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Ably alternatives: 6 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll realtime messaging APIs

Top picks

  • Pusher logo

    Best overall

    Pusher

    Starting price: $49/month (Startup)

  • Firebase logo

    Best free option

    Firebase

    Free plan + paid

  • Supabase logo

    Best open source

    Supabase

    Free plan: Yes, $0/month with 50,000 monthly active users

Common reasons people leave Ably: usage-based billing is harder to predict than flat tiers, and uptime SLAs are limited to higher plans. We ranked 6 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Ably, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Pusher currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Pusher logoPusherFree plan + paid$49/month (Startup)NoWeb4 of 483.8
2Firebase logoFirebaseFree plan + paid—NoWeb, iOS, Android8 of 866.2
3Supabase logoSupabaseFree plan + paidFrom $25/monthYesWeb, Self-hosted5 of 552.6
4Stream logoStreamFree plan + paid$399 a month billed annually, or $499 monthly (Chat Start)NoWeb, iOS, Android5 of 550.0
5Convex logoConvexFree plan + paid$25 per developer/month (Professional)YesWeb, Self-hosted6 of 649.0
6Liveblocks logoLiveblocksFree plan + paid$25 per month (Pro, billed annually)NoWeb5 of 542.3
  1. Pusher logo

    1. PusherTop pick

    Best for: Developers adding live updates or presence to a web or mobile app with minimal setup

    Free plan + paidWeb

    83.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Ably

    Simpler API and fixed monthly tiers, good enough for basic live updates.

    Pros

    • Very simple publish/subscribe API
    • Presence and private channels built in
    • Free Sandbox plan for prototypes

    Cons

    • Free plan allows only 100 concurrent connections
    • Fixed tiers jump in price as connections grow
    • No message history or delivery guarantees like Ably's
    Visit Pusher Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Pusher a good Ably alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free plan
    Sandbox: 200k messages/day, 100 connections
    Checked Nov 8, 2026pusher.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $49/month (Startup)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026pusher.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Presence
    Presence channels
    Checked Nov 8, 2026pusher.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Push notifications
    Beams for iOS, Android and web
    Checked Nov 8, 2026pusher.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Firebase logo

    2. Firebase

    Best for: Mobile and web teams who want realtime sync, auth and push messaging from one vendor

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    66.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Ably

    Live data sync through Firestore listeners with Google's wider app backend.

    Pros

    • Mature SDKs for Android, iOS, Flutter and web
    • Realtime sync and offline support built into the client libraries
    • Wide set of mobile services such as crash reporting and push messaging

    Cons

    • Ties your app closely to Google Cloud
    • NoSQL query limits often force data duplication
    • Pay-as-you-go bills can spike with heavy reads
    Visit Firebase Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.341
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Firebase a good Ably alternative?

    Verified facts

    8 of 8 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, Spark plan
    Checked Nov 8, 2026firebase.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Paid plan
    Blaze, pay as you go
    Checked Nov 8, 2026firebase.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Database
    Firestore, a NoSQL document database
    Checked Nov 8, 2026firebase.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    SQL option
    PostgreSQL via Firebase SQL Connect
    Checked Nov 8, 2026firebase.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Blaze plan
    Pay as you go, with Spark free usage included
    Checked Nov 8, 2026firebase.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud Functions
    Free up to 2M invocations/month, then $0.40 per million
    Checked Nov 8, 2026firebase.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud Storage
    Free up to 5 GB, then $0.026 per GB
    Checked Nov 8, 2026firebase.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free credit
    $300 for eligible Blaze users
    Checked Nov 8, 2026firebase.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Supabase logo

    3. Supabase

    Best for: Developers who want Postgres plus auth, storage and realtime without running servers

    Free plan + paidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    52.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Ably

    Realtime broadcast and presence bundled with a Postgres backend and auth.

    Pros

    • Real Postgres underneath, so SQL, extensions and standard tooling all work
    • Auth, storage, realtime and functions in one dashboard
    • Open source and self-hostable with Docker
    • Large community and many framework guides

    Cons

    • Free projects pause after a week of inactivity
    • Usage charges for compute and egress can be hard to predict
    • Self-hosting the full stack takes real operations work
    Visit Supabase Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.346
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Supabase a good Ably alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, $0/month with 50,000 monthly active users
    Checked Nov 8, 2026supabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pro plan
    From $25/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026supabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free project pausing
    After 1 week of inactivity
    Checked Nov 8, 2026supabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Team plan
    From $599/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026supabase.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Stream logo

    4. Stream

    Best for: App teams adding chat, video or feeds who want ready-made UI kits for many frameworks

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Ably

    If you used Ably mainly for in-app chat or activity feeds, Stream offers ready-made chat APIs with UI kits.

