Head-to-head · WebSocket Tools
Ably Pub/Sub vs Fastly Fanout
Ably Pub/Sub leads on 1 check, Fastly Fanout on 0, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreAbly Pub/Sub · 8.8/10
- Free planonly Ably Pub/Sub
Ably Pub/Sub scores higher on our rubric for websocket tools: 8.8 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #4.
Ably Pub/Sub offers free plan; Fastly Fanout doesn't.
Ably Pub/Sub is the better fit for teams building managed, feature-rich pub/sub. Fastly Fanout is the better fit for enterprises building real-time streaming applications.
- Ably Pub/Sub fits best
Teams building managed, feature-rich pub/sub
- Fastly Fanout fits best
Enterprises building real-time streaming applications
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Side by side
| Feature | Ably Pub/Sub 8.8/10 Visit ↗ | Fastly Fanout 8.6/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 8.8 | 8.6 |
| Ranking | #2 in WebSocket Tools | #4 in WebSocket Tools |
| Best for | Teams building managed, feature-rich pub/sub | Enterprises building real-time streaming applications |
| Pricing model | Free plan + paid | Paid |
| Starting price | $29/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | ✓ (best) | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Features Ably Pub/Sub 1/2 · Fastly Fanout 1/2 | ||
| Pub/sub messaging | ✓ | ✓ |
| Self-hosting available | — | — |
| Specs | ||
| Deployment model | Managed | Managed |
| Free concurrent connections | 200 | Not published |
| Client SDKs | JavaScript, Java, Python, React, React Native, C#.NET, Go, Node.js, Ruby, Swift, Objective-C, Flutter, PHP, PHP Laravel, Android, Kotlin, Unity, Xamarin, NativeScript, Cordova, Clojure, Scala | Rust, JavaScript, Go |
| Protocol support | WebSockets, HTTP REST, MQTT, SSE, HTTP streaming, AMQP, STOMP, Pusher, PubNub | WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, HTTP long polling, MQTT |
| Our review | ||
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | Ably Pub/Sub provides APIs and client SDKs for real-time applications that publish and subscribe to messages on channels. It is aimed at teams that want managed infrastructure for broadcasting updates to connected clients, tracking… Read the review → |
Fastly Fanout is a managed edge publish/subscribe service for applications that need to keep client connections open and deliver live updates. It is aimed at teams building chat, live feeds, notifications, and IoT messaging, particularly… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Ably Pub/Sub — where it wins
- Presence, history, persistence, recovery, replay, and ordering
- Protocol adapters include MQTT, SSE, AMQP, STOMP, Pusher, and PubNub
- Broad SDK coverage across web, mobile, and server languages
Where it doesn't
- Usage charges apply on paid plans in addition to package prices
- Cloud-only deployment; self-hosting is not supported
- Enterprise pricing is custom
Fastly Fanout — where it wins
- Manages persistent WebSocket connections at the edge
- Supports pub/sub, SSE, long polling, and MQTT architectures
- Translates client streams to HTTP backends, including serverless backends
Where it doesn't
- Requires a paid Fastly account with a Compute service for the trial
- Pricing is handled through Fastly sales
- Fanout is a managed cloud service, not a self-hosted deployment
- Ably Pub/Sub8.8/10 · Free plan · paid from $29/mo
Feature-rich managed pub/sub, with a free tier and paid plans from $29/month.
Visit AblyFull verdict → - Fastly Fanout8.6/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial
A managed edge service for persistent connections and live message delivery.
Visit FastlyFull verdict →
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- Ably Pub/Sub vs Spring WebSocket
- Ably Pub/Sub vs AnyCable
- Azure Web PubSub vs Fastly Fanout
All WebSocket tools comparisons → · Full ranking →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update