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Sendbird alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll in-app chat and video APIs

Top picks

  • CometChat logo

    Best overall

    CometChat

    Starting price: $239/month billed annually

  • Stream logo

    Best free option

    Stream

    Starting price: $399 a month billed annually, or $499 monthly (Chat Start)

  • LiveKit logo

    Best open source

    LiveKit

    Free plan: $0/month Build plan

Common reasons people leave Sendbird: no free production tier; paid plans start in the hundreds per month, and translation and image moderation require the Pro plan. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Sendbird, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. CometChat currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1CometChat logoCometChatPaid$239/month billed annuallyNoWeb, iOS, Android5 of 579.8
2Stream logoStreamFree plan + paid$399 a month billed annually, or $499 monthly (Chat Start)NoWeb, iOS, Android5 of 568.8
3Agora logoAgoraFree plan + paid$0.59 per 1,000 RTC minutesNoWeb, Windows, macOS +26 of 652.6
4LiveKit logoLiveKitOpen sourceFrom $50/monthYesWeb, iOS, Android +14 of 451.2
5Twilio logoTwilioPaidFrom $0.0083 per messageNoWeb7 of 750.0
  1. CometChat logo

    1. CometChatTop pick

    Best for: Teams that want in-app chat and calling with prebuilt UI or a no-code website widget

    PaidWeb, iOS, Android

    79.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Sendbird

    Cheaper entry-level paid plans and a no-code widget for websites.

    Pros

    • No-code widget option alongside full SDKs and UI kits
    • Lower entry price than several chat API rivals
    • Compliance coverage including HIPAA, SOC 2 and ISO 27001

    Cons

    • Free Build plan is for development only, capped at 100 users
    • MAU and concurrent connection overages on Basic and Advanced plans
    • Email and SMS notification fallbacks need the Advanced plan
    Visit CometChat 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 CometChat a good Sendbird alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free plan
    Development only, up to 100 users
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cometchat.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $239/month billed annually
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cometchat.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Platforms
    React, iOS, Android, Flutter and more
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cometchat.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Compliance
    GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cometchat.com(opens source in a new tab)
    MAU overage
    $0.10 per MAU
    Checked Nov 8, 2026cometchat.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Stream logo

    2. Stream

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

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Sendbird

    Comparable chat API with a free tier, plus activity feeds and broad UI kit coverage.

    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 ×0.3100
    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 Stream a good Sendbird 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)
  3. Agora logo

    3. Agora

    Best for: Consumer apps that need voice, video or live streaming at very large scale across regions

    Free plan + paidWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

    52.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Sendbird

    Usage-priced video, voice and chat with a large monthly free allowance.

    Pros

    • Large free monthly allowance of RTC minutes
    • Proven at very high concurrency
    • Separate products for signaling, chat and voice AI

    Cons

    • Proprietary network with no self-hosted option
    • Many products and SKUs make costs hard to estimate
    • Larger deals require talking to sales
    Visit Agora 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 Agora a good Sendbird alternative?

    Verified facts

    6 of 6 verified
    Free allowance
    10,000 RTC minutes a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026agora.io(opens source in a new tab)
    RTC price
    From $0.59 per 1,000 minutes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026agora.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Conversational AI
    From $0.10 per minute, first 300 minutes free
    Checked Nov 8, 2026agora.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Latency
    Under 200 ms globally
    Checked Nov 8, 2026agora.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $0.59 per 1,000 RTC minutes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026agora.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Chat
    From $0.05 per monthly active user
    Checked Nov 8, 2026agora.io(opens source in a new tab)
  4. LiveKit logo

    4. LiveKit

    Best for: Teams building voice AI agents or video apps who want an open-source stack with an optional managed cloud

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, iOS, Android, Self-hosted

    51.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from Sendbird

    Open-source and self-hostable option for real-time voice and video.

