Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Vivaldi VS Ably

Compare Vivaldi VS Ably and see what are their differences

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.

Vivaldi logo Vivaldi

Vivaldi is a free, fast web browser designed for power-users. You decide how you browse. Download Vivaldi's fully customisable browser now and browse your way.

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.
  • Vivaldi Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-06-12
  • 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.

Vivaldi

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
-
Startup details
Country
Norway

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

Vivaldi features and specs

  • Customization
    Vivaldi offers extensive customization options, allowing users to tweak the browser's appearance and functionality extensively. Users can adjust themes, modify the interface, and use custom shortcuts.
  • User Interface
    The user interface is highly flexible and can be tailored to individual preferences. For instance, users can reposition tabs, split screens, and even stack tabs for better organization.
  • Privacy and Security
    Vivaldi focuses on privacy, providing built-in features such as an ad blocker and tracker blocker. The browser does not track or profile its users.
  • Performance
    Vivaldi is generally snappy and capable of handling a large number of open tabs without significant slowdowns. It is built on Chromium, which provides a stable and quick browsing experience.
  • Built-in Tools
    Vivaldi includes a range of built-in tools like a notes manager, screen captures, and customizable web panels that improve productivity without needing extra extensions.

Possible disadvantages of Vivaldi

  • Complexity
    The plethora of customization options can be overwhelming for new users. The interface may appear cluttered compared to simpler browsers if not configured properly.
  • Resource Usage
    Vivaldi can be more resource-intensive compared to other browsers due to its additional features and customization capabilities. This may lead to higher memory usage.
  • Extension Compatibility
    While Vivaldi supports Chrome extensions, some may not perform as expected due to the browser's unique features and customizations.
  • Learning Curve
    Users coming from more straightforward browsers might need some time to adapt to Vivaldi's extensive features and customization options.
  • Frequent Updates
    While frequent updates can be seen as a positive, they could also be viewed as a nuisance to users who prefer a more stable and less frequently changing browser experience.

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 Vivaldi

Overall verdict

  • Vivaldi is considered a good choice for users who prioritize flexibility and control over their browsing experience. Its extensive personalization options set it apart from other browsers, although it might have a steeper learning curve for those who are not as tech-savvy.

Why this product is good

  • Vivaldi is a web browser that is known for its customization options, privacy features, and user-centric design. It offers a range of unique features such as tab stacking, a built-in ad blocker, and customizable keyboard shortcuts. Vivaldi is built on the Chromium engine, which ensures compatibility with most websites while allowing for high performance.

Recommended for

  • Users who want extensive customization options
  • Privacy-conscious individuals
  • Advanced users who appreciate granular control over browser features
  • Those looking for an alternative to mainstream browsers like Chrome and Firefox

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

Vivaldi videos

Vivaldi Is Awesome: Ditch Chrome | Full Vivaldi Tutorial 2018

More videos:

  • Review - Brave vs Vivaldi - Which is Better?
  • Review - Opera vs Vivaldi vs Brave | The Web Browser Comparison

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 Vivaldi and Ably)
Web Browsers
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Security & Privacy
100 100%
0% 0
Realtime Backend / API
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Vivaldi and Ably. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

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

Vivaldi Reviews

The 7 best web browsers in 2025
And there's plenty more to like about Vivaldi. Its unique tab management tool allows you to stack multiple tab rows on top of each other, so you can group certain websites to clear clutter and make more room on your main tab row. On the sidebar, you can similarly pin panels for quick access to anything, like your notes, reading list, messaging websites, and browsing history.
Source: zapier.com
Brave Alternative - 8 Privacy-Focused and Reliable Options
Compared to Brave, Vivaldi lacks privacy features, but the huge extension support compensates for that. In my experience, both Brave and Vivaldi offer the same browsing speed, and the system impact was also equal.
Source: mspoweruser.com
The Best RSS Feed Readers for Streamlining the Internet
Vivaldi's RSS reader is new, and features are somewhat limited. For example, it doesn't handle some of the extras that other services do, like newsletters and Facebook pages. If you just want a simple reader to subscribe to a few feeds and you don't need a mobile client or all the bells and whistles, this is a great choice. Vivaldi's RSS reader is free and built-in to the...
Source: www.wired.com
Top browsers: features, comparison and stats (2022)
Vivaldi is a web browser, targeted to technical profiles, released in 2016 by Vivaldi Technologies. It is also based on Googleโ€™s free and open source software project, Chromium, but it includes proprietary modifications for further features. As of March 2022, the Vivaldi browser has more than 2.3 million active users.
6 Best Browser Alternatives to Google Chrome
Combine tab stacking with strong privacy measures, and itโ€™s easy to see why Vivaldi is one of the most beloved alternative web browsers. On the subject of privacy, Vivaldi doesnโ€™t profile, track, or sell your data as you browse the web. The browser canโ€™t view the sites you visit, what you download, or what you are searching for. Moreover, there is a capable built-in ad...
Source: gizmodo.com

Ably Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Vivaldi should be more popular than Ably. It has been mentiond 162 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.

Vivaldi mentions (162)

  • Firefox will have an option to disable all AI features
    The solution for the (as of yet) small group of people who cares about these things is very simple: community driven forks. With the bonus that you also get a set of great (and per fork different yet handy) features. These include: Waterfox (Firefox) - https://www.waterfox.com/ Zen Browser (Firefox) - https://zen-browser.app/ Librewolf (Firefox) - https://librewolf.net/ Helium (Chrome/Chromium) -... - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • I tried 6 next-gen browsers - here's what I found
    Last, but not least in my journey to find the perfect browser for me is Vivaldi. This browser was developed back in 2015 by a former Opera co-founder and markets itself to primarily power users. The browser strives to be the all-in-one solution, fully customizable per every userโ€™s needs. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • Washington Post's Privacy Tip: Stop Using Chrome, Delete Meta Apps (and Yandex)
    I use Vivaldi[1], it seems to work fairly well. Also has built-int adblocker although I'm not sure how good it is compared to Ublock or others. [1] https://vivaldi.com/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Wikipedia and Stack Overflow Search
    Hi, https://mach3db.com is now a frontend to search Wikipedia and Stack Overflow article titles. Right now I only have simple substring search to reduce load on my server. The results are clickable links that point to lightweight versions of Wikipedia and Stack Overflow articles. Please give it a try! It works best in the Vivaldi browser: https://vivaldi.com/ Stack Overflow results can also be filtered by minimum... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Why Vivaldi Might Be the Browser You've Been Waiting For
    Download Vivaldi today and start experiencing the web on your terms: https://vivaldi.com/. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
View more

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
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Brave - Fast and secure, ad and tracker blocking browser.

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

Mozilla Firefox - Get the browsers that put your privacy first โ€” and always have

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

Google Chrome - Google Chrome is a fast, secure, and free web browser, built for the modern web. Give it a try on your desktop today.

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.