once a year, so staying supported means a disruptive upgrade cycle
  • Minor releases contain only frequently-encountered bug fixes, low-risk fixes, security issues and data corruption fixes, so feature gaps are not addressed within a major version
  • There is no vendor SLA; commercial support must be bought separately from third party professional services listed by the project

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

Postgres

Free
  • Community EditionFree
    • Full database features
    • No limitations
    • Community support

Soketi

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Postgres if

  • You need acid compliance.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker.
  • You also want complex queries.
Postgres 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 Postgres or Soketi better?
Neither clearly leads. Postgres 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, Postgres or Soketi?
Postgres starts at Free and Soketi at Free.
Does Postgres or Soketi run on more platforms?
Postgres runs on Linux, Windows, Macos, Docker. Soketi runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Postgres for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Postgres best used for?
Postgres is most often used for running a general purpose relational database for applications, self-hosting an open source sql database with no licence fee, workloads needing extensions, json and full text search in one engine. Of those, running a general purpose relational database for applications and self-hosting an open source sql database with no licence fee are not what Soketi is typically brought in for.
What can Postgres do that Soketi cannot?
Postgres covers ACID compliance, Complex queries, Foreign keys, Triggers. Soketi covers Pusher protocol compatibility, Presence and private channels, Horizontal scaling, App management backends.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Postgres: How much does PostgreSQL cost to use?

PostgreSQL is completely free to download, install, and use. No licensing fees, subscription costs, or per-seat charges apply. The database is open source under the PostgreSQL License. Source: https://www.postgresql.org

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.

Postgres: Are there commercial PostgreSQL support options available?

Official PostgreSQL (the project) is free. Commercial PostgreSQL services such as hosting, professional support, training, and managed database services are offered by third-party vendors, not the PostgreSQL project itself. Source: https://www.postgresql.org

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.

Postgres: Do I need a license to use PostgreSQL commercially?

No. PostgreSQL is open source under the PostgreSQL License, which permits free commercial use without royalties, licensing fees, or support obligations. Source: https://www.postgresql.org

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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