    Pros

    • Chat, video, feeds and moderation from one vendor
    • UI kits for most mobile, web and game frameworks
    • Free tier for small apps and a Maker programme for small companies

    Cons

    • Paid chat plans start in the hundreds of dollars per month
    • Separate overage meters for users, connections, API calls and storage
    • Not self-hostable
    Visit Stream Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.338
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Stream a good Ably alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, Build plan with 10K MAU
    Checked Nov 8, 2026getstream.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $399 a month billed annually, or $499 monthly (Chat Start)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026getstream.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Products
    Chat, video, feeds, moderation
    Checked Nov 8, 2026getstream.io(opens source in a new tab)
    MAU overage
    $0.09 per user
    Checked Nov 8, 2026getstream.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Elevate plan
    $599 a month billed annually, or $675 monthly
    Checked Nov 8, 2026getstream.io(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Convex logo

    5. Convex

    Best for: TypeScript teams building realtime apps who want the backend to be just functions

    Free plan + paidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    49.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Ably

    A backend whose queries push updates to clients automatically, so app state syncs without a separate pub/sub layer.

    Pros

    • Live-updating queries without writing websocket code
    • End-to-end TypeScript types from database to UI
    • Free tier plus pay-as-you-go for small projects

    Cons

    • Proprietary programming model makes migrating away costly
    • Per-developer pricing on the Professional plan
    • Self-hosting is possible but less documented than the cloud
    Visit Convex Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.334
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Convex a good Ably alternative?

    Verified facts

    6 of 6 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, $0/month plus pay-as-you-go option
    Checked Nov 8, 2026convex.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Professional plan
    $25 per developer/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026convex.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.convex.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Open source
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026convex.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $25 per developer/month (Professional)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026convex.dev(opens source in a new tab)
    Business & Enterprise plan
    $2,500 monthly minimum
    Checked Nov 8, 2026convex.dev(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Liveblocks logo

    6. Liveblocks

    Best for: Product teams adding live co-editing, comments and presence to a web app without building sync

    Free plan + paidWeb

    42.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from Ably

    Adds CRDT storage, comments and presence components on top of realtime sync.

    Pros

    • Covers presence, conflict-free storage, comments and notifications in one service
    • Supports Yjs as well as its own storage model
    • Prebuilt React components shorten the path to a working feature
    • Free tier is generous enough for prototypes

    Cons

    • Usage-based charges for minutes and storage make costs harder to predict
    • Self-hosting is limited to the enterprise plan
    • Much of the tooling assumes a JavaScript and React front end
    Visit Liveblocks Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.312
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Liveblocks a good Ably alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, for prototyping and testing
    Checked Nov 8, 2026liveblocks.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $25 per month (Pro, billed annually)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026liveblocks.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Yjs support
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026liveblocks.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Self-hosting
    Enterprise plan only
    Checked Nov 8, 2026liveblocks.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Offline mode
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026liveblocks.io(opens source in a new tab)

The best Ably alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Pusher logo

Best Ably alternative for most people

Pusher

Simpler API and fixed monthly tiers, good enough for basic live updates.

Firebase logo

Best Ably alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Firebase

Live data sync through Firestore listeners with Google's wider app backend.

Supabase logo

Best Ably alternative for open source

Supabase

Realtime broadcast and presence bundled with a Postgres backend and auth.

Convex logo

Best Ably alternative for self-hosting

Convex

A backend whose queries push updates to clients automatically, so app state syncs without a separate pub/sub layer.

Stream logo

Best Ably alternative for iPhone and Android

Stream

If you used Ably mainly for in-app chat or activity feeds, Stream offers ready-made chat APIs with UI kits.

Liveblocks logo

Best Ably alternative for working in the browser

Liveblocks

Adds CRDT storage, comments and presence components on top of realtime sync.

Ably alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Ably?

Pusher ranks first right now. Simpler API and fixed monthly tiers, good enough for basic live updates. Firebase and Supabase follow it in our ranking.

Ably vs Pusher: what's the difference?

Both Ably and Pusher are free with paid plans. Verified prices: Ably $29 a month for 1K MAUs, billed annually (Pro), Pusher $49/month (Startup). Both run on Web.

Is Ably free?

Ably is free with paid plans. Free plan: Yes, up to 500 MAUs; Starting price: $29 a month for 1K MAUs, billed annually (Pro); Business plan: From $349 a month. Checked on Ably's own site, November 2026.

How much do Ably alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked Ably alternatives: Pusher, $49/month (Startup); Supabase, From $25/month; Stream, $399 a month billed annually, or $499 monthly (Chat Start); Convex, $25 per developer/month (Professional); Liveblocks, $25 per month (Pro, billed annually). Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to Ably?

Yes. Pusher (free plan + paid), Firebase (free plan + paid), Supabase (free plan + paid) and Stream (free plan + paid) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Ably?

Yes: Supabase and Convex. Supabase and Convex can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Ably?

The complaints we hear most: usage-based billing is harder to predict than flat tiers; uptime SLAs are limited to higher plans; cloud only.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Ably, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.