Tencent Cloud Chat vs Stream Chat

TCTencent Cloud Chat9.3Visit Stream Chat9.2Visit

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

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

• Tencent Cloud Chat fits best

  Multiplatform chat with deep message features

• Stream Chat fits best

  Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	TCTencent Cloud Chat 9.3/10 Visit ↗	Stream Chat 9.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	9.2
Ranking	#1 in Chat APIs	#2 in Chat APIs
Best for	Multiplatform chat with deep message features	Feature-rich apps needing broad SDK coverage
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$399/mo	—
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	Web, iOS, Android
Integrations	9 integrations	7 integrations
Features Tencent Cloud Chat 4/4 · Stream 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++	React, iOS (Swift), Android, Flutter, React Native, JavaScript, Unity, Unreal, Angular, Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, Go, REST
Delivery methods	online messages, offline push, REST API push	WebSocket events, REST API, webhooks, Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, 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 direct, group, public, and private conversations Prebuilt UI plus client, server, and REST SDKs Offline support, moderation, push notifications, and presence
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 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
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 →	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 →

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

• 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

• TCTencent Cloud Chat9.3/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Tencent CloudFull verdict →
• Stream Chat9.2/10 · Free plan

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

  Visit Stream ChatFull verdict →