Ably VS CometChat

Compare Ably VS CometChat and see what are their differences

Rating: 0 reviews
Pricing: Freemium Free trial
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Rating: 0 reviews
Pricing: Open source Freemium Free trial $109 / Monthly (Based on the Monthly Active Users (MAUs))
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Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Ably should be more popular than CometChat. It has been mentioned 26 times since March 2021.

social mentions: 26 vs 5
Developer Tools popularity: 100% vs 0%
alternatives listed: 138 vs 208

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

	Ably	CometChat
Website	ably.com	cometchat.com
Pricing	Freemium Free trial Official pricing	Open source Freemium Free trial $109 / Monthly (Based on the Monthly Active Users (MAUs)) Official pricing
Platforms	—	Java Kotlin Swift JavaScript ReactJS React Native Flutter Angular +5
Company	Startup from the United Kingdom · 50 - 99 employees · 2016	Startup from India
Listed in	Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS) Realtime Backend / API Mobile Push Messaging Developer Tools +1	Chat SDK Communication Voice And Messaging API Instant Messaging +1

About Ably and CometChat

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Ably

CometChat

We help teams deliver resilient AI UX and high-performance live experiences that stay fast and in sync worldwide. We provide the global realtime layer for AI agents, chat, notifications, live dashboards, and collaboration - engineered to handle peak demand without self-managed infrastructure....

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Ably 8 features

CometChat 7 features

Scalability
Ably is designed to handle a massive number of concurrent connections and messages, making it scalable for both small and large applications.
Real-time Messaging
Ably provides robust real-time messaging capabilities with low latency, supporting use-cases like live chat, gaming, and real-time data streaming.
Global Presence
Ably has a globally distributed network, ensuring low latency and high availability for users around the world.
Advanced Features
It offers advanced features such as message history, presence, and push notifications, which can enhance the functionality of real-time applications.
Security
Ably includes built-in security features such as TLS encryption, token-based authentication, and private channels to ensure secure communication.
Extensive Documentation
The service provides extensive and well-organized documentation, making it easier for developers to integrate and utilize its features.
SDKs and Libraries
Ably offers a wide range of SDKs and libraries for different programming languages and platforms, easing the development process.
Reliable Delivery
It ensures reliable message delivery with features like message queuing and message de-duplication.

Possible disadvantages

Complexity
Due to its wide range of advanced features, the initial learning curve can be steep for new users.
Cost
For large-scale applications or extensive use of advanced features, the costs can add up, making it potentially expensive.
Vendor Lock-in
Relying heavily on Ably’s platform-specific features may result in vendor lock-in, making it challenging to switch to other services in the future.
Dependence on Internet Connection
As a cloud-based service, Ably’s performance is highly dependent on the quality and reliability of the internet connection.
Third-party Integration
While Ably offers various integration options, integrating certain third-party services may require additional custom development or may not be as seamless.

Feature-Rich
CometChat offers a comprehensive suite of features including text, voice, video chat, and more, which makes it versatile for various use cases.
Easy Integration
The platform provides SDKs and APIs for multiple programming languages and frameworks, making it simpler for developers to integrate into their applications.
Customizable UI
Users can customize the user interface to better fit the design aesthetics of their own app, offering flexibility for different branding needs.
Scalability
CometChat is designed to handle a large number of users and messages, making it suitable for both small and large-scale applications.
Real-Time Communication
The platform supports real-time communication, which is crucial for applications requiring instantaneous interaction such as customer support and social networking.
Rich Documentation
CometChat comes with detailed documentation and tutorials, helping developers to easily understand and implement its features.
Cross-Platform Support
The service supports web, iOS, Android, and other platforms, ensuring that you can provide a consistent experience across different devices.

Possible disadvantages

Cost
CometChat can be expensive for startups or small businesses compared to some open-source alternatives.
Complexity
While feature-rich, the platform can be overwhelming and complex for developers who need just basic chat functionalities.
Limited Free Tier
The free plan has limited features and usage caps, which may not be enough for apps that are scaling quickly.
Learning Curve
Despite the rich documentation, there might be a learning curve involved, especially for developers who are new to real-time communication technologies.
Vendor Lock-In
Using a third-party service means relying on them for availability and performance, potentially leading to vendor lock-in.
Performance
Some users have reported latency issues and performance lags, particularly during peak times, although this can vary based on server location and network conditions.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Ably

CometChat

Overall verdict

Ably is a reliable and efficient real-time messaging platform, well-suited for applications requiring high performance and scalability. It is generally well-regarded within the developer community for its ease of use and robust feature set.

Why this product is good

Features

Ably provides a comprehensive suite of features such as pub/sub messaging, presence, and history.
Security

It implements robust security practices including TLS encryption, token-based authentication, and private channels.
Integration

Supports numerous protocols and provides SDKs for various programming languages, making it easy to integrate with different systems.
Reliability

Ably offers high availability and low latency, ensuring messages are delivered in real-time.
Scalability

The platform can handle millions of active connections and is designed for horizontal scaling.

Recommended for

developers building real-time applications like chat apps, dashboards, or multiplayer games
businesses in need of a scalable solution for live updates and notifications
teams looking for a platform with strong security and compliance credentials
organizations requiring integration with existing development workflows and tools

Overall verdict

CometChat is a reliable and feature-rich platform that is well-regarded in the industry. It caters to developers looking for an efficient and scalable way to add communication features to their apps, providing a seamless user experience.

