Pubb
A focused realtime layer
For teams building notifications, live dashboards and shared activity with channel events, presence and fixed monthly capacity plans.
Ably vs Pubb
Plan for live delivery and what comes after.
Pubb focuses on live channel events with fixed monthly capacity plans. Ably combines pub/sub with message history and connection recovery. Compare the billing model and recovery behavior your realtime experience needs.
Sources checked . USD monthly pricing. View sources & scope
Bring your app
to life.
Notifications, live dashboards, shared activity and presence. Publish an event over HTTP; pubb sends it to connected WebSocket subscribers.
Explore the Pubb integrationPubb Starter
$9/ month
No monthly message quota.
No usage overage fees.
- Concurrent connections
- 500
- Operations / second
- 1,000
- Event bandwidth
- 1 MiB/s
Capacity is shared across your workspace. Publications and delivery attempts count toward the operation rate. Limits still apply.
See all plans and capacity detailsPubb and Ably, side by side.
Starting prices sit alongside their limits. These plans have different capacities and billing units; they are not equivalent bundles.
On a small screen, scroll the table horizontally to compare both providers. Keyboard users can focus the table and use the arrow keys.
| What you’re comparing | Pubb | Ably |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Fixed monthly capacity plans No usage overage fees. Connection, operation-rate and bandwidth limits apply. | Package fee + usage Metered messages, connection minutes and channel minutes. |
| Free tier | 1,000,000 messages / month 100 concurrent connections. Calendar-month reset. | 6 million messages / month 200 concurrent connections; 500 messages / second. |
| Entry paid plan | Starter: $9 / month No monthly message quota. | Standard: $29 / month + usage The package fee is not the total bill. |
| Entry paid connections | 500 concurrent Shared across the workspace’s applications. | 10,000 concurrent A capacity cap; usage charges still apply. |
| Other capacity to budget for | 1,000 operations / second on Starter 1 MiB/s event bandwidth. Publications and delivery attempts consume capacity. | Messages, connection & channel minutes Per-minute billing meters all three; additional bandwidth can also be charged. |
| Restricted channel access | Private channels Your backend checks access and authorizes subscriptions. | Channel capabilities Scope permissions such as publish and subscribe. |
| Presence | Presence channels Authenticated membership and membership events. | Presence sets & events |
| Message history & catch-up | Keep history in your database Events reach connected subscribers. Reconnect, resubscribe and refresh state from your backend. | History API & connection recovery Storage duration depends on configuration and package limits. |
| Integration path | 10 public SDK repositories Client and server SDKs with installation guides for web, mobile and backend stacks. Native WebSocket and HTTP references are also available. | Realtime & REST SDKs Publish from a server and subscribe from connected clients. |
Ably refers to its core pub/sub offering. Its package price excludes usage charges. The entry plans have different capacity caps; prices exclude applicable tax.
Count the audience,
not just the publish.
One event can create many billable messages or capacity operations. Model your subscriber count, connection peaks and event rate before choosing a plan.
1publication100delivery attempts101Pubb operations
This is a capacity example, not a price estimate or delivery guarantee. Disconnected or slow clients can miss events.
Read the unit behind the price
Ably’s per-minute model adds message, connection-minute and channel-minute usage to a package fee. Additional bandwidth can incur charges. Pubb paid plans use a fixed monthly price with connection, operation-rate and bandwidth limits. Compare a representative workload, including time spent connected.
Choose around your application.
A useful comparison includes the reasons to choose each option.
Ably
Pub/sub with recovery and history
For teams that need message catch-up, configurable storage and channel capabilities, and can budget for a usage-based model.
Moving an existing app to Pubb? Adapt your publishing, subscription and authorization flows to the Pubb API. Similar channel concepts do not imply drop-in protocol compatibility.
Before you choose.
Is Pubb an alternative to Ably for realtime messaging?
Pubb supports live channel events and presence for notifications, dashboards and collaboration. If your application requires service-managed message history or missed-event recovery, include those Ably capabilities in your evaluation: Pubb does not provide equivalent history or replay APIs.
How does Pubb pricing differ from Ably pricing?
Pubb paid plans charge a fixed monthly price for bounded capacity with no monthly message quota. Ably adds metered messages, connection minutes and channel minutes to its package fee. The best fit depends on peak traffic, audience size and connection duration.
Does Pubb offer Ably-style message history and recovery?
No. With Pubb, reconnect and resubscribe, then refresh application state from your backend. Ably provides connection recovery and a History API; retention depends on storage configuration and package limits. Account for that difference when designing recovery or migrating an application.
How does restricted channel access differ?
Pubb uses signed authorization for private and presence subscriptions. Ably capabilities grant operations such as publish and subscribe on selected channels. Map each permission to the destination service’s API during a migration.
Can I migrate an Ably application by changing the URL?
No. Adapt the SDK, publishing, subscription and authorization flows to Pubb’s APIs. Review any dependence on Ably history, recovery and presence before switching, and test how the app restores state after a disconnection.
Sources & comparison scope
Prepared by Pubb using its published pricing and integration documentation, plus the official Ably pages linked below. Last checked . Pricing and features can change; confirm current terms with each provider.
This page compares published capabilities and plan limits. It is not an independent benchmark, an uptime comparison or a claim that every feature is equivalent. Ably is a trademark of its respective owner; no affiliation is implied.
Your next event starts here.
Build your first connection. Publish from your backend.
Bring your application to life with Pubb.