Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups
Register | Login

Ably VS Xcode

Compare Ably VS Xcode and see what are their differences

ScreenshotMAX
The all-in-one Screenshot API for developers: capture websites, generate PDFs, record videos, and automate it all with powerful, scalable infrastructure. No browser setup, no hassle. Just clean results, fast. featured
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.
Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

Ably logo Ably

The definitive realtime experience platform. Built for scale.

Xcode logo Xcode

Xcode is Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.
  • Ably Ably homepage
    Ably homepage //
    2024-08-05

Ably is the definitive realtime experience infrastructure of the internet; serving more WebSocket connections than any other pub/sub platform on earth. Businesses like HubSpot, NASCAR and Split trust us to power their critical applications - reliably, securely and at a serious scale.

Our range of application building blocks and integrations enable developers to create the realtime experiences that users and businesses demand. From live chat to data broadcast, collaborative UXs and notifications our SDKs unlock innovation - with no infrastructure to build.

  • Xcode Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-07-04

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.

Xcode features and specs

  • Integrated Development Environment
    Xcode offers a fully integrated development environment for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. This integration includes code editing, project management, compilers, and debugging tools all in one application.
  • Interface Builder
    Interface Builder is a graphical tool included with Xcode that allows developers to design user interfaces visually. This can speed up the development process and allow for easier customization of user interfaces.
  • Swift and Objective-C Support
    Xcode provides robust support for both the Swift and Objective-C programming languages, which are essential for Apple's ecosystem.
  • Simulator
    Xcode includes simulators for all Apple devices, allowing for rapid testing and debugging of applications without the need for physical hardware.
  • In-depth Debugging Tools
    Xcode provides a comprehensive suite of debugging tools like breakpoints, stack trace analysis, and memory management tools, helping developers identify and resolve issues efficiently.
  • Performance and Profiling Tools
    Xcode includes Instruments, a powerful performance analysis and profiling toolset. This helps developers optimize the performance and memory usage of their applications.
  • Documentation and Resources
    Xcode has built-in access to extensive Apple Developer Documentation and resources, making it easier to find information and solutions related to Apple's APIs and frameworks.

Possible disadvantages of Xcode

  • macOS Exclusive
    Xcode is only available for macOS, meaning that developers must use an Apple computer to build applications for Apple's platforms.
  • Resource Intensive
    Xcode can be demanding on system resources, particularly RAM and CPU, which can affect performance on older or less powerful machines.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    For new developers, Xcode can be overwhelming due to its complexity and the vast array of features and options available.
  • Update Frequency
    Frequent updates to Xcode can sometimes introduce new bugs or require developers to update their project settings and code to maintain compatibility.
  • Limited Cross-Platform Capabilities
    Xcode is designed specifically for Apple's ecosystems and provides limited support for cross-platform development, restricting its use for developers targeting multiple platforms.
  • Build Times
    Build times for larger projects can become lengthy, potentially slowing down the development cycle and time to market.

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 Xcode

Overall verdict

  • Xcode is excellent for developing applications for the Apple ecosystem, including iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Its comprehensive set of tools caters well to both novice and experienced developers looking to develop high-quality applications with optimal performance on Apple devices.

Why this product is good

  • Xcode is a robust integrated development environment (IDE) designed specifically for macOS, providing developers with a suite of tools for building applications for Apple's platforms. It includes a source editor, a UI design interface, debugging tools, and performance testers, which are tightly integrated to offer a seamless development experience. The frequent updates and integration with Apple's latest technologies make it an attractive choice for Apple platform developers.

Recommended for

  • Developers creating applications for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS
  • Teams looking for strong integration with Apple's technologies and devices
  • Developers who prefer working within a unified development environment optimized for Apple platforms
  • Novice programmers interested in learning Swift and app development for Apple products

Ably videos

+ Add

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

Xcode videos

+ Add

Getting Started: An Overview of Xcode

More videos:

  • Review - Xcode 15 - What's New

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Ably and Xcode)

Ably

Xcode

Mobile Push Messaging
100 100%
Mobile Push Messaging
0% 0
IDE
0 0%
IDE
100% 100
Developer Tools
11 11%
Developer Tools
89% 89
Text Editors
0 0%
Text Editors
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Ably and Xcode. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

