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TalkJS VS Ably

Compare TalkJS VS Ably and see what are their differences

TalkJS

Add scalable, fully customizable chat to your platform in minutes

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid Free trial $239 / Monthly (Includes 10,000 MAU)
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Alternatives Is it good?
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
Promote on VibeVoted
Alternatives Is it good?
KindProxy
KindProxy offers rotating residential and static ISP proxies across 198+ countries and regions. Featuring HTTP(S) and SOCKS5 support, sticky sessions, and city and ASN targeting, it's ideal for web scraping, SEO monitoring, market research, ad verifi sponsored
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

TalkJS might be a bit more popular than Ably. We know about 37 links to it since March 2021 and only 26 links to Ably.

social mentions
37 vs 26
Communication popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
170 vs 138

Base details

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

TalkJS
Ably
Website talkjs.com ably.com
Pricing
Paid Free trial $239 / Monthly (Includes 10,000 MAU) Official pricing
Freemium Free trial Official pricing
Platforms
Android ReactJS React Native Flutter JavaScript Angular Vue Svelte Kotlin +6
—
Company Startup from The Netherlands · 10 - 19 employees Startup from the United Kingdom · 50 - 99 employees · 2016
Listed in
Communication Group Chat & Notifications Live Chat Messaging Customer Engagement Instant Messaging Chat SDK +4
Infrastructure As A Service (IaaS) Realtime Backend / API Mobile Push Messaging Developer Tools +1

About TalkJS and Ably

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

TalkJS
Ably

TalkJS provides chat APIs and SDKs for private, group, and AI-ready messaging across web and mobile platforms. Serves 130M+ monthly messages in 90+ countries with pre-built customizable UI components and Data APIs for custom implementations.

Read more about TalkJS

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.

TalkJS 5 features
Ably 8 features
  • Ease of Integration
    TalkJS provides easy integration with various platforms and programming languages through its well-documented APIs and SDKs. This allows developers to quickly add chat functionalities to their applications without extensive effort.
  • Customizability
    The platform offers robust customization options for chat interfaces, enabling developers to tailor the look and feel of the chat to fit the brand and user experience of their application.
  • Feature-Rich
    TalkJS comes with a variety of built-in features such as support for rich media, emojis, notifications, typing indicators, and more, providing a comprehensive chat experience for end-users.
  • Scalability
    The service is designed to scale with businesses, accommodating a growing number of users without compromising on performance or reliability.
  • Security
    TalkJS ensures strong security measures, including GDPR compliance and data encryption, to protect user data and maintain privacy.
  • 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.

TalkJS
Ably

No analysis of TalkJS 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.

TalkJS 0 videos + Add
Ably 3 videos + Add

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

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
TalkJS
Ably
100% 100%
Communication
0% 0%
0% 0%
Developer Tools
100% 100%
100% 100%
Messaging
0% 0%
0% 0%
Realtime Backend / API
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing TalkJS and Ably.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

TalkJS's answer

You can use TalkJS' pre-built, fully customizable chat UIs directly with any of the following frameworks, or when using no framework at all:

If you want to use your own custom UI built from scratch, you can use any of the Data APIs, REST API, and webhooks for real-time chat data:

  • JavaScript Data API (for Web or React Native): Real-time chat data with JavaScript.
  • Kotlin Data API (for Android): Real-time chat data with Kotlin.
  • Flutter Data API (for Android): Real-time chat data with Flutter.
  • REST API: Manage messages, conversations, and users from your backend.
  • Webhooks: Receive event notifications from your chat.

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

TalkJS's answer

TalkJS' customers include:

  • ToursByLocals: Learn how ToursByLocals replaced 17 years of in-house messaging with TalkJS, migrating with zero downtime while boosting bookings and guide NPS.
  • GameBoost: Discover how GameBoost scaled real-time communication globally with TalkJS, boosting response times, user trust, and developer efficiency.
  • Freelance.nl: Discover how Freelance.nl reinvented its chat system with TalkJS to improve user experience, scale faster, and boost developer productivity.
  • FrostyWave: Find out how FrostyWave is empowering young women to grow into their best selves with the TalkJS chat API.
  • RapidSOS: Learn how RapidSOS deployed self-hosted, on-premise TalkJS with Kubernetes to power secure, reliable chat for 911 and emergency response.
  • Caspar Health: Find out how Caspar Health migrated from Sendbird to TalkJS for GDPR-compliant, scalable patient-provider chat serving 50,000 monthly active users.
  • Hotplate: Discover how Hotplate used TalkJS’s flexibility to start simple, move fast, and add custom functionality as their platform grew.
  • StyleSeat: See how StyleSeat accelerated their project timeline with TalkJS’s fast and easy implementation, avoiding costly delays.
  • Xolo: Discover how Xolo sped up development with TalkJS’s quick setup and clear, developer-friendly documentation.
  • Itemku: Discover why Itemku chose TalkJS over Sendbird, gaining reliable system stability at a more cost-efficient price point.
  • FreeUp: Learn how FreeUp kept their brand front and center for clients and freelancers with an easy-to-deploy TalkJS chat solution.
  • Classtime: Learn how Classtime scaled affordably with TalkJS’s pricing model, perfectly suited for a large user base with low usage per person.
  • Teamflow: See how Teamflow boosted sales by integrating TalkJS’s flexible chat solution, choosing it over Sendbird and Stream for its easy setup.
  • Coosto: Discover how Coosto delivers a customizable, user-friendly chat experience with TalkJS, offering clients a plug-and-play solution they can easily adapt to their needs.
  • Kaddy: Learn how Kaddy kept over 1,000 conversations on-platform with TalkJS’s plug-and-play chat UI and built-in email notifications.
  • Eldorado: See how Eldorado found the ideal chat solution in TalkJS, avoiding the complexity of competitors and the cost of building their own.

User comments

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

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Social recommendations and mentions

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

TalkJS 37 mentions
Ably 26 mentions
  • TalkJS Alternatives – Comparing the Top 7 Competitors
    TalkJS has carved out a niche in the chat API space by focusing on simplicity. Its ready-to-use UI and straightforward setup make it appealing for teams that want to add in-app messaging without sinking months into development. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • CometChat Alternatives – Comparing the Top 10 Competitors
    TalkJS is a chat API designed to help developers quickly add messaging features to web and mobile apps using a prebuilt UI and built-in notifications. It's tailored for platforms like marketplaces, education, hiring, and virtual events... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Cord didn't win. What now?
    My company, https://talkjs.com, is in the same market as Cord was. We let you put a full-featured chat UI inside your app; you control all the details and we handle the realtime infrastructure and scaling up. At the time we were rather... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year 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 / about 1 year 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 TalkJS and Ably

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

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