PubNub Chat
PubNub Chat: A feature-rich chat SDK with a free entry plan and paid growth tiers. Ranked #6 of 32 in Chat APIs by our editors (8.8/10); pricing: Free plan; best for teams needing polished real-time chat features.
At a glance
- Editor score8.8 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forTeams needing polished real-time chat features
- Free planYes
- Paid from$98/mo
- Presence supportYes
- Founded2012 · San Francisco, California, United States
- Facts checked19 Sep 2026
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
Our verdict on PubNub Chat
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, reactions, threads, message history, push notifications, mentions, invitations, and moderation controls. Teams can build custom interfaces while integrating with React, React Native, Vue, Angular, Electron, Svelte, Nest, or Express. Its platform coverage spans web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and API use cases.
Pricing is structured around a free plan and two paid tiers. Free costs $0 per month and includes up to 200 MAU or 1M transactions, 1GB of data storage for 7 days, and no credit card requirement. Starter costs $98 per month, includes 1,000 MAU, provides up to 6 months of data storage, and includes Insights and BizOps Workspace for new customers. Pro uses custom MAU packages and adds unlimited data storage, advanced analytics and monitoring, and custom integrations. This makes the free tier suitable for early evaluation or smaller deployments, while Starter provides a defined paid step up.
The standout strength is the breadth of chat behavior available within one SDK: message edits, deletes, forwarding, quotes, pins, read receipts, reactions, threads, mobile push notifications, rate limiting, and reporting, muting, and banning controls are all part of the feature set. Delivery methods include publish/subscribe, signals, and mobile push notifications, with SDK support for JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, Unity, and Unreal. Choose PubNub Chat if your team needs customizable real-time chat across several platforms. Teams seeking a fixed Pro price or a narrower messaging toolkit may prefer a simpler alternative.
Your product? Our editors can test PubNub Chat in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →
PubNub Chat pricing
All 3 PubNub Chat plans and prices →
PubNub Chat fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $98/mo |
| Presence support | Yes |
| Typing indicators | Yes |
| Push notifications | Yes |
| SDK platforms | JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, Unity, Unreal |
| Delivery methods | publish/subscribe, signals, mobile push notifications |
| Message history | Not verified |
| Moderation tools | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, Mobile, Desktop |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Integrations | 8 integrations: React, React Native, Vue, Angular, Electron, Svelte … |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | pubnub.com |
| Facts checked | 19 Sep 2026 |
PubNub Chat integrations
PubNub Chat lists 8 integrations on its own site.
- React
- React Native
- Vue
- Angular
- Electron
- Svelte
- Nest
- Express
Alternatives to PubNub Chat
- Tencent Cloud ChatA feature-rich chat backend for teams building messaging across multiple platforms.9.3
- Stream ChatA broad chat toolkit for feature-rich apps, with a high paid entry price.9.2
- CometChatA complete chat platform with a free tier and broad SDK coverage.9.1
See all PubNub Chat alternatives →
PubNub Chat vs the competition
- PubNub Chat vs Tencent Cloud Chat
- PubNub Chat vs Stream Chat
- PubNub Chat vs CometChat
- PubNub Chat vs Ably Chat
- PubNub Chat vs PrivChat
- PubNub Chat vs OpenIM
Compare PubNub Chat with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
PubNub Chat is ranked in 4 of our directories.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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