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Head-to-head · WebSocket Tools

Fastly Fanout vs Action Cable

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Fastly Fanout #4 in WebSocket Tools 8.6/10 Pricing on request · 30-day trial ✓ 1 of 2 features Visit Fastly
Action Cable #6 in WebSocket Tools 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 2 features Visit Ruby on Rails

Fastly Fanout leads on 0 checks, Action Cable on 2, and 1 is 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 scoreFastly Fanout · 8.6/10
  • Free planonly Action Cable
  • Most featuresAction Cable · 2 of 2

Fastly Fanout scores higher on our rubric for websocket tools: 8.6 against 8.3 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #6.

Action Cable offers free plan; Fastly Fanout doesn't. On deployment model, Action Cable gives you Library where Fastly Fanout offers Managed. Action Cable offers self-hosting available; Fastly Fanout doesn't.

Fastly Fanout is the better fit for enterprises building real-time streaming applications. Action Cable is the better fit for ruby on Rails applications.

  • Fastly Fanout fits best

    Enterprises building real-time streaming applications

  • Action Cable fits best

    Ruby on Rails applications

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

Side by side

Feature Fastly Fanout 8.6/10 Visit ↗ Action Cable 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.6 8.3
Ranking #4 in WebSocket Tools #6 in WebSocket Tools
Best for Enterprises building real-time streaming applications Ruby on Rails applications
Pricing model Paid Free
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Self-hosted
Platforms Web Web
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Fastly Fanout 1/2 · Action Cable 2/2
Pub/sub messaging ✓ ✓
Self-hosting available — ✓ (best)
Specs
Deployment model Managed Library
Free concurrent connections Not published Not published
Client SDKs Rust, JavaScript, Go JavaScript, Ruby
Protocol support WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, HTTP long polling, MQTT WebSockets
Our review
Pros
  • 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
  • Coordinates server-side Ruby channels with a JavaScript consumer framework
  • Supports channel lifecycle callbacks, streams, broadcasts, and client rebroadcasts
  • Offers Async, Solid Cable, Redis, and PostgreSQL subscription adapters
Cons
  • 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
  • Its Ruby and JavaScript focus makes it less suited to other application stacks
  • Requires self-hosted deployment rather than a managed service
  • Support is through documentation and community channels
Our verdict

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 →

Action Cable brings WebSocket connections and publish/subscribe messaging into Ruby on Rails applications. It is aimed at teams building real-time features such as chat, notifications, or presence, with server-side Ruby channels working…

Read the review →
  1. Fastly FanoutWebSocket Tools 8.6Pricing on request · 30-day trial
  2. Action CableWebSocket Tools 8.3Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • 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

  • Action Cable — where it wins

    • Coordinates server-side Ruby channels with a JavaScript consumer framework
    • Supports channel lifecycle callbacks, streams, broadcasts, and client rebroadcasts
    • Offers Async, Solid Cable, Redis, and PostgreSQL subscription adapters

    Where it doesn't

    • Its Ruby and JavaScript focus makes it less suited to other application stacks
    • Requires self-hosted deployment rather than a managed service
    • Support is through documentation and community channels
  • Fastly Fanout8.6/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

    A managed edge service for persistent connections and live message delivery.

    Visit FastlyFull verdict →
  • Action Cable8.3/10 · Free plan

    A focused, open-source WebSocket framework for adding real-time features to Rails apps.

    Visit Ruby on RailsFull 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