Stream Chat vs Agora Chat

Stream Chat8.7Visit Agora Chat8.3Visit

Higher score Stream Chat #3 in Chat Api 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Stream Chat

vs

Agora Chat #6 in Chat Api 8.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit Agora Chat

• Stream Chat fits best

  Teams seeking broad SDK coverage and moderation

• Agora Chat fits best

  Apps needing rich media and large-community chat

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Side by side

Feature	Stream Chat 8.7/10 Visit ↗	Agora Chat 8.3/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.3
Ranking	#3 in Chat Api	#6 in Chat Api
Best for	Teams seeking broad SDK coverage and moderation	Apps needing rich media and large-community chat
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$349/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, iOS, Android
Integrations	7 integrations	2 integrations
Features Stream Chat 1/4 · Agora Chat 1/4
Group chat	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Self-hosted option	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
End-to-end encryption	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Moderation tools	✓	✓
Specs
SDK platforms	React, iOS (Swift), Android, Flutter, React Native, JavaScript, Unity, Unreal, Angular, Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, Go, REST	Android, iOS, Web, Windows, Flutter, React Native, Unity
Group size limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Supports direct, group, public, and private conversations with threads and reactions Offers client and server SDKs across a broad range of platforms Includes moderation tools, offline support, and push notifications	Supports one-to-one, group, and large-community messaging Rich media, offline delivery, receipts, translation, and moderation SDK coverage spans web, mobile, desktop, Flutter, React Native, and Unity
Cons	Start begins at $399 per month with annual billing Advanced moderation and filters start on the paid Start plan Some capabilities, including AI moderation and dedicated servers, are Enterprise features	Starter and Pro plans charge $0.05 per user beyond included thresholds Enterprise requires a minimum commitment of 100,000 monthly active users Analytics integrations are centered on Agora Analytics and Datadog
Our verdict	Stream Chat is a hosted chat API and SDK platform for adding real-time messaging to web and mobile applications. It suits development teams that need more than direct messages: the product supports group conversations, public and private… Read the review →	Agora Chat is a real-time messaging SDK and API from Agora, Inc. It targets developers adding private, group, or large-community chat to mobile, web, desktop, and cross-platform applications. Use cases named by the vendor include… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Stream Chat — where it wins

  • Supports direct, group, public, and private conversations with threads and reactions
  • Offers client and server SDKs across a broad range of platforms
  • Includes moderation tools, offline support, and push notifications

  Where it doesn't

  • Start begins at $399 per month with annual billing
  • Advanced moderation and filters start on the paid Start plan
  • Some capabilities, including AI moderation and dedicated servers, are Enterprise features

• Agora Chat — where it wins

  • Supports one-to-one, group, and large-community messaging
  • Rich media, offline delivery, receipts, translation, and moderation
  • SDK coverage spans web, mobile, desktop, Flutter, React Native, and Unity

  Where it doesn't

  • Starter and Pro plans charge $0.05 per user beyond included thresholds
  • Enterprise requires a minimum commitment of 100,000 monthly active users
  • Analytics integrations are centered on Agora Analytics and Datadog

• Stream Chat8.7/10 · Free plan

  Broad chat features and SDK coverage, with paid plans starting at $399 per month billed annually.

  Visit Stream ChatFull verdict →
• Agora Chat8.3/10 · Free plan

  A media-rich chat SDK with community messaging, moderation, and usage-based plans.

  Visit Agora ChatFull verdict →