What is Ably?
Ably is a realtime infrastructure platform that provides APIs and SDKs to power live experiences at global scale, with no infrastructure to build or maintain. Ably’s products include:
- Pub/Sub: Managed WebSocket messaging at scale, with guaranteed ordering, exactly-once delivery, and connection recovery out of the box
- Chat, Spaces, and LiveSync: Purpose-built SDKs for common realtime use cases
- AI Transport: Resumable streaming and session continuity for AI applications
6 alternatives to Ably to consider
We’ll now look at alternatives to Ably - competing technologies that allow you to build realtime experiences for end-users.
PubNub
PubNub is a developer API platform that powers the realtime infrastructure in apps to build engaging Virtual Spaces where online communities can connect. It can serve as the foundation for online chat, live events, geolocation, remote IoT control, and realtime updates.
Pusher
Pusher is a managed pub/sub messaging service that provides hosted APIs and SDKs for adding realtime features to web and mobile applications. Pusher’s offers two products:
- Channels: WebSocket pub/sub messaging
- Beams: Programmatic push notifications for mobile and web
Socket.IO
Socket.IO is a library created in 2010 that provides realtime, bi-directional communication between clients and servers. It allows the management of connections, sending and receiving messages, and more. Built on top of the WebSocket protocol, it provides additional capabilities compared to raw WebSockets. WebTransport (a WebSocket alternative) is also supported.
SignalR
SignalR is an open-source library that simplifies adding real-time web functionality to apps. It is integrated into the ASP.NET Core web development stack and provides a mechanism for two-way remote procedure calls between client and server.
Firebase
Firebase is a cloud-native backend by Google that allows developers to build mobile and web applications. Firebase services include Firebase Realtime data, Firestore database, authentication, and Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), among others.
AWS IoT
AWS Internet of Things (IoT) provides a set of services to connect and manage data from IoT devices securely and at scale, supporting various use cases from connected homes to industries.
Disclaimer: The information on the alternatives presented here was based on documentation and resources freely available online and was last updated on 12 Aug 2026. Be sure to double-check everything before you make any decisions. If you do find anything incorrect or out of date, then please let us know.