Stream Chat vs Tinode

Stream Chat8.9Visit Tinode6.5Visit

Higher score Stream Chat #2 in Chat APIs 8.9/10 Free plan · paid from $399/mo (annual) Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Stream Chat

vs

Tinode #14 in Chat APIs 6.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Tinode

• Stream Chat fits best

  Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage

• Tinode fits best

  Open-source teams building hosted chat

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Side by side

Feature	Stream Chat 8.9/10 Visit ↗	Tinode 6.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	6.5
Ranking	#2 in Chat APIs	#14 in Chat APIs
Best for	Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage	Open-source teams building hosted chat
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$399/mo	Not published
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile, Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations	7 integrations	3 integrations
Features Stream Chat 4/4 · Tinode 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, Java
Delivery methods	WebSocket events, REST API, webhooks, Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, push notifications	WebSocket, Tinode Push Gateway, Google FCM, stdout
Message history	Not published	Not published
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	Persistent history, presence, typing indicators, and read receipts Self-hosting plus hosted Cloud deployment and support tiers Access controls, moderation tools, push adapters, and gRPC bindings
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	Verified client SDK coverage centers on JavaScript and Java Advanced management and support require paid plans Cloud and support pricing is listed without a displayed currency for Cloud
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 →	Tinode is an open-source messaging platform for organizations building chat experiences or private messaging services. It supports web, iOS, Android, API, and self-hosted deployments, with one-to-one conversations, group topics, read-only… 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

• Tinode — where it wins

  • Persistent history, presence, typing indicators, and read receipts
  • Self-hosting plus hosted Cloud deployment and support tiers
  • Access controls, moderation tools, push adapters, and gRPC bindings

  Where it doesn't

  • Verified client SDK coverage centers on JavaScript and Java
  • Advanced management and support require paid plans
  • Cloud and support pricing is listed without a displayed currency for Cloud

• Stream Chat8.9/10 · Free plan · paid from $399/mo (annual)

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

  Visit Stream ChatFull verdict →
• Tinode6.5/10 · Free plan

  A flexible open-source chat stack with self-hosting, moderation, and hosted deployment options.

  Visit TinodeFull verdict →