PubNub
Global infrastructure for real-time, interactive applications
About PubNub
PubNub is a hosted real-time messaging platform built around programmable publish/subscribe. Developers use its 50+ SDKs to add chat, presence, live updates, IoT device control, and push notifications to apps without running their own WebSocket infrastructure. Pricing is based on monthly active users, with a free tier for development.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- MAU-based pricing includes connections, messages, channels, and storage, so there are no separate concurrency or message charges
- Free tier with 200 MAU or 1M transactions lets you build and test without a credit card
- 50+ SDKs cover web, mobile, server, and IoT devices
- Up to 99.999% uptime SLA and a global network with low in-region latency
- Compliance coverage includes SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA (with BAA), GDPR, and ISO 27001, with data residency controls
Cons
- Costs rise quickly as monthly active users grow; reviewers frequently cite pricing as the main drawback
- Jump from the free tier to Starter at $98/month is steep for small side projects
- Pro plan pricing requires contacting sales
- It's infrastructure, not a finished chat product, so you still build the UI and app logic yourself
- Some reviewers find the documentation hard to navigate and standard support slow
Key Features
Programmable Pub/Sub
Clients publish to named channels and subscribe to the ones they need, with channels created on the fly and channel groups for subscribing to thousands of channels in one call.
Presence
Tracks which users and devices are online and their current state, for online indicators, occupancy counts, and typing status.
Message Persistence
Stores message history, metadata, and files so clients can catch up after reconnecting or load past conversations.
Functions
Serverless logic that runs on the network to filter, transform, moderate, or route messages before or after publish.
Mobile Push Notifications
Sends messages to iOS and Android devices through APNs and FCM when the app isn't connected.
Access Manager
Token-based permissions that control which users can read or write to each channel.
Events & Actions
Forwards real-time events to third-party systems such as Kafka, webhooks, and analytics or AI services without writing code.
Illuminate
Add-on for real-time metrics and no-code decision rules that trigger alerts, rewards, or prompts from live app data.
50+ SDKs and MCP Server
Client libraries for web, mobile, server, and IoT platforms, plus an MCP server and skills for AI coding agents.
Pricing
- Up to 200 MAU or 1M transactions monthly
- 1GB data storage (7 days)
- 5 test Serverless Functions, 7-day runtime
- No credit card required
- 1,000 MAU included
- Up to 6 months data storage
- 30 Serverless Functions
- Insights into users, channels, and messages
- BizOps Workspace for user and channel management
- Custom MAU packages with volume discounts
- Unlimited data storage
- Advanced analytics and monitoring
- Up to 99.999% uptime SLA
- Custom integrations
Best For
In-app chat
Add messaging with typing indicators, read receipts, reactions, and message history to web and mobile apps.
Live audience engagement
Power live reactions, polls, and social viewing during sports, media, and streaming events at large scale.
IoT device control
Send commands to and receive telemetry from connected devices over a single low-latency network.
Geolocation and dispatch
Stream live location updates for delivery, ride-hailing, and logistics tracking.
Multiplayer and multi-user collaboration
Keep game state, presence, and shared documents in sync across users in real time.
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