Stream Chat vs Ably Chat

Stream Chat9.2Visit Ably Chat9.0Visit

Higher score Stream Chat #2 in Chat APIs 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Stream Chat

vs

Ably Chat #4 in Chat APIs 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Ably Chat

• Stream Chat fits best

  Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage

• Ably Chat fits best

  Budget-conscious apps needing modern chat

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Side by side

Feature	Stream Chat 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Ably Chat 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	9.0
Ranking	#2 in Chat APIs	#4 in Chat APIs
Best for	Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage	Budget-conscious apps needing modern chat
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$29/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations	7 integrations	8 integrations
Features Stream Chat 4/4 · Ably Chat 4/4
Presence support	✓	✓
Typing indicators	✓	✓
Push notifications	✓	✓
Moderation tools	✓	✓
Specs
SDK platforms	React, iOS (Swift), Android, Flutter, React Native, JavaScript, Unity, Unreal, Angular, Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, Go, REST	JavaScript, React, React Native, Kotlin (Android), Kotlin (JVM), Swift
Delivery methods	WebSocket events, REST API, webhooks, Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, push notifications	WebSocket realtime streaming, REST API, push notifications via channels or direct delivery
Message history	Not checked yet	30 days
Our review
Pros	Supports direct, group, public, and private conversations Prebuilt UI plus client, server, and REST SDKs Offline support, moderation, push notifications, and presence	Free plan includes 6M monthly messages Presence, reactions, push, and moderation workflows included React UI Kit plus web, iOS, Android, and API support
Cons	Paid plans start at $399/month when billed annually Build is limited to 1,000 monthly active users and 100 connections Advanced capabilities are reserved for higher plans	Standard and Pro plans add usage charges Default message history retention is 30 days Verified SDK coverage is narrower than leading alternatives
Our verdict	Stream Chat is a hosted chat API and SDK platform for adding real-time messaging to web and mobile applications. It suits teams building feature-rich products that need direct messages, group conversations, public or private channels,… Read the review →	Ably Chat is a developer-focused SDK and API for adding realtime messaging to applications. It supports 1:1 conversations, group chat rooms, livestream chat, presence, typing indicators, reactions, message editing and deletion, persistent… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Stream Chat — where it wins

  • Supports direct, group, public, and private conversations
  • Prebuilt UI plus client, server, and REST SDKs
  • Offline support, moderation, push notifications, and presence

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid plans start at $399/month when billed annually
  • Build is limited to 1,000 monthly active users and 100 connections
  • Advanced capabilities are reserved for higher plans

• Ably Chat — where it wins

  • Free plan includes 6M monthly messages
  • Presence, reactions, push, and moderation workflows included
  • React UI Kit plus web, iOS, Android, and API support

  Where it doesn't

  • Standard and Pro plans add usage charges
  • Default message history retention is 30 days
  • Verified SDK coverage is narrower than leading alternatives

• Stream Chat9.2/10 · Free plan

  A broad chat toolkit for feature-rich apps, with a high paid entry price.

  Visit Stream ChatFull verdict →
• Ably Chat9.0/10 · Free plan

  A cost-conscious chat API with strong realtime features and a focused SDK footprint.

  Visit Ably ChatFull verdict →