Tencent Cloud Chat vs PubNub Chat

TCTencent Cloud Chat9.3Visit PubNub Chat8.8Visit

Higher score TC Tencent Cloud Chat #1 in Chat APIs 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Tencent Cloud

vs

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

• Tencent Cloud Chat fits best

  Multiplatform chat with deep message features

• PubNub Chat fits best

  Teams needing polished real-time chat features

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Side by side

Feature	TCTencent Cloud Chat 9.3/10 Visit ↗	PubNub Chat 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.8
Ranking	#1 in Chat APIs	#6 in Chat APIs
Best for	Multiplatform chat with deep message features	Teams needing polished real-time chat features
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$399/mo	$98/mo (best)
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile, Desktop
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux
Integrations	9 integrations	8 integrations
Features Tencent Cloud Chat 4/4 · PubNub Chat 4/4
Presence support	✓	✓
Typing indicators	✓	✓
Push notifications	✓	✓
Moderation tools	✓	✓
Specs
SDK platforms	Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Web, Flutter, Electron, Unity, React Native, C, C++	JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, Unity, Unreal
Delivery methods	online messages, offline push, REST API push	publish/subscribe, signals, mobile push notifications
Message history	7 days	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Rich message types, history, search, recall, forwarding, and deletion SDKs, REST APIs, webhooks, UI components, and broad platform support Moderation, presence, read receipts, typing indicators, and push notifications	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 per month Standard includes a default seven-day historical message-retention period Usage-based overages and paid add-ons can increase monthly costs	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	Tencent Cloud Chat is an embeddable real-time messaging service for developers adding communication features to applications. It supports one-to-one and group messaging, communities, live-chat experiences, user profiles, relationship… 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

• Tencent Cloud Chat — where it wins

  • Rich message types, history, search, recall, forwarding, and deletion
  • SDKs, REST APIs, webhooks, UI components, and broad platform support
  • Moderation, presence, read receipts, typing indicators, and push notifications

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid plans start at $399 per month
  • Standard includes a default seven-day historical message-retention period
  • Usage-based overages and paid add-ons can increase monthly costs

• 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

• TCTencent Cloud Chat9.3/10 · Free plan

  A feature-rich chat backend for teams building messaging across multiple platforms.

  Visit Tencent CloudFull verdict →
• PubNub Chat8.8/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit PubNubFull verdict →