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APIs · head to head

Ably vs PubNub

Ably logo

Ably

APIs

Realtime data delivery platform for pub/sub messaging at scale

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PubNub logo

PubNub

APIs

Realtime communication platform for chat, IoT, and live data apps

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Ably standard and Pro plans layer usage-based charges for messages, connection minutes, and data transfer on top of the base subscription, adding cost complexity.; PubNub free plan storage history is limited to 7 days, which is short for apps needing longer message retention.
  • They diverge on capability: Ably covers Presence, PubNub covers Presence tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Ably and PubNub actually diverge.

Attributes where Ably and PubNub differ
AttributeAblyPubNub

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (web, ios, android, api), user rating (Not yet rated), category (APIs).

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 Ably

  • Presence
  • Multi-protocol support
  • Encryption
  • Datadog integration

Only in PubNub

  • Presence tracking
  • Serverless Functions
  • File sharing
  • Encryption and access controls

Both cover

  • Pub/sub messaging
  • Message persistence

What people use each for

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

Ably

  • Building realtime chat or collaborative appsnot PubNub
  • Delivering live data feeds like stock prices or sports scoresnot PubNub
  • Broadcasting notifications to many concurrent clientsnot PubNub
  • Running mission-critical realtime infrastructure with high uptime SLAsnot PubNub

PubNub

  • Building realtime chat applicationsnot Ably
  • Streaming live IoT sensor datanot Ably
  • Adding presence indicators to collaborative appsnot Ably
  • Running edge logic with serverless Functions on realtime eventsnot Ably

Where each one falls short

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

Ably

  • Standard and Pro plans layer usage-based charges for messages, connection minutes, and data transfer on top of the base subscription, adding cost complexity.
  • The jump from Standard ($29/month) to Pro ($399/month) is steep for teams needing more than 10k connections but not full Pro capacity.
  • 24/7 mission-critical support and 99.999% uptime SLAs are reserved for the custom-priced Enterprise tier.

PubNub

  • Free plan storage history is limited to 7 days, which is short for apps needing longer message retention.
  • MAU-based pricing means costs scale directly with user growth, which can be less predictable than flat message-based pricing.
  • Pro-tier custom pricing above 50,000 MAU requires contacting sales rather than self-serve checkout.

Pricing, plan by plan

Ably

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 200 concurrent connections
    • 500 messages/second
    • 6M messages/month
  • Standard$29/month
    • 10k concurrent channels
    • 10k concurrent connections
    • 2.5k messages/second
  • Pro$399/month
    • 50k concurrent channels
    • 50k concurrent connections
    • 10k messages/second

PubNub

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 200 MAU or 1M transactions
    • 1GB data storage (7 days)
    • 5 test Serverless Functions
  • Starter$98/month
    • 1,000 MAU included
    • User management
    • Insights
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Custom MAU packages
    • Volume discounts
    • Enterprise-scale configurations

Which should you pick?

Choose Ably if

  • You need presence.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, ios, android, api.
  • You also want multi-protocol support.
Ably review

Choose PubNub if

  • You need presence tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, ios, android, api.
  • You also want serverless functions.
PubNub review

Questions people ask

Is Ably or PubNub better?
Neither clearly leads. Ably starts at Free and PubNub at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Ably or PubNub?
Ably starts at Free and PubNub at Free.
Does Ably or PubNub run on more platforms?
Both run on web, ios, android, api, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Ably for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Ably best used for?
Ably is most often used for building realtime chat or collaborative apps, delivering live data feeds like stock prices or sports scores, broadcasting notifications to many concurrent clients, running mission-critical realtime infrastructure with high uptime slas. Of those, building realtime chat or collaborative apps and delivering live data feeds like stock prices or sports scores are not what PubNub is typically brought in for.
What can Ably do that PubNub cannot?
Ably covers Presence, Multi-protocol support, Encryption, Datadog integration. PubNub covers Presence tracking, Serverless Functions, File sharing, Encryption and access controls. Both handle Pub/sub messaging, Message persistence.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Ably: What does Ably cost?

Ably offers a free plan with 200 concurrent connections, a Standard plan at $29/month plus usage, a Pro plan at $399/month plus usage, and custom Enterprise pricing with unlimited channels and connections.

Source
PubNub: What does PubNub cost?

PubNub offers a free plan for up to 200 MAU or 1 million transactions, a Starter plan at $98/month for 1,000 MAU, and custom Pro pricing for larger volumes, e.g. around $550/month for 10,000 MAU.

Source
Ably: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the free plan includes 200 concurrent connections, 500 messages per second, and 6 million messages per month with community and best-effort email support.

Source
PubNub: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the free plan supports up to 200 monthly active users or 1 million transactions, includes 1GB of data storage retained for 7 days, and requires no credit card.

Source
Ably: How is usage metered?

Beyond plan limits, Ably charges usage-based rates of $2.50 per million messages, $1.00 per million connection minutes, $1.00 per million channel minutes, and $0.25 per GiB of data transfer, with volume discounts available.

Source
PubNub: How is usage metered?

PubNub bills primarily by Monthly Active Users, defined as a unique user who connects at least once in a billing cycle; messages are bundled into MAU pricing with no separate per-message fees, and overage is billed proportionally.

Source
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