Stream Chat vs PubNub Chat

Stream Chat9.2Visit PubNub Chat8.8Visit

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

vs

PubNub Chat #6 in Chat APIs 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit PubNub

• Stream Chat fits best

  Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage

• PubNub Chat fits best

  Teams needing polished real-time chat features

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Side by side

Feature	Stream Chat 9.2/10 Visit ↗	PubNub Chat 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	8.8
Ranking	#2 in Chat APIs	#6 in Chat APIs
Best for	Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage	Teams needing polished real-time chat features
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$98/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile, Desktop
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
Integrations	7 integrations	8 integrations
Features Stream Chat 4/4 · PubNub 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, Kotlin, Swift, Unity, Unreal
Delivery methods	WebSocket events, REST API, webhooks, Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, push notifications	publish/subscribe, signals, mobile push notifications
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	Supports threads, reactions, history, presence, typing indicators, and moderation Works across web, mobile, desktop, and API-based applications Free plan includes up to 200 MAU or 1M transactions
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	Paid access starts at $98/month on the Starter plan Pro pricing uses custom MAU packages rather than a listed fixed price Advanced capabilities and custom integrations are reserved for Pro
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 →	PubNub Chat is a developer SDK for adding real-time messaging to mobile apps, games, browsers, and other applications. It supports direct, group, and public conversations, with features including presence, typing indicators, read receipts,… 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

• PubNub Chat — where it wins

  • Supports threads, reactions, history, presence, typing indicators, and moderation
  • Works across web, mobile, desktop, and API-based applications
  • Free plan includes up to 200 MAU or 1M transactions

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid access starts at $98/month on the Starter plan
  • Pro pricing uses custom MAU packages rather than a listed fixed price
  • Advanced capabilities and custom integrations are reserved for Pro

• Stream Chat9.2/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Stream ChatFull verdict →
• PubNub Chat8.8/10 · Free plan

  A feature-rich chat SDK with a free entry plan and paid growth tiers.

  Visit PubNubFull verdict →