Why this product is good

CometChat is considered a good solution because it offers a comprehensive chat API and SDKs that enable developers to easily integrate real-time messaging, voice, and video chat functionalities into their applications. It supports a wide range of platforms, ensuring seamless communication across different devices. Additionally, it comes with features like rich media support, moderation tools, and robust security protocols, making it suitable for various use cases.

Recommended for

CometChat is recommended for developers building applications that require real-time communication features such as messaging, voice, and video chat. It's particularly useful for industries like social networking, online gaming, telehealth, education, and customer support, where interaction is a critical component of the user experience.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Ably 3 videos + Add

CometChat 3 videos + Add

How to build a collaborative environment around your product

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100

Ably

CometChat

100% 100%

Developer Tools

0% 0%

Communication

100% 100%

Realtime Backend / API

0% 0%

Messaging

100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Ably and CometChat.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

CometChat's answer:

-Sendbird

-Twilio

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

CometChat's answer:

CometChat provides three methods of implementation. Startups and dev teams can quickly go live with the no-code widgets, while front-end developers can leverage the low-code UI Kits for quick starts and solid business logic. For those who want greater control, the SDKs and APIs offer a solid foundation for building custom messaging experiences.

Whether you're running a social community, marketplace, dating service, on-demand service, or ed-tech platform, CometChat can be tailored to fit your needs.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

CometChat's answer:

-Java -Kotlin -Swift -JavaScript -ReactJS -React Native -Flutter -Angular

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

CometChat's answer:

Any business that wants to seamlessly integrate real-time chat features into their applications and websites.

Whether you're running a social community, marketplace, dating service, on-demand service, or ed-tech platform, CometChat can be tailored to fit your needs.

User comments

Share your experience with using Ably and CometChat. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Ably no reviews yet

CometChat no reviews yet

We have no reviews of Ably yet. Be the first one to post

Top 10 Best Enterprise Instant Messaging Software [2026]
www.contus.com · Feb 2026

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5 Best CometChat Alternatives, Competitors & Pricing
www.mirrorfly.com · Feb 2026

MirrorFly and CometChat are both real-time communication solutions for web and mobile apps. However, MirrorFly and CometChat have some key differences. MirrorFly allows for a lot of customization with over 1,000...
15 Best Twilio Alternatives 2022
rigorousthemes.com · Dec 2021

What’s also great about CometChat is that it offers you more ways to implement their tools than Twilio. With CometChat, you can implement it in one of three possible ways: chat widgets, user interface kits, SDKs, and...

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Ably 26 mentions

CometChat 5 mentions

AWS us-east-1 outage: How Ably’s multi-region architecture held up
During this week’s AWS us-east-1 outage, Ably maintained full service continuity with no customer impact. This was our multi-region architecture working exactly as designed; error rates were negligibly low and unchanged throughout. Any... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
Real-Time Sync Alternatives: Vaultrice vs. localStorage, DIY, Firebase, Pusher
Services like Pusher and Ably are experts in real-time messaging. They provide robust APIs for pub/sub channels, allowing you to broadcast events to clients reliably. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
CometChat Alternatives – Comparing the Top 10 Competitors
Ably is a real-time infrastructure platform that focuses on delivering low-latency, reliable messaging across global distributed systems. It's designed for developers building event-driven applications, including chat, but also supports... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago

CometChat Alternatives – Comparing the Top 10 Competitors
If you're building in-app chat, video, or moderation, you've likely come across CometChat. It's one of the more well-known in-app feature SDK providers, and for good reason. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2022)
CometChat | Full Stack / Front-End Engineer | Remote | Full / Part-time Contract CometChat (https://cometchat.com) is an in-app communication platform that's fast and easy to use, with a wide range of integration options from widgets and... - Source: Hacker News / over 4 years ago
Feedback on developing with Sendbird or Stream SDK
I would recommend CometChat. Their Sample apps give you a kickstart. Check out https://cometchat.com. Source: over 4 years ago

Alternatives to Ably and CometChat

When comparing Ably and CometChat, you can also consider the following products.

Pusher
Pusher is a hosted API for quickly, easily and securely adding scalable realtime functionality via WebSockets to web and mobile apps.

Compare Pusher to Ably or CometChat:

Pusher vs Ably Pusher vs CometChat
Telegram
Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security. It’s superfast, simple and free.

Compare Telegram to Ably or CometChat:

Telegram vs Ably Telegram vs CometChat
PubNub
PubNub is a real-time messaging system for web and mobile apps that can handle API for all platforms and push messages to any device anywhere in the world in a fraction of a second without having to worry about proxies, firewalls or mobile drop-offs.

Compare PubNub to Ably or CometChat:

PubNub vs Ably PubNub vs CometChat
Cotap
Cotap is a simple, secure mobile messaging app for fast, easy workplace communication.

Compare Cotap to Ably or CometChat:

Cotap vs Ably Cotap vs CometChat
Socket.io
Realtime application framework (Node.JS server)

Compare Socket.io to Ably or CometChat:

Socket.io vs Ably Socket.io vs CometChat
WhatsApp
WhatsApp Messenger: More than 1 billion people in over 180 countries use WhatsApp to stay in touch with friends and family, anytime and anywhere.

Compare WhatsApp to Ably or CometChat:

WhatsApp vs Ably WhatsApp vs CometChat