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Head-to-head · WebSocket Tools

Fastly Fanout vs Pusher Channels

  • 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
Pusher Channels #5 in WebSocket Tools 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Pusher

Fastly Fanout leads on 1 check, Pusher Channels on 1, 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 Pusher Channels
  • Most featuresFastly Fanout · 1 of 2

Fastly Fanout scores higher on our rubric for websocket tools: 8.6 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #5.

Pusher Channels offers free plan; Fastly Fanout doesn't. Fastly Fanout offers pub/sub messaging; Pusher Channels doesn't publish it.

Fastly Fanout is the better fit for enterprises building real-time streaming applications. Pusher Channels is the better fit for teams seeking managed event broadcasting.

  • Fastly Fanout fits best

    Enterprises building real-time streaming applications

  • Pusher Channels fits best

    Teams seeking managed event broadcasting

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 ↗ Pusher Channels 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.6 8.5
Ranking #4 in WebSocket Tools #5 in WebSocket Tools
Best for Enterprises building real-time streaming applications Teams seeking managed event broadcasting
Pricing model Paid Free plan + paid
Starting price Not published Not published
Free plan — ✓ (best)
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud Cloud
Platforms Web Web, iOS, Android
Built for Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Fastly Fanout 1/2 · Pusher Channels 0/2
Pub/sub messaging ✓ (best) Not published
Self-hosting available — Not published
Specs
Deployment model Managed Not published
Free concurrent connections Not published Not published
Client SDKs Rust, JavaScript, Go Not published
Protocol support WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, HTTP long polling, MQTT Not published
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
  • Delivers realtime events over WebSockets without self-hosted infrastructure
  • Supports public, private and presence channels with authentication
  • Offers client events, server broadcasts and connection webhooks
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
  • Limited to cloud deployment rather than self-hosting
  • Feature set is narrower than some WebSocket services
  • Documentation is the only listed support channel
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 →

Pusher Channels is a hosted realtime messaging service for developers adding live updates to web and mobile applications. It delivers events over WebSockets and can support features such as dashboards, notifications, chat, presence and…

Read the review →
  1. Fastly FanoutWebSocket Tools 8.6Pricing on request · 30-day trial
  2. Pusher ChannelsWebSocket Tools 8.5Free 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

  • Pusher Channels — where it wins

    • Delivers realtime events over WebSockets without self-hosted infrastructure
    • Supports public, private and presence channels with authentication
    • Offers client events, server broadcasts and connection webhooks

    Where it doesn't

    • Limited to cloud deployment rather than self-hosting
    • Feature set is narrower than some WebSocket services
    • Documentation is the only listed support channel
  • Fastly Fanout8.6/10 · Pricing on request · 30-day trial

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

    Visit FastlyFull verdict →
  • Pusher Channels8.5/10 · Free plan

    Hosted WebSocket event delivery with channels, authentication and presence.

    Visit PusherFull 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