PubNub and Pusher are real-time infrastructure solutions that operate on the principle of the publish/subscribe mechanism. These platforms are widely adopted by developers and businesses to create, build, and integrate a myriad of real-time features. However, how do they compare specifically for the use case of building chat applications? Are PubNub and Pusher the best options, or should you explore more specialized solutions?
In this blog, we will directly compare PubNub and Pusher to determine which is better suited for building chat functionalities. We will also delve into the debate of using multi-purpose real-time infrastructure tools versus dedicated chat SDKs and API solutions. Our aim is to provide you with clear insights to help you make an informed decision on the best platform for your chat application needs.
PubNub : A quick overview
PubNub excels in delivering real-time data streaming solutions for diverse applications. Rather than directly enabling chat integration, PubNub provides the underlying framework to build chat functionality. PubNub can be used for the following purposes,
01.
Live streaming
02.
Data streaming for live dashboards
03.
IoT device control and management
04.
Real-time chat
Pros of using PubNub
01.
PubNub utilizes a network of 15 data centers by default, automatically routing users to the closest one.
02.
PubNub offers unlimited channels and concurrency within their pricing plans.
03.
PubNub prioritizes secure data transmission and offers a robust infrastructure to ensure your chat application remains reliable and protects user data.
Cons of using PubNub
01.
Chat functionality in PubNub feels more like an add-on rather than a core feature, leading to potential challenges in integration and customization. To address this, PubNub launched a new chat SDK based on its JavaScript framework.
02.
PubNUb’s chat SDK aims to streamline chat app development but is currently limited to JavaScript-based frameworks due to its TypeScript foundation. Being a newer release, it hasn't undergone extensive testing compared to more established solutions.
03.
PubNub provides limited front-end development support. It only offers chat UI components for React and React Native frameworks. Developers using other technologies must develop their UI components independently, increasing development workload.
04.
PubNub has limitations such as unreliable message ordering, potential message loss due to queue size limits, lack of message persistence for offline users, and the absence of built-in user presence indicators.
Pusher : A quick overview
Pusher equips developers with APIs and tools designed to integrate real-time functionalities such as messaging, chat systems, and live updates into both web and mobile applications. By leveraging WebSockets, Pusher enables seamless communication between clients and servers, ensuring efficient real-time message exchange.
01.
Channels
This product empowers developers to integrate real-time WebSocket-based functionalities into their applications. It supports features like live data updates, notifications, and collaborative capabilities.
02.
Beams
This product specializes in delivering push notifications to both mobile and web applications, ensuring users stay updated with timely information, even when the app isn't actively in use.
Pusher offers several services, including:
Pusher Channels: Pub/sub messaging
Pusher Beams: Push notifications
Presence: Real-time presence information
Authentication and Authorization: Secure access control
Encryption: Data security
Webhooks: Event-driven functionality
Pros of using Pusher
01.
Pusher is a managed service. It takes care of server infrastructure, real-time communication protocols, and message delivery. This allows developers to focus on building the core chat functionalities and user interface.
02.
Pusher is easier to set up and integrate due to its managed service nature and readily available SDKs.
Cons of using Pusher
01.
Real-time chat demands low-latency communication. Pusher's latency might not be optimal for delivering the snappy, instant messaging experience users expect.
02.
Implementing essential chat features such as message history, presence indicators, and typing notifications with Pusher demands substantial custom development effort.
03.
As chat applications expand, scalable infrastructure becomes crucial. Pusher's architecture might face challenges in efficiently managing a high volume of concurrent connections and messages.
CometChat : A better alternative to PubNub and Pusher
CometChat is an in-app chat and calling infrastructure platform that helps businesses of all sizes to add real-time communication to their web and mobile applications.
More than just a chat API provider, CometChat understands the critical role chat plays across various sectors, including telehealth, marketplaces, social communities, and dating. We offer specialized chat components tailored for these industries, ensuring a comprehensive chat solution that seamlessly integrates into your core product experience.
CometChat stands out with its extensive range of exceptional features and unique distinguishing aspects:
01.
Top-notch UI Kits
Pre-built UI components with embedded business logic make it easy to build and launch your chat product quickly. We provide UI kits for all popular front-end frameworks including, React, React Native, iOS, Android, Flutter, Angular, and Vue.
02.
Beyond Basic Chat
Cometchat transforms chat into more than just a communication hub by leveraging it as an operational powerhouse. Enhance user engagement and streamline operations with interactive messages that facilitate tasks like scheduling consultations, collecting leads, and conducting surveys.
03.
Exceptional Support
Experience seamless onboarding and ongoing success with personalized white-glove implementation assistance and comprehensive global support coverage.
04.
Comprehensive Features
CometChat provides out-of-the-box user authentication, presence management, and reliable message delivery. This allows you to concentrate on developing your core product rather than starting from scratch on these essential functionalities.
Trusted by a global clientele, CometChat is renowned for its user-friendly interface, robust feature set, and unwavering reliability, catering seamlessly from burgeoning startups to expansive enterprises.
Explore How KKR Cultivated a Thriving Fan Community with CometChat
Gain insights into how Clutch.co leverages chat for an exceptional B2B experience
Direct comparison of PubNub, Pusher & CometChat
| Features | PubNub | Pusher | CometChat |
|---|---|---|---|
Development effort
| High development effort as PubNub doesn’t offer UI kits and rely on SDKs. Additionally it does not support popular frameworks like Flutter, Vue.js, or Angular.
Building the chat UI from scratch is necessary unless third-party libraries are used. This could mean additional work for developers using SDKs like Flutter, Vue, or Angular.
| Pusher Channels offer a relatively easy way to get started with chat applications. However, developing more complex chat features may necessitate additional effort.
| Low effort to integrate any chat feature with SDKs and UI kits. Abstracts away most of the backend complexity.
|
Core chat features
| No built-in features and requires significant time to build chat features like search, user presence, etc.
| Offers basic chat features like one-to-one and group messaging
| Cometchat provides a unified product that includes chat, in-app calling, and video calling. You get access to all three features without needing to pay for them separately.
|
Moderation
| Provides basic moderation tools, such as user blacklisting and keyword-based message filtering. However, implementing more complex moderations, like reporting systems or reviewing flagged messages, requires additional development effort.
| Offers limited moderation functionalities through webhooks
| Offers various user moderation tools like banning, muting, blocking and other functionalities like chat history retrieval and message deletion for moderation purposes.
|
Notifications
| Provides basic push notifications using platform integrations (Firebase Cloud Messaging for Android, Apple Push Notification service for iOS).
| Provides basic built-in push notifications for mobile and web platforms
| Provides comprehensive notification solutions supporting various notification types (text, in-app, etc.). In addition to push notifications, they also offer Email and SMS notification services.
|
Analytics and insights
| Has limited built in analytics and offers basic data on message volume, user activity, and channel usage.
| Offers basic analytics like message delivery rates and active connections.
| Offers advanced analytics on chat usage, user activity and engagement.
|
Pricing
| The pricing plan is not transparent. In order to know the pricing, you must contact sales.
| Pricing is determined by daily message volume and concurrent connections, starting at $49/month and ranging up to $1,199/month for standard plans.
| Free build plan for up to 25 MAUs. Paid plans start at $119/month. Voice calling is charged at $0.001 /user minute Video calling is charged at $0.003 /user minute
|
AI features
| PubNub does not provide native AI features for chat functionalities but can be integrated with external AI services such as chatbots or sentiment analysis tools.
| No built-in AI features
| Offers AI-powered features like sentiment analysis, intent detection, smart replies, etc
|
Aarathy Sundaresan
Content Marketer , CometChat