Software Alternatives & Startups

Strapi VS Ably

Compare Strapi VS Ably and see what are their differences

Strapi

Manage any content. Anywhere. The leading open-source headless CMS. 100% JavaScript / TypeScript and fully customizable.

Strapi screenshot
Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Ably

The realtime platform that just works. We power more WebSocket connections than any other pub/sub platform, serving over 2 billion devices monthly.

Ably Ably homepage
Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium Free trial

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Strapi seems to be a lot more popular than Ably. While we know about 342 links to Strapi, we've tracked only 26 mentions of Ably.

social mentions
342 vs 26
CMS popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 226

Base details

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

Strapi
Ably
Website strapi.io ably.com
Pricing
Open source Official pricing
Freemium Free trial Official pricing
Company Startup from France Startup from the United Kingdom · 50 - 99 employees · 2016
Listed in

About Strapi and Ably

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Strapi
Ably

No description of Strapi 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.

Strapi 6 features
Ably 8 features
  • Open Source
    Strapi is an open-source platform, meaning it's free to use and has an active community contributing to its improvement. This can lead to rapid innovation and a wealth of community-driven resources.
  • Customization
    Strapi offers high levels of customization, allowing developers to tailor the content management system to their specific needs. This is beneficial for unique projects with specific requirements.
  • Headless CMS
    As a headless CMS, Strapi decouples the backend from the frontend, enabling developers to use any frontend technology they prefer, which increases flexibility and scalability.
  • RESTful and GraphQL APIs
    Strapi automatically generates RESTful APIs and also supports GraphQL out of the box. This makes it easier to integrate with various types of applications.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Strapi provides a user-friendly admin panel that is powerful yet easy to use, making content management less of a chore for non-technical users.
  • Plugin Ecosystem
    Strapi has a growing ecosystem of plugins that can extend its functionality, allowing users to add features without extensive custom development.

Possible disadvantages

  • Learning Curve
    Although Strapi is highly customizable, it can have a steep learning curve for new users, especially those who are not familiar with JavaScript and modern web development practices.
  • Performance Issues
    In some cases, users have reported performance issues, particularly when handling large amounts of data or complex queries, which may require optimization.
  • Community Support Variability
    While Strapi has an active community, the level of support and available third-party resources can vary, especially when compared to more mature CMS platforms.
  • Limited Built-in Features
    Out of the box, Strapi might lack some features that come built-in with other CMS platforms, requiring users to implement or configure these features themselves.
  • Self-Hosting Requirement
    Strapi requires self-hosting, which means you need to manage your own servers and infrastructure. This can be a downside for those looking for a fully managed solution.
  • Frequent Updates
    Frequent updates can sometimes introduce breaking changes, requiring developers to continuously adapt their codebase to stay current.
  • 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.

Strapi
Ably

Overall verdict

  • Strapi is generally considered a good choice for developers looking for an open-source headless CMS.

Why this product is good

  • Strapi offers the advantage of being open-source and highly customizable, which allows developers to tailor it to specific project requirements. It supports GraphQL and RESTful APIs, making it versatile for various use cases. Its user-friendly admin panel simplifies content management, while the extensive plugin architecture allows for enhanced functionality.

Recommended for

    Strapi is recommended for developers and development teams looking for a flexible and customizable CMS solution, particularly those who need a headless CMS that integrates easily with modern frontend frameworks like React, Vue, or Angular. It's also suitable for organizations that prefer an open-source solution they can modify according to their needs.

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.

Strapi 3 videos + Add
Ably 3 videos + Add

Let's Checkout... #Strapi CMS

More videos

  • Review - Quick Strapi Review
  • Review - Learn Strapi in 12 minutes 🚀

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

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
Strapi
Ably
100% 100%
CMS
0% 0%
79% 79%
21% 21%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Strapi 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.

Strapi no reviews yet
Ably no reviews yet
  • 21 Headless CMS Platforms That You Should Check Out
    popupsmart.com · Mar 2022

    Strapi is one of the most used headless CMS platforms. Strapi is an open-source headless CMS that is customizable and easy to use. Companies such as Walmart, eBay, Toyota, IBM use this platform.

  • Best Headless CMS in 2022
    flatlogic.com · Feb 2022

    Strapi is an open-source Node.js headless content management system, which means that the entire codebase is available on GitHub and thrives on contributors. Strapi generates a working RESTful API or uses GraphQL for...

  • Best Node.js CMS platforms for 2022
    blog.logrocket.com · Dec 2021

    Strapi is a popular, flexible, and open-source headless CMS that enables us to create rich digital experiences. Strapi provides REST and GraphQL APIs developers can use to access the content stored in its repository.

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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.

Strapi 342 mentions
Ably 26 mentions
  • Headless CMS vs. Traditional CMS: Which is Best in 2026?
    Instead of rendering pages on the server, a headless CMS operates solely as a database and editing dashboard. The content is entered into the editor interface and stored as raw data. Consequently, your frontend application fetches this... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • 5 Strapi Alternatives Developers Are Actually Switching To in 2026
    That's not true anymore. In 2026, developers are switching away from Strapi at a pace that's hard to ignore — not because it got worse, but because the alternatives got dramatically better. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Three Ways to Convert JSON to TypeScript. Only One Is Deterministic.
    CMS content. Headless CMS responses from Strapi, Sanity, or Contentful are deeply nested. Type them once; let the compiler catch template bugs. - Source: dev.to / 5 months 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 / 11 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 / about 1 year ago

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Alternatives to Strapi and Ably

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