Realtime · facts read November 7, 2026
Ably
Hosted pub/sub messaging with presence, priced by monthly active users. Reliable pub/sub and presence, billed by users rather than messages.
- Free plan
- Free: up to 500 monthly active users.
- Paid from
- Pro: from $29/month (1,000 MAU), billed annually.
- Monthly cost at 1,000 users
- $29/month Free stops at 500 MAU; Pro from $29/month covers 1,000 MAU (billed annually).
- Free plan allows commercial use
- Not stated
- Open source
- No
- Self-hostable
- No
Source: Ably pricing, read November 7, 2026. Prices change; check the vendor's page before you commit.
Best for
- Live notifications and chat
- Apps with many messages per user
Watch out for
- The free plan stops at 500 monthly active users; Pro is billed annually.
How Cuely scores Ably
The published scores, from −3 to +3, that decide when Cuely picks it. Method
- +2realtime features. Pub/sub and presence with delivery guarantees.
- +1high volume. Billing by users, not messages, suits chatty apps.
- +1native iOS or Android app. SDKs for iOS, Android and React Native.
- −2traffic comes in viral spikes. Billed by monthly active users: Free stops at 500, and one viral day can bring tens of thousands.
Ably alternatives
Recipes with Ably
- Casual or daily web game that survives viral spikes · an alternative