Facts read November 7, 2026
Ably vs Pusher Channels
Ably is Cuely's default realtime pick when your description doesn't favor either one: reliable pub/sub and presence, billed by users rather than messages.
Side by side
| Fact | Ably | Pusher Channels |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Hosted pub/sub messaging with presence, priced by monthly active users. | Hosted pub/sub channels for live updates. |
| Free plan | Free: up to 500 monthly active users. | Sandbox (free): 200,000 messages per day, 100 concurrent connections. |
| Paid from | Pro: from $29/month (1,000 MAU), billed annually. | Startup: $49/month (1 million messages per day, 500 concurrent connections). |
| At 1,000 users | $29/month | $49/month |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Best for | Live notifications and chat; Apps with many messages per user | Simple live notifications; Teams that know the Pusher API |
| Watch out | The free plan stops at 500 monthly active users; Pro is billed annually. | The free Sandbox caps you at 100 concurrent connections. |
Where they differ
The published scores, from −3 to +3, that decide which one Cuely picks for each need.
| Need | Ably | Pusher Channels |
|---|---|---|
| realtime features | +2 Pub/sub and presence with delivery guarantees. | +1 Pub/sub channels; presence and shared state are yours to build. |
| high volume | +1 Billing by users, not messages, suits chatty apps. | 0 No particular strength here. |
| native iOS or Android app | +1 SDKs for iOS, Android and React Native. | 0 No particular strength here. |
| traffic comes in viral spikes | −2 Billed by monthly active users: Free stops at 500, and one viral day can bring tens of thousands. | −3 The free Sandbox allows 100 concurrent connections; Startup is $49/month for 500. |
| keep costs as low as possible | 0 No particular strength here. | −1 100 concurrent connections free, then $49/month. |
Sources: Ably pricing (read November 7, 2026), Pusher Channels pricing (read November 7, 2026). No vendor pays for placement.