Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Mendix VS Ably

Compare Mendix VS Ably and see what are their differences

Mendix logo Mendix

Mendix is the fastest and easiest low-code platform used by businesses to create and continuously improve mobile and web apps at scale.

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.
  • Mendix Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-14
  • 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.

Mendix

Website
mendix.com
$ Details
Release Date
2005 January
Startup details
Country
United States
City
Boston
Founder(s)
Derckjan Kruit
Employees
250 - 499

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

Mendix features and specs

  • Rapid Development
    Mendix allows for quick application development with its low-code platform, reducing time to market and enabling faster project completion.
  • Ease of Use
    The platform is designed to be user-friendly, allowing even non-developers to create applications using visual modeling tools.
  • Scalability
    Mendix applications can scale easily to accommodate growing user bases and data loads, making it suitable for enterprises of all sizes.
  • Integration Capabilities
    Mendix offers robust integration options with various systems and APIs, ensuring seamless data flow between applications and existing systems.
  • Community and Support
    The Mendix community is active and supportive, providing a wealth of resources, documentation, and forums for troubleshooting and learning.
  • Flexibility
    The platform supports a wide variety of applications across multiple industries, providing solutions that can be tailored to specific business needs.

Possible disadvantages of Mendix

  • Cost
    Mendix can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses or startups. Licensing and subscription fees can add up quickly.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, there is still a learning curve associated with mastering the platformโ€™s more advanced features.
  • Performance
    Some users have reported performance issues, particularly with highly complex applications or when scaling rapidly.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Using Mendix can lead to vendor lock-in, making it difficult to switch to another platform without significant redevelopment.
  • Customization Limits
    While Mendix is flexible, there are limitations to how much one can customize, particularly when it comes to very niche requirements.
  • Dependency on Internet
    As a cloud-based platform, Mendix requires a stable internet connection, which can be a limitation in environments with unreliable connectivity.

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

Mendix videos

What Is Mendix

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 Mendix and Ably)
Developer Tools
65 65%
35% 35
Project Management
100 100%
0% 0
Realtime Backend / API
0 0%
100% 100
No Code
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

Mendix Reviews

Low-Code Platforms Compared: Enterprise Guide for Developers
Mendix: Collaborative development environment with flexible deployment and strong AI-assisted development through Maia, plus growing agent capabilities. Strong for enterprise apps, but loosely coupled orchestration may require workarounds.
Source: rierino.com
Top 10 Microsoft Power Apps Alternatives and Competitors 2024
Strengths: A leader in enterprise low-code development, Mendix caters to complex applications with a focus on scalability and governance. It offers advanced features like API management, cloud deployment options, and robust security protocols. Mendix is ideal for organizations that require a secure and scalable platform for building mission-critical applications.
Source: medium.com
10 Best Low-Code Development Platforms in 2020
Price: Mendix prices are based on the number of app users. Its Community version is free. Mendix offers three more plans i.e. Single App (Starts at $1875 per month), Pro (Starts at $5375 per month), and Enterprise (Starts at $7825 per month).
The 11 Best Low-Code Development Platforms
Mendix is well-liked by Gartner and Forrester. It is a recognized leader in the space. The user rating is typically 4.5 stars.
Source: www.xplenty.com
3 easy app makers you can start on today
Independent low-code platforms: The likes of Appian, Mendix, OutSystems and Quick Base allow you to build sophisticated enterprise-grade apps that can connect with a wide range of third-party applications and data sources.

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 Mendix. While we know about 26 links to Ably, we've tracked only 1 mention of Mendix. 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.

Mendix mentions (1)

  • Mendix Basic plan and alternatives
    The free dev-accounts that are mentioned on the website are referring to making accounts on mendix.com and developing in studio or studio pro. Those accounts are the 'dev accounts', we don't charge for that. If you create an dev account you have access to the exact same development resources as I do as a Mendix employee (or paying customer). If you as the developer want a named user account on your Prod... Source: about 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 Mendix and Ably, you can also consider the following products

OutSystems - Build Enterprise-Grade Apps Fast.

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

Zoho Creator - Zoho Creator is a low-code application development platform that helps you build a custom, mobile-ready apps to run your business.

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

Appian - See how Appian, leading provider of modern low-code and BPM software solutions, has helped transform the businesses of over 3.5 million users worldwide.

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.