Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Ably VS WebEx

Compare Ably VS WebEx and see what are their differences

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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.

WebEx logo WebEx

Cisco WebEx Web Conferencing, Online Meetings, Desktop Sharing, Video Conferencing
  • 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.

  • WebEx Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05

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.

WebEx features and specs

  • Comprehensive Features
    WebEx offers a wide range of features such as screen sharing, video conferencing, virtual whiteboards, and integration with other productivity tools.
  • Scalability
    WebEx is suitable for both small meetings and large webinars, accommodating a significant number of participants with ease.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    The platform supports various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS, making it accessible from different devices.
  • High Security
    WebEx provides robust security measures, including end-to-end encryption and compliance with various industry standards.
  • Good Audio and Video Quality
    The service generally delivers high-quality audio and video, which enhances the overall user experience.

Possible disadvantages of WebEx

  • Complex User Interface
    The multitude of features can make the interface appear cluttered and may be overwhelming for new users.
  • High Cost
    The pricing plans for WebEx can be costly, especially for small businesses on a tight budget.
  • Performance Issues
    Occasional lags and connectivity issues have been reported, particularly when dealing with large groups.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its advanced features, WebEx has a steep learning curve which might require additional training for effective use.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free version of WebEx offers limited functionality compared to the paid plans, which may not suffice for all users.

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

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

WebEx videos

Introducing the New Cisco Webex Meetings Desktop App and UI

More videos:

  • Review - Experience the New Cisco Webex Meetings
  • Tutorial - How To Use Cisco's Webex

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ably and WebEx)
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Video Conferencing
0 0%
100% 100
Realtime Backend / API
100 100%
0% 0
Communication
0 0%
100% 100

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 WebEx

Ably Reviews

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

WebEx Reviews

Top 10 Webex alternatives in 2024
Webex is a robust, unified collaboration and communication platform developed by Cisco and has advanced conferencing features. Yet, for businesses that have affordability constraints and stringent privacy requirements, Webex has limitations.
Source: www.rocket.chat
Webex Alternatives: 10 Best Tools for Interactive Webinars (2024)
As a trainer, coach, and consultant with years of experience, Iโ€™ve witnessed a significant surge in demand for webinar tools. Initially, Webex served as a go-to solution for many professionals. But as the landscape of digital meetings and seminars evolves, it has led many to seek smarter Webex alternatives.
The 8 best Webex alternatives (2024)
Webex is a traditional webinar tool owned by the U.S. tech giant Cisco and was founded in 1995. Webex can be a solid option for hosting webinars - given that your main priority is security, or that you host either large meetings or small webinars. If you are hosting marketing webinars in 2024 - and considering Webex scores only 4.3 in user reviews on G2 - there are more...
Source: univid.io
6 Webex Alternatives You Can Switch to in 2022
Webex comes from Cisco's kitchen. Thanks to years of development, updates, and resources available to the development teams at Cisco, Webex can offer some great perks. For instance, you don't have to worry about scalability as it can support up to 3,000 attendees. It also has great potential when it comes to training employees with screen-sharing features and support for...
Source: www.stork.ai
15 Best Instant Messaging Apps for Business
Cisco WebEx allows you to communicate and collaborate securely with anyone. The platform offers instant messaging, video, audio and integrated web conferencing.
Source: clariti.app

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ably should be more popular than WebEx. 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

WebEx mentions (6)

  • webex.com
    Just wondering if anyone else has issues loading webex.com. Both chrome and edge just loop around loading. It's strange however as it works fine if I use a google search and use a direct link like https://www.webex.com/downloads.html. Source: about 3 years ago
  • The Web ex App notification are way too loud
    Go to webex.com and login. On the left side menu, choose Preferences (gear icon) and then choose Audio and Video from the tab menu. Under Audio Connection there is a section for Entry and exit tone. Make sure that is set to Beep. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Cisco SX20 telepresence - use as teams client or webcam?
    Also, at work we seem to have some webex integration, where I get a meeting id with a webex.com address:. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Did Amazon customer service send me a spyware link?
    Webex.com looks like one of those conferencing apps like ms teams or zoom, so you are probably fine. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Webex on Iphone initial install does not ask if you want to allow access to contacts.
    I have even logged directly into her webex.com account to see if there is anything different in there to no avail. Source: about 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ably and WebEx, 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.

Zoom - Equip your team with tools designed to collaborate, connect, and engage with teammates and customers, no matter where youโ€™re located, all in one platform.

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

GoToMeeting - GoToMeeting is a web conferencing service offering a range of services which are available on Mac, PC, iOS and Android devices.

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.

join.me - Instant screen sharing. Instant Aha!