Software Alternatives & Startups

Doodle VS Ably

Compare Doodle VS Ably and see what are their differences

Doodle

Make meetings happen. With Doodle, scheduling becomes quick and easy.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium $6.95 / Monthly (1 User)
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
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Which is more popular?

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

social mentions
17 vs 26
Appointment Scheduling popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 139

Base details

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

Doodle
Ably
Website doodle.com ably.com
Pricing
Freemium $6.95 / Monthly (1 User) Official pricing
Freemium Free trial Official pricing
Company — Startup from the United Kingdom · 50 - 99 employees · 2016
Listed in

About Doodle and Ably

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Doodle
Ably

No description of Doodle yet.

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

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Doodle 5 features
Ably 8 features
  • Ease of Use
    Doodle offers an intuitive interface that allows users to easily schedule meetings and events. The process is straightforward and requires minimal technical know-how.
  • Availability Polls
    Users can create polls to find the best time for group meetings, making it simple to coordinate with multiple participants who have conflicting schedules.
  • Integrations
    Doodle integrates with major calendar systems like Google Calendar, Outlook, and iCal, allowing users to sync their appointments and schedules seamlessly.
  • Free Basic Version
    Doodle offers a free basic version with essential features, making it accessible to users who need basic scheduling without incurring any costs.
  • Reminders and Notifications
    The platform sends automatic reminders and notifications, helping to reduce the chances of participants forgetting their commitments.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Free Features
    While the basic version is free, some advanced features require a subscription, which might be a drawback for users looking for comprehensive tools without costs.
  • Ads
    The free version is supported by advertisements, which can be distracting and reduce the overall user experience.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Users have to share their availability and email addresses, which raises potential privacy and data security concerns.
  • Mobile App Limitations
    The mobile application may lack some functionalities available on the web version, which could be inconvenient for users who prefer scheduling on-the-go.
  • User Interface Overload
    For some users, the interface can become cluttered, especially when managing multiple polls or events, leading to potential confusion and mismanagement.
  • 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.

Analysis

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

Doodle
Ably

No analysis of Doodle yet.

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

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Doodle 3 videos + Add
Ably 3 videos + Add

Doodly Review | Animated Doodle Video Tutorial

More videos

  • - Rock-A-Doodle - AniMat’s Classic Reviews
  • - Doodly Review - The Easiest and Most Realistic Doodle Animation Software - Doodly Demo

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

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
Doodle
Ably
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

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

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Doodle no reviews yet
Ably no reviews yet

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

Social recommendations and mentions

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

Doodle 17 mentions
Ably 26 mentions
  • Ask HN: Those making $500/month on side projects in 2025 – Show and tell
    How's this different than the good old Doodle everyone uses in europe at least? https://doodle.com/en/. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago
  • So I've had another instance where the extension was just disabled on a site.
    I made this post a few months ago regarding how the extension was just disabled on a site I had accessed. I checked trusted sites, and there was nothing there. Today, I went onto a site called doodle, I'm sure many of you have used it or... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Who's up for a Shut-Up-And-Write session right now?
    Can we set up a doodle poll so everyone can vote on the time that works for them? https://doodle.com/en/. Source: over 3 years ago

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  • 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 / 12 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 / over 1 year ago

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Alternatives to Doodle and Ably

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

  • Calendly

    Say goodbye to phone and email tag for finding the perfect meeting time with Calendly. It's 100% free, super easy to use and you'll love our customer service.

    Compare Calendly to Doodle or Ably:

  • Pusher

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

    Compare Pusher to Doodle or Ably:

  • Acuity Scheduling

    Automate your client bookings, cancellations, reminders & payments using the worlds friendliest online scheduling software.

    Compare Acuity Scheduling to Doodle or Ably:

  • Socket.io

    Realtime application framework (Node.JS server)

    Compare Socket.io to Doodle or Ably:

  • SimplyBook.me

    Online scheduling software that offers you a beautiful customisable booking website (or widget to your own website) to accept bookings and payments with the possibility of selling products as well.

    Compare SimplyBook.me to Doodle or Ably:

  • 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.

    Compare PubNub to Doodle or Ably: