Software Alternatives & Startups

Ably VS devActivity

Compare Ably VS devActivity and see what are their differences

Ably

The realtime platform that just works. We power more WebSocket connections than any other pub/sub platform, serving over 2 billion devices monthly.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium Free trial
devActivity

AI-powered contributions analytics app featuring Performance Reviews, Retrospectives, Alerts, Gamification and much more!

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium Free trial $10 / Monthly (per contributor)

Which is more popular?

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

social mentions
26 vs 3
Developer Tools popularity
87% vs 13%
alternatives listed
226 vs 30

Base details

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

Ably
devActivity
Website ably.com devactivity.com
Pricing
Freemium Free trial Official pricing
Freemium Free trial $10 / Monthly (per contributor) Official pricing
Platforms
GitHub
Company Startup from the United Kingdom · 50 - 99 employees · 2016 Startup from Ukraine · 1 - 9 employees · 2024
Listed in

About Ably and devActivity

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Ably
devActivity

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....

Read more about Ably

devActivity is a performance analytics platform that automatically collects data from GitHub, measuring and analyzing developer metrics in real-time. Use devActivity to easily get performance reviews based on contributions activity and use AI-based recommendations for retrospectives....

Read more about devActivity

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Ably 8 features
devActivity 6 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.
  • Performance Review
    Automated and pre-generated performance reviews for the entire team.
  • Retrospective Insights
    Generated retrospective and insights based on contributions for a specified period + AI recommendations.
  • Contribution Analytics
    The most important metrics of the development team based on their activity are available to the team leader or manager.
  • Work Quality Analytics
    Accurate and analyzed metrics on the speed and quality of the development cycle (Cycle Time, Coding Time, Pickup Time, Review Time, and more).
  • Actionable Alerts
    Set up alerts according to various conditions and find out in time about moments where your attention is needed.
  • Software Development Gamification
    Add something fun to the routine tasks of the development team, such as gamification elements (Leaderboard, Experience Points (XP) and Levels, Challenges, Achievement Badges, etc.).

Analysis

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

Ably
devActivity

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

  • DevActivity is a solid analytics tool for engineering teams that want data-driven insights into developer productivity and team performance, offering GitHub/GitLab integration and clear reporting dashboards.

Why this product is good

  • Provides detailed developer and team productivity metrics based on Git activity
  • Integrates with popular platforms like GitHub and GitLab for automated data collection
  • Offers visual dashboards and reports that make performance trends easy to understand
  • Helps engineering managers identify bottlenecks and improve workflows
  • Can support data-informed decisions for team growth and resource allocation

Recommended for

  • Engineering managers and team leads tracking developer performance
  • Software development teams using GitHub or GitLab
  • Startups and growing tech companies wanting to measure productivity
  • Organizations aiming to improve code review and collaboration workflows
  • CTOs seeking data-driven insights into engineering output

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Ably 3 videos + Add
devActivity 3 videos + Add

How to build a collaborative environment around your product

More videos

  • - How to build an avatar stack with Ably Spaces
  • - Ably 101: Serverless WebSockets at scale

devActivity for Bitbucket Demo Video

More videos

  • - Maximize Software Development Efficiency Using devActivity Analytics
  • - How to Improve Software Development Performance with devActivity

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
devActivity
87% 87%
13% 13%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Ably and devActivity.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

devActivity's answer:

  • Modern tool with real analytics
  • Clearly calculated metrics
  • Performance reviews are easily generated
  • Automatic retrospective
  • Customizable alerts
  • Gamification

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

devActivity's answer:

Software Dev Team

User comments

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

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Social recommendations and mentions

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

Ably 26 mentions
devActivity 3 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 / 11 months 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 / about 1 year ago

View more

  • Is the Cult of Constant 'Trying Things Out' Killing Your Engineering Efficiency?
    To accurately assess the impact of experiments, you must implement robust tracking and monitoring systems. This involves collecting data on key performance indicators (KPIs), user behavior, and system performance. By carefully analyzing... - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Crafting a Winning Software Development Project Plan: A Guide to Success
    Try devActivity today. With its free plan for up to 7 contributors, you'll be surprised at the data-driven insights that devActivity can provide to help you execute your plans. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Sprint Retrospective Templates: Your Guide to Productive Team Reflections
    Give devActivity a try! It has a free plan that allows you to manage up to 7 contributors, so there's no risk in exploring how it can empower your team to work smarter and achieve more. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago

Alternatives to Ably and devActivity

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