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Head-to-head · WebSocket Tools

Azure Web PubSub vs Fastly Fanout

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Azure Web PubSub #3 in WebSocket Tools 8.7/10 Free plan · pricing on request Free plan✓ 1 of 2 features Try Azure Web PubSub
Fastly Fanout #4 in WebSocket Tools 8.6/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial ✓ 1 of 2 features Visit Fastly

Azure Web PubSub 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 scoreAzure Web PubSub · 8.7/10
  • Free planonly Azure Web PubSub

Azure Web PubSub scores higher on our rubric for websocket tools: 8.7 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #4.

Azure Web PubSub offers free plan; Fastly Fanout doesn't.

Azure Web PubSub is the better fit for teams building real-time apps on Azure. Fastly Fanout is the better fit for enterprises building real-time streaming applications.

  • Azure Web PubSub fits best

    Teams building real-time apps on Azure

  • Fastly Fanout fits best

    Enterprises building real-time streaming applications

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Azure Web PubSub 8.7/10 Visit ↗ Fastly Fanout 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 8.6
Ranking #3 in WebSocket Tools #4 in WebSocket Tools
Best for Teams building real-time apps on Azure Enterprises building real-time streaming applications
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web Web
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Azure Web PubSub 1/2 · Fastly Fanout 1/2
Pub/sub messaging ✓ ✓
Self-hosting available — —
Specs
Deployment model Managed Managed
Free concurrent connections 20 Not published
Client SDKs C#, JavaScript, Java, Python Rust, JavaScript, Go
Protocol support WebSocket, MQTT WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, HTTP long polling, MQTT
Our review
Pros
  • Free plan includes 20 concurrent connections per unit.
  • Serverless WebSockets, hubs, groups, REST APIs, and MQTT support.
  • Premium adds managed autoscaling, geo-replication, and availability zones.
  • 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
Cons
  • Free plan is limited to 20,000 messages per unit per day.
  • Self-hosting is not supported; deployment is cloud-only.
  • Paid plan prices require region and currency selection or a sales quote.
  • 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
Our verdict

Azure Web PubSub is a managed Azure service for adding real-time messaging to web applications. It suits teams building chat, notifications, live broadcasts, collaborative experiences, or IoT dashboards that need WebSocket connections…

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 →
  1. Azure Web PubSubWebSocket Tools 8.7Free plan · pricing on request
  2. Fastly FanoutWebSocket Tools 8.6Pricing on request · 30-day trial

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Azure Web PubSub — where it wins

    • Free plan includes 20 concurrent connections per unit.
    • Serverless WebSockets, hubs, groups, REST APIs, and MQTT support.
    • Premium adds managed autoscaling, geo-replication, and availability zones.

    Where it doesn't

    • Free plan is limited to 20,000 messages per unit per day.
    • Self-hosting is not supported; deployment is cloud-only.
    • Paid plan prices require region and currency selection or a sales quote.

  • 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
  • Azure Web PubSub8.7/10 · Free plan · pricing on request

    A managed Azure service for real-time apps that need WebSockets, pub-sub, and scale.

    Try Azure Web PubSubFull 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 →

More comparisons

All WebSocket tools comparisons → · Full ranking →

Guides on WebSocket tools

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update