Stream Chat vs CometChat

Stream Chat9.2Visit CometChat9.1Visit

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

vs

CometChat #3 in Chat APIs 9.1/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit CometChat

• Stream Chat fits best

  Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage

• CometChat fits best

  Teams wanting a complete chat platform

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Side by side

Feature	Stream Chat 9.2/10 Visit ↗	CometChat 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	9.1
Ranking	#2 in Chat APIs	#3 in Chat APIs
Best for	Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage	Teams wanting a complete chat platform
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations	7 integrations	12 integrations
Features Stream Chat 4/4 · CometChat 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 Native, iOS, Android, Flutter, Ionic/Capacitor
Delivery methods	WebSocket events, REST API, webhooks, Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, push notifications	push, email, SMS, custom provider
Message history	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
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 Build plan includes all features for up to 100 users Supports chat, calling, notifications, moderation, and AI features SDKs, APIs, UI Kits, webhooks, and broad framework coverage
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	Build is limited to up to 100 users Higher concurrency is reserved for Enterprise The broad feature set may exceed basic chat needs
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 →	CometChat provides communication infrastructure for developers adding real-time messaging and calling to websites, web apps, and mobile applications. Its capabilities cover one-to-one and group chat, media sharing, presence, typing… 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

• CometChat — where it wins

  • Free Build plan includes all features for up to 100 users
  • Supports chat, calling, notifications, moderation, and AI features
  • SDKs, APIs, UI Kits, webhooks, and broad framework coverage

  Where it doesn't

  • Build is limited to up to 100 users
  • Higher concurrency is reserved for Enterprise
  • The broad feature set may exceed basic chat needs

• Stream Chat9.2/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Stream ChatFull verdict →
• CometChat9.1/10 · Free plan

  A complete chat platform with a free tier and broad SDK coverage.

  Visit CometChatFull verdict →