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Liveblocks alternatives: 5 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)

  • Ably logo

    Best free option

    Ably

    Starting price: $29 a month for 1K MAUs, billed annually (Pro)

  • Convex logo

    Best open source

    Convex

    Starting price: $25 per developer/month (Professional)

Common reasons people leave Liveblocks: usage-based charges for minutes and storage make costs harder to predict, and self-hosting is limited to the enterprise plan. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Liveblocks, 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 479.8
2Ably logoAblyFree plan + paid$29 a month for 1K MAUs, billed annually (Pro)NoWeb5 of 568.8
3Firebase logoFirebaseFree plan + paid—NoWeb, iOS, Android8 of 866.2
4Convex logoConvexFree plan + paid$25 per developer/month (Professional)YesWeb, Self-hosted6 of 652.6
5Supabase logoSupabaseFree plan + paidFrom $25/monthYesWeb, Self-hosted5 of 550.0
  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

    79.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liveblocks

    Simple hosted pub/sub channels for live updates when you don't need CRDT storage or comments.

    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 ×0.387
    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 Liveblocks 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. Ably logo

    2. Ably

    Best for: Teams building chat, live collaboration or streaming features where delivery guarantees matter

    Free plan + paidWeb

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liveblocks

    Lower-level realtime messaging with strong delivery guarantees if you'd rather build your own collaboration layer.

    Pros

    • Guaranteed ordering and message history
    • Generous free package with 6M messages a month
    • Dedicated chat and database-sync products

    Cons

    • Usage-based billing is harder to predict than flat tiers
    • Uptime SLAs are limited to higher plans
    • Cloud only
    Visit Ably Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    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 Ably a good Liveblocks alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    Yes, up to 500 MAUs
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ably.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $29 a month for 1K MAUs, billed annually (Pro)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ably.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Enterprise SLA
    99.999% uptime
    Checked Nov 1, 2026ably.com(opens source in a new tab)
    JavaScript SDK license
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Business plan
    From $349 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ably.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Firebase logo

    3. 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 Liveblocks

    Google's realtime database and Firestore listeners give live sync plus auth and hosting.

    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 Liveblocks 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)
  4. Convex logo

    4. Convex

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

    Free plan + paidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    52.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liveblocks

    Reactive backend where queries update live, covering sync and your app's database in one place.

    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 ×0.346
    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 Convex a good Liveblocks 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)
  5. Supabase logo

    5. Supabase

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

    Free plan + paidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Liveblocks

    Open-source Postgres platform with Realtime channels, presence and broadcast, and it can be self-hosted.

    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 ×0.338
    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 Supabase a good Liveblocks 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)

The best Liveblocks alternative for…

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

Pusher logo

Best Liveblocks alternative for most people

Pusher

Simple hosted pub/sub channels for live updates when you don't need CRDT storage or comments.

Ably logo

Best Liveblocks alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Ably

Lower-level realtime messaging with strong delivery guarantees if you'd rather build your own collaboration layer.

Convex logo

Best Liveblocks alternative for open source

Convex

Reactive backend where queries update live, covering sync and your app's database in one place.

Supabase logo

Best Liveblocks alternative for self-hosting

Supabase

Open-source Postgres platform with Realtime channels, presence and broadcast, and it can be self-hosted.

Firebase logo

Best Liveblocks alternative for iPhone and Android

Firebase

Google's realtime database and Firestore listeners give live sync plus auth and hosting.

Pusher logo

Best Liveblocks alternative for working in the browser

Pusher

Simple hosted pub/sub channels for live updates when you don't need CRDT storage or comments.

Liveblocks alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Liveblocks?

Pusher ranks first right now. Simple hosted pub/sub channels for live updates when you don't need CRDT storage or comments. Ably and Firebase follow it in our ranking.

Liveblocks vs Pusher: what's the difference?

Both Liveblocks and Pusher are free with paid plans. Verified prices: Liveblocks $25 per month (Pro, billed annually), Pusher $49/month (Startup). Both run on Web.

Is Liveblocks free?

Liveblocks is free with paid plans. Free plan: Yes, for prototyping and testing; Starting price: $25 per month (Pro, billed annually). Checked on Liveblocks's own site, November 2026.

How much do Liveblocks alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked Liveblocks alternatives: Pusher, $49/month (Startup); Ably, $29 a month for 1K MAUs, billed annually (Pro); Convex, $25 per developer/month (Professional); Supabase, From $25/month. 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 Liveblocks?

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

Is there an open-source alternative to Liveblocks?

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

Why do people switch from Liveblocks?

The complaints we hear most: 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.

How is this list ranked?

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