Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

DataGrip VS Ably

Compare DataGrip VS Ably and see what are their differences

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DataGrip logo DataGrip

Tool for SQL and databases

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.
  • DataGrip Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-16
  • 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.

DataGrip

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
-

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

DataGrip features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Support
    DataGrip runs on multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing flexibility across various development environments.
  • Intelligent Query Console
    The query console offers code completion, syntax highlighting, and on-the-fly error detection, making SQL coding faster and more accurate.
  • Database Support
    Supports a wide range of databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, Oracle, and many others, allowing users to manage different database systems within one tool.
  • Data Visualization
    Provides powerful data visualization tools, including table and schema views, which help in understanding and managing the data more effectively.
  • Refactoring Tools
    Includes advanced refactoring capabilities such as renaming, changing column types, and finding usages, which help maintain and update databases with ease.
  • Version Control Systems Integration
    Integrates with popular VCS systems like Git and SVN, allowing for seamless code versioning and collaboration.
  • Customizable Interface
    Highly customizable interface with various themes and layout configurations that adapt to different working styles and preferences.

Possible disadvantages of DataGrip

  • Cost
    DataGrip is a commercial tool and requires a subscription, which may be a significant cost for individual developers or small teams.
  • Resource Intensive
    Tends to consume a considerable amount of system resources, which may affect performance on less powerful machines.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    The tool offers a wide range of features and customizations that can be overwhelming for beginners and may require time to learn and master.
  • Occasional Bugs
    Users have reported occasional bugs and instability issues, which can disrupt workflow and productivity.
  • Limited Non-SQL Database Support
    Primarily designed for SQL databases and has limited support or features for non-SQL databases compared to specialized tools.
  • Complex Configuration
    Initial setup and configuration can be complex, particularly when integrating with various databases and external tools.

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.

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

DataGrip videos

DataGrip Introduction

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to DataGrip and Ably)
Database Management
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Databases
100 100%
0% 0
Realtime Backend / API
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 DataGrip and Ably

DataGrip Reviews

Best SQL Manager Tools for Database Development in 2026
DataGrip is JetBrainsโ€™ database IDE specifically designed for SQL development. The focus is on the query editing experience, with smart code completion, refactoring tools, and live SQL analysis. The tool works with many database platforms and integrates into JetBrainsโ€™ broader developer ecosystem. While DataGrip is a powerful tool for writing and exploring queries, it is...
Top 8 PostgreSQL GUI Tools with AI for 2026
Itโ€™s not PostgreSQL-specific, but thatโ€™s the point. DataGrip fits environments where teams switch between databases and need one consistent interface. AI features come through JetBrains AI, helping generate and explain queries, though theyโ€™re not as deeply integrated into PostgreSQL workflows as dedicated tools.
Bestย Oracle Database Tools for Developers and DBAsย [Free & Paid]
This software is popular for its highly customizable interface with multiple UI skins, enabling users to tailor the looks to their preferences, hide unnecessary elements, and arrange features and options for easy access. DataGrip also offers intelligent PL/SQL coding assistance, code editing and debugging tools, visual database design capabilities, database connection...
Source: blog.devart.com
Best GUI Client for SQL Databases
DataGrip is listed among the most easy-to-customize SQL GUI tools for a reason โ€” it comes with a window layout you can tweak to match your needs, window float and auto-hide options, syntax highlighting that you can customize, and UI skins you can choose from. Moreover, if you want a tool to edit objects and data, work with database design, and perform SQL editing, it will...
Source: blog.devart.com
Top 7 MySQL Clients for Mac OS X
Datagrip is an advanced database client developed by JetBrains released in 2016. It's designed for developers who need to manage multiple database types for their projects. Datagrip provides a wide range of powerful features.
Source: blog.bartzz.com

Ably Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ably seems to be a lot more popular than DataGrip. While we know about 26 links to Ably, we've tracked only 1 mention of DataGrip. 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.

DataGrip mentions (1)

  • Which Is The Best PostgreSQL GUI? 2021 Comparison
    DataGrip is a cross-platform integrated development environment (IDE) that supports multiple database environments. The most important thing to note about DataGrip is that it's developed by JetBrains, one of the leading brands for developing IDEs. If you have ever used PhpStorm, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, you won't need an introduction on how good JetBrains IDEs are. - Source: dev.to / over 5 years ago

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 / 9 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 / 11 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
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What are some alternatives?

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

DBeaver - DBeaver - Universal Database Manager and SQL Client.

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

HeidiSQL - HeidiSQL is a powerful and easy client for MySQL, MariaDB, Microsoft SQL Server and PostgreSQL. Open source and entirely free to use.

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

Navicat - Powerful database management & design tool for Win, Mac & Linux. With intuitive GUI, user manages MySQL, MariaDB, SQL Server, SQLite, Oracle & PostgreSQL DB easily.

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.