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Now Platform VS Ably

Compare Now Platform VS Ably and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. ยป Base Details
  2. ยป Videos
  3. ยป Reviews
  4. ยป Alternatives

Now Platform logo Now Platform

Get native platform intelligence, so you can predict, prioritize, and proactively manage the work that matters most with the NOW Platform from ServiceNow.

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.
  • Now Platform Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-08-04
  • 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.

Now Platform

Website
servicenow.com
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
-
Edit details

Ably

Website
ably.com
Pricing URL
Official Ably Pricing
$ Details
freemium
Release Date
2016 January
Startup details
Country
United Kingdom
Founder(s)
Matthew O'Riordan, Dr. Paddy Byers
Employees
50 - 99
Edit details

Now Platform features and specs

  • Comprehensive Integration
    The Now Platform offers extensive integration capabilities with various third-party applications and services, allowing organizations to create a unified system for their operations.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform features an intuitive, user-friendly interface that simplifies navigation and usage, making it accessible for users of varying technical proficiency.
  • Scalability
    Now Platform is highly scalable, which means it can grow with your organization as your needs expand, making it a long-term solution.
  • Customization
    The platform provides robust customization options, enabling businesses to tailor workflows and modules to suit their specific needs.
  • Automation
    Advanced automation features help streamline processes, reduce human error, and improve overall organizational efficiency.
  • Analytics and Reporting
    Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools offer deep insights into operations, which can be used to drive data-informed decision-making.

Possible disadvantages of Now Platform

  • High Cost
    The platform can be expensive, especially for smaller businesses, considering licensing fees and potential costs associated with customization and integration.
  • Complex Implementation
    Implementing the Now Platform can be complex and time-consuming, often requiring dedicated IT resources and careful planning.
  • Customization Challenges
    While customization options are robust, they can sometimes be overwhelming and require specialized knowledge to effectively implement.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, the platform can still have a steep learning curve, especially for users who are new to similar systems.
  • Performance Issues
    Users may experience performance issues, particularly if the platform is not optimally configured or if there is an underestimation of the necessary resources.

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 Now Platform

Overall verdict

  • Yes, the Now Platform is generally considered to be a good choice for businesses looking to improve process efficiency and service management. It is especially praised for its scalability, flexibility, and ability to adapt to the specific needs of different industries.

Why this product is good

  • The Now Platform by ServiceNow is widely regarded as a robust and comprehensive solution for digital workflows. It offers a wide range of features designed to enhance productivity, streamline operations, and improve service delivery across various departments. Its integration capabilities, low-code development tools, and strong focus on automation and AI make it a popular choice for organizations looking to optimize their IT service management and business processes.

Recommended for

  • Enterprise IT service management
  • Organizations looking to automate workflows
  • Companies requiring robust integration with existing tools
  • Businesses aiming to enhance customer and employee experiences

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

Now Platform videos

No Now Platform videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Now Platform and Ably)

Now Platform

Ably

Project Management
100 100%
Project Management
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
Developer Tools
100% 100
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
Monitoring Tools
0% 0
Realtime Backend / API
0 0%
Realtime Backend / API
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Ably seems to be more popular. 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.

Now Platform mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Now Platform yet. Tracking of Now Platform recommendations started around Mar 2021.

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 Now Platform and Ably, you can also consider the following products

Kissflow - Kissflow is a workflow tool & business process workflow management software to automate your workflow process. Rated #1 cloud workflow software in Google Apps Marketplace.

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)

Survey Monkey - Create and publish online surveys in minutes, and view results graphically and in real time. SurveyMonkey provides free online questionnaire and survey software.

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.

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