Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ably VS Split.io

Compare Ably VS Split.io and see what are their differences

Ably logo Ably

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

Split.io logo Split.io

In a world where product development teams are pressured to do more with less, Splitโ€™s Feature Data Platformโ„ข gives you the confidence to move fast without breaking things.
  • Ably Ably homepage
    Ably homepage //
    2024-08-05

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.

Teams like HubSpot and Intercom use Ably to avoid the cost and complexity of building and operating realtime systems, while still getting predictable performance at serious scale, handling 2T+ API operations per month. Ablyโ€™s Pub/Sub, Chat, and AI Transport products are unified by design, with developer-friendly APIs and SDKs that integrate across your stack.

  • Split.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-02

In a world where product development teams are pressured to do more with less, Splitโ€™s Feature Data Platformโ„ข gives you the confidence to move fast without breaking things.

Set up feature flags and safely deploy to production, controlling who sees which features and when. Connect every flag to contextual data, so you know if your features are making things better or worse, and act without hesitation. Effortlessly conduct feature experiments like A/B tests without slowing down. Split is a feature management platform that takes the extra step with experts to support you, online courses to help you learn as you go, and a developer-oriented culture that puts our customers at the center.

Whether youโ€™re looking to increase your releases, to decrease your MTTR, or to ignite your dev team without burning them outโ€“Change the way the work gets done with Split. Switch on a free account today, schedule a demo to learn more, or contact us for further questions.

Ably

Website
ably.com
$ Details
freemium
Release Date
2016 January
Startup details
Country
United Kingdom
Founder(s)
Matthew O'Riordan, Dr. Paddy Byers
Employees
50 - 99

Ably features and specs

  • 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 of Ably

  • 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 Ablyโ€™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, Ablyโ€™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.

Split.io features and specs

  • Feature Flagging
    Split.io provides advanced feature flagging capabilities, allowing for controlled rollouts, A/B testing, and targeted releases.
  • Data-Driven Decisions
    The platform offers comprehensive analytics to measure the impact of features, helping businesses make informed decisions based on real user data.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Split.io supports integration with various data and development tools, making it easier to incorporate into existing workflows and tech stacks.
  • Scalability
    Split.io is designed to handle high volumes of feature flags and experiments, making it suitable for companies of all sizes, from startups to enterprises.
  • Security and Compliance
    The platform ensures data security and compliance with global standards, an important factor for businesses handling sensitive information.

Possible disadvantages of Split.io

  • Cost
    Split.io can be expensive, especially for smaller teams or startups, as pricing scales with usage and feature needs.
  • Learning Curve
    There is a learning curve associated with mastering all the features and integrating Split.io into existing processes, which might require dedicated time and resources.
  • Complexity
    For smaller projects or teams, the extensive features offered might be overkill and could complicate straightforward deployments.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying heavily on Split.io for feature management could result in a dependency that might be challenging to replace or migrate away from in the future.
  • Performance Overhead
    Implementing feature flags and experiments could introduce a slight performance overhead, particularly if not managed correctly.

Analysis of Ably

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

Analysis of Split.io

Overall verdict

  • Split.io is a highly recommended platform if you are looking for advanced feature management and experimentation capabilities. Its scalability, integration options, and security measures make it a great choice for organizations aiming to innovate with confidence.

Why this product is good

  • Security
    It ensures secure handling of customer data and provides robust access control features to ensure compliance with modern security standards.
  • Integration
    The platform integrates well with a wide range of development and data tools, providing flexibility and a more streamlined workflow for engineering teams.
  • Scalability
    Split.io is designed to handle large-scale feature flags and experiments, making it suitable for organizations of various sizes.
  • Experimentation
    It offers advanced experimentation capabilities, enabling data-driven decisions through A/B testing and analytics, empowering teams to optimize user experiences based on reliable data.
  • Feature management
    Split.io provides robust feature management functionality that allows teams to control the rollout of new features and experiment with different variations seamlessly.

Recommended for

  • Product managers looking to control feature rollouts.
  • Engineering teams adopting CI/CD practices.
  • Data analysts and data scientists focusing on experimentation.
  • Large organizations managing complex feature environments.
  • Startups aiming to quickly iterate on feature development.

Ably videos

How to build a collaborative environment around your product

More videos:

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

Split.io videos

Switch It On With Split

More videos:

  • Review - Split Series - Away From the Keyboard With Matt Winchester, Software Engineering Manager
  • Review - Split Series - Away From The Keyboard with Geoff Rayback, Software Engineer

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ably and Split.io)
Developer Tools
54 54%
46% 46
Feature Flags
0 0%
100% 100
Realtime Backend / API
100 100%
0% 0
Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS)

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Ably and Split.io

Ably Reviews

We have no reviews of Ably yet.
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Split.io Reviews

Top Mobile Feature Flag Tools
Split is yet another powerful feature flag management tool serving customers like EA, Salesforce, and Crunchbase. It might not be suited for cross-channel experiments, but offers highly granular control over your releases, their targeting, and team permissions. Additionally, Split provides a powerful analytics engine that can automatically determine the significance of test...
Source: instabug.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ably should be more popular than Split.io. It has been mentiond 26 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Ably mentions (26)

  • AWS us-east-1 outage: How Ablyโ€™s multi-region architecture held up
    During this weekโ€™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 additional round trip latency was limited to 12ms, which is below the typical variance in any client-to-endpoint connection, and well below our 40โ€“50ms global median; this is... - Source: dev.to / 10 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 / 12 months ago
  • CometChat Alternatives โ€“ 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 broader use cases like live dashboards, GPS tracking, and collaborative tools. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Real-Time Authorization in a Chat Application with Permit.io and WebSockets
    For our web socket-based application, weโ€™ll be using Next.js and Ably, a service that allows us to easily integrate and manage real-time capabilities in our apps powered by web socket. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Curiosity: Using Ably.io Realtime Messaging as a Lightweight Database
    Ably offers various solutions for developers, with their most popular being realtime messaging based on the pub/sub model. When you publish a message to a channel, all devices connected to that channel receive it instantly. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

Split.io mentions (12)

  • Mysa app crashing when trying to open the schedule for a thermostat
    I added split.io to my Pi-Holes while list but it still crashes. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Mysa app crashing when trying to open the schedule for a thermostat
    If possible can you please ensure that split.io is being allowed through your adblocker? Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Any simple/conservative lists that just block ads, not trackers that might break mobile apps and web sites?
    Split.io, segment.io, app-measurement.com, ... These domains do not really serve ads, they are used for analytics which one can argue is a privacy issue. But some Android apps just refuse to start if you block some of these domains. Source: about 4 years ago
  • Dev is painfully slow
    People here must not be using Animation libraries, or A/B testing libraries (ala split.io) etc.. These bring in hundreds of modules alone.... terrible, but I'm thinking many of those posting aren't really building for serious enterprise production type websites. Source: about 4 years ago
  • What words do you like to put on your buttons?
    I looked up split.io and their website is worse. I see some technical jargon that I recognize, but the rest is gibberish. Makes me think there is room for providing better content in the space. Source: about 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ably and Split.io, 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.

LaunchDarkly - LaunchDarkly is a powerful development tool which allows software developers to roll out updates and new features.

Socket.io - Realtime application framework (Node.JS server)

ConfigCat - ConfigCat is a developer-centric feature flag service with unlimited team size, awesome support, and a reasonable price tag.

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.

Flagsmith - Flagsmith lets you manage feature flags and remote config across web, mobile and server side applications. Deliver true Continuous Integration. Get builds out faster. Control who has access to new features. We're Open Source.