    Pros

    • Apache-2.0 server you can self-host
    • Agents framework with turn detection and telephony
    • SDKs for most web, mobile and game platforms
    • Free cloud tier with no credit card

    Cons

    • Product focus has moved strongly towards voice AI agents
    • Self-hosting at scale means running your own WebRTC infrastructure
    • Cloud costs stack several per-minute charges per session
    Visit LiveKit Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.341
    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 LiveKit a good Sendbird alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    $0/month Build plan
    Checked Nov 8, 2026livekit.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Paid plans
    From $50/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026livekit.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud regions
    19+
    Checked Nov 8, 2026livekit.io(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Twilio logo

    5. Twilio

    Best for: Developers adding SMS, calls, WhatsApp or 2FA codes to an app who want the widest set of features

    PaidWeb

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from Sendbird

    Conversations API adds chat across in-app, SMS and WhatsApp, handy if you already use Twilio for messaging.

    Pros

    • Covers SMS, voice, WhatsApp, RCS, verification and email in one account
    • Pay as you go with no contract
    • Free trial with no credit card
    • Mature docs and SDKs for most languages

    Cons

    • Per-message rates are higher than some carrier-owned rivals
    • Carrier fees and US 10DLC registration add cost and setup work
    • The product range is large and can be hard to navigate
    Visit Twilio 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 Twilio a good Sendbird alternative?

    Verified facts

    7 of 7 verified
    Pricing
    Pay as you go
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free trial
    Yes, no credit card required
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    SMS price
    From $0.0083 per message
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    WhatsApp
    From $0.005 per message
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    WhatsApp price
    From $0.005 per message
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Voice price
    From $0.014/min to make a call, $0.0085/min to receive
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Email price
    From $0.0013 per email
    Checked Nov 8, 2026twilio.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Sendbird alternative for…

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

CometChat logo

Best Sendbird alternative for most people

CometChat

Cheaper entry-level paid plans and a no-code widget for websites.

LiveKit logo

Best Sendbird alternative for a free option

LiveKit

Open-source and self-hostable option for real-time voice and video.

Stream logo

Best Sendbird alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Stream

Comparable chat API with a free tier, plus activity feeds and broad UI kit coverage.

LiveKit logo

Best Sendbird alternative for open source

LiveKit

Open-source and self-hostable option for real-time voice and video.

LiveKit logo

Best Sendbird alternative for self-hosting

LiveKit

Open-source and self-hostable option for real-time voice and video.

Agora logo

Best Sendbird alternative for Mac

Agora

Usage-priced video, voice and chat with a large monthly free allowance.

Agora logo

Best Sendbird alternative for Windows

Agora

Usage-priced video, voice and chat with a large monthly free allowance.

CometChat logo

Best Sendbird alternative for iPhone and Android

CometChat

Cheaper entry-level paid plans and a no-code widget for websites.

Twilio logo

Best Sendbird alternative for working in the browser

Twilio

Conversations API adds chat across in-app, SMS and WhatsApp, handy if you already use Twilio for messaging.

Sendbird alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Sendbird?

CometChat ranks first right now. Cheaper entry-level paid plans and a no-code widget for websites. Stream and Agora follow it in our ranking.

Sendbird vs CometChat: what's the difference?

Both Sendbird and CometChat are paid products. Verified prices: Sendbird $349/month billed annually, CometChat $239/month billed annually. Both run on Web, iOS and Android.

Is Sendbird free?

Sendbird is a paid product. Free trial: Yes, up to 1,000 MAU; Starting price: $349/month billed annually; Pro plan: $499/month billed annually. Checked on Sendbird's own site, November 2026.

How much do Sendbird alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked Sendbird alternatives: CometChat, $239/month billed annually; Stream, $399 a month billed annually, or $499 monthly (Chat Start); Agora, $0.59 per 1,000 RTC minutes; LiveKit, From $50/month; Twilio, From $0.0083 per message. 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 Sendbird?

Yes. Stream (free plan + paid), Agora (free plan + paid) and LiveKit (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to Sendbird?

Yes: LiveKit. LiveKit can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from Sendbird?

The complaints we hear most: no free production tier; paid plans start in the hundreds per month; translation and image moderation require the Pro plan; company focus has shifted toward AI customer service products.

How is this list ranked?

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