Socket.io and Pusher are both tools used for building real-time applications like live chat, dashboards and live streaming, but they have different approaches.
In this blog, we will dive deep into the different aspects of socket.io and firebase, and help you understand which of these best fits your needs if you are trying to build a chat application.
Additionally, we will also discuss why you should consider other alternatives if your primary use case is user-to-user chat.
Pusher : A quick overview
Pusher is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) that provides APIs and tools to help developers build real-time features like messaging, chat, and real-time updates for web and mobile applications. It employs WebSockets to establish a connection between clients and servers, facilitating real-time message exchange.
Pusher offers several services, including:
01.
Pusher Channels: Pub/sub messaging
02.
Pusher Beams: Push notifications
03.
Presence: Real-time presence information
04.
Authentication and Authorization: Secure access control
05.
Encryption: Data security
06.
Webhooks: Event-driven functionality
It operates using a publish-subscribe pattern, eliminating the need for constant server polling. Clients establish persistent, two-way connections with Pusher's global network using WebSockets.
When an event occurs in your system (e.g., new order, stock update), your server publishes a relevant message to the designated Pusher channel. Pusher efficiently routes this message to all subscribed clients on that channel, ensuring they receive only the data they need. Clients receive these updates instantly through their WebSocket connections, enabling your application to dynamically update the user interface without manual refreshes, fostering a seamless real-time experience.
Socket.io : A quick overview
Socket.io is a JavaScript library designed for low-latency, bidirectional, event-based communication between client and server. It builds on WebSockets to overcome its limitations and adds features like long polling and automatic reconnection.
Long polling ensures the client doesn't miss messages by continuously checking the server for new ones. Automatic reconnection attempts to re-establish the connection if it fails or disconnects.
Socket.io is commonly used to build -
01.
Chat Applications
02.
Real-time collaborative tools
03.
Live Streaming and broadcasting
04.
Real-time notifications
05.
Real-time analytics and dashboards
How are they different from each other ?
Managed Service vs Self-Hosted
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. Pusher's infrastructure is designed to handle high volumes of concurrent connections, making it ideal for large-scale chat applications.
Socket.IO is a self-hosted library. You'll need to set up your own server infrastructure, including WebSockets and scaling mechanisms. This requires more technical expertise and ongoing maintenance.
Working model
Pusher uses a publish/subscribe model where messages are sent to specific “channels” and users who are subscribed to those channels receive updates.
Socket.io, on the other hand, transmits and receives data in real time through a single connection.
Ease of Use
Socket.IO requires more development effort for server-side implementation.
Pusher, on the other hand, is generally easier to set up and integrate due to its managed service nature and readily available SDKs.
Choosing the Right Tool
For small, custom chat apps with a focus on specific needs and control, Socket.IO can be a good choice, especially if you have the development expertise for server management.
For larger-scale chat applications requiring high traffic, easy integration, and additional features like presence or push notifications, Pusher is a better option.
CometChat : A better alternative to Socket.io & Pusher
CometChat distinguishes itself as a comprehensive chat infrastructure platform, offering more than just real-time messaging. It simplifies integration with pre-built SDKs and UI kits, allowing you to easily add chat, voice, and video calling features to your existing applications. This eliminates the need for complex, custom development from scratch.
Furthermore, CometChat goes beyond basic text chat by offering features like embedded forms and card interactions, location previews, and file sharing. These features elevate user engagement and can transform your chat app into an operational hub rather than just a communication hub.
01.
Comprehensive Features
CometChat offers user authentication, presence management, and message delivery out-of-the-box. This lets you focus on your core product instead of building these functionalities from scratch.
02.
Top-notch UI Kits
With UI kits for React, React Native, iOS, Android, Flutter, Angular, and Vue, integrating and launching your chat product is quick and easy thanks to pre-built UI components and embedded business logic.
03.
Unified Communication
CometChat integrates text, voice, and video communication in one platform, eliminating the need to manage multiple vendors or dashboards.
04.
Exceptional Support
Benefit from white-glove implementation assistance and global support coverage, ensuring smooth onboarding and ongoing success.
05.
Beyond Basic Chat
Transform chat into a business powerhouse with interactive messages that drive user engagement and operations, such as scheduling consultations, collecting leads, and conducting surveys.
Trusted by thousands of customers worldwide, CometChat is known for its ease of use, robust features, and reliability, making it ideal for small startups to large enterprises.
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| Features | Socket.io | Pusher | CometChat |
|---|---|---|---|
Development effort
| Building a full-fledged chat app from scratch demands significant development effort.
You need to set up and manage the server-side infrastructure and write custom logic for features
| Relatively low effort to get started, with pusher channels. However, building complex chat features may require more work
| Easy integration of chat features with SDKs and UI kits, simplifying backend complexity and reducing development effort
|
Core chat features
| Provides basic building blocks for real-time communication like chat, but lacks built-in features like user presence or message history
| Offers basic chat features like one-to-one and group messaging
| Offers a rich set of chat features including one-to-one, group messaging, voice & video calling, file sharing, and message reactions
|
Moderation
| Lacks built-in moderation features, requiring developers to implement them separately
| Offers limited moderation functionalities through webhooks
| Provides built-in moderation tools for banning users, filtering messages, and managing chat rooms
|
Notifications
| No built-in notification system. Developers need to implement it
| Offers built-in push notifications for mobile and web platforms
| Offers push notifications, SMS and email notifications
|
Analytics and insights
| Lacks built-in analytics; developers must implement tracking and analytics independently
| Offers basic analytics like message delivery rates and active connections
| Provides advanced analytics on chat usage, user activity, and message engagement
|
Pricing
| Open source with no direct costs, but hosting and infrastructure expenses apply
| Pricing is based on messages per day and concurrent connections. Subscription starts from $49/month to $1,199/month for standard offerings
| 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
| AI features
No built-in AI capabilities; developers need to implement AI features separately
| No built-in AI features
| AI-powered features like sentiment analysis, intent detection, smart replies, etc
|
Aarathy Sundaresan
Content Marketer , CometChat