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

Ably Reviews

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

Xcode Reviews

Explore 9 Top Eclipse Alternatives for 2024
While Xcode is primarily free, a subscription to the Apple Developer Program is required for iOS app development at $99 per year.
Source: aircada.com
What's The Best C++ IDE? Our Top C++ IDEs & Editors In 2024
Occupying the sixth spot on my list is Xcode, Apple's flagship IDE. And yes, it's probably most well-known for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS development, but Xcode is also an excellent choice for C++ developers working on the macOS platform.
Source: hackr.io
Android Studio Alternative
Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE) for macOS is Xcode, which can be used to create software for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. In addition, it provides Command Line Tools (CLT), which enable UNIX-style development via the Terminal app in macOS. Xcode also has built-in support for source code management via the Git version control system and protocol,...
Source: www.educba.com
Top 10 Visual Studio Alternatives
The XCode cloud is a constant integration and a type of delivery service. It is a type of cloud that is ideally designed for apple users. It is only made for MAC OS X; hence, you need to try other ways if you have a Windows PC. The main goal of Xcode is to develop the software system for various IOS systems.
Source: blog.back4app.com
Best Eclipse Alternatives to Use
Xcode includes a code editor supporting syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, and code snippets, as well as an interface builder, which is designed for developing graphical user interfaces. Xcode supports the entire lifecycle of an application, including code editing, compilation, debugging, testing, and deployment.
Source: eclipsewin.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xcode should be more popular than Ably. It has been mentiond 145 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 (23)

  • Real-Time Authorization in a Chat Application with Permit.io and WebSockets
    For our web socket-based application, we’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 / 5 months 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 / 5 months ago
  • Chat API pricing: Comparing MAU and per-minute consumption models
    A per-minute consumption model goes beyond traditional consumption-based pricing by billing customers based on their actual usage of service resources—connection time, channels, and messages. This approach directly addresses the inefficiencies inherent in MAU pricing models. This isn’t a common model in the industry, but we’ve adopted it here at Ably to meet the usage needs of our customers at scale. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Essential guide to WebSocket authentication
    Of course, if this all sounds like a headache, you might consider Ably. Apart from solving the authentication problem, Ably provides additional features you’d need to implement on top of WebSockets like Presence and message queues, and provides production guarantees that will be time-consuming or costly to achieve on your own like 99.999% uptime guarantee, exactly-once delivery, and guaranteed message ordering. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • The top real-time notification services for building in-app notifications
    Ably is a robust real-time data delivery platform based on WebSockets with features like message ordering, presence, and connection recovery. Customers include Toyota, HubSpot, and Verizon. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

Xcode mentions (145)

  • An Animated Introduction to Programming in C++ [Full Course]
    There are practice problems in each section so that you can practice while learning from the content. These are in the 'Hands-On Practice' section in each section. Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) are tools that allow you to write your own programs. There are some great, free C++ IDEs out there like Visual Studio, Xcode, and CLion. The simplest way to get started is to use a web-based IDE. Replit works... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Which App Debugging Tools are the Best?
    2. Xcode Debugger Xcode remains the standard iOS app debugging tool. Its debugger is exceptional at identifying memory leaks, helping to discover thread races, and even focusing on the cause of crashes. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Must-Use Mobile Accessibility Testing Tools in 2025
    XCode inspector offers VoiceOver Simulation to read out app elements for identifying if descriptions mentioned for the UI are meaningful and informative. It helps to make your app accessible to users with disabilities. Apart from that the Accessibility Inspector offers a complete audit of the app’s UI elements. Also as you make changes to your app the tool offers immediate feedback on accessibility issues. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • From React to React Native – A Beginner-Friendly Guide🚀
    Set Up Android Studio and Xcode: To develop for Android, you need Android Studio installed. For iOS development, Xcode is required (macOS only). - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • How To Build a TikTok Clone With SwiftUI
    To follow along with this tutorial, you will need an Xcode installation. It is recommended to download Xcode 15 or a later version. Also, to provide access to the user's camera feed in this app, we will use the Stream Video SDK. The Video SDK allows developers to build FaceTime-style video calling](https://getstream.io/blog/facetime-clone/), Twitch-like content... - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Ably and Xcode, 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.

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

Trophy.so - Ship gamification in hours, not months.

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

Mambo.io - Use the Mambo gamification platform to engage your teams, measure activities, set goals and increase the overall performance of your business.

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

Loading...