# PubNub vs Pusher Channels

**Leader by vioscaleAI score:** PubNub

| Attribute | PubNub | Pusher Channels |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 80.7 (61% (medium)) | 50.5 (61% (medium)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"Offers messaging infrastructure for application developers to add chat, presence tracking, and real-time collaboration features. Includes built-in message persistence, push notification delivery, access controls, and runs on a globally distributed network. It is indexed under Realtime Messaging Infra.","source":"https://www.pubnub.com/pricing/","question":"What is PubNub?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"PubNub offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $98 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.pubnub.com/pricing/","question":"Is PubNub free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"PubNub supports iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.pubnub.com/pricing/","question":"What platforms does PubNub support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for PubNub, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.pubnub.com/pricing/","question":"Can PubNub be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed SOC 2, HIPAA and GDPR for PubNub. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as PubNub not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.pubnub.com/pricing/","question":"What security certifications does PubNub have?","confidence":0.6}]` | `[{"answer":"Pusher Channels provides cloud-based WebSocket infrastructure that allows developers to build real-time features such as live dashboards, presence awareness, and collaborative editing without managing underlying network complexity. It is indexed under Realtime Messaging Infra.","source":"https://pusher.com/channels/pricing/","question":"What is Pusher Channels?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Pusher Channels offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $49 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://pusher.com/channels/pricing/","question":"Is Pusher Channels free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Pusher Channels supports the web, iOS and Android. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://pusher.com/channels","question":"What platforms does Pusher Channels support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Pusher Channels, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://pusher.com/channels/pricing/","question":"Can Pusher Channels be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed ISO 27001, HIPAA and GDPR for Pusher Channels. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Pusher Channels not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://pusher.com/security/","question":"What security certifications does Pusher Channels have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Pusher Channels is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United Kingdom.","source":"https://pusher.com/channels/pricing/","question":"Where is Pusher Channels available?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | PubNub provides a cloud-based pub/sub messaging service with integrated presence tracking, message playback, access control, and serverless functions running on a global network with 11 points of presence. The platform consolidates multiple communication services into a single SDK and billing model, with options for regional data residency. | A platform delivering APIs that enable real-time communication and collaboration functionality in applications, with SDKs available for web browsers, mobile devices, and backend servers. |
| features.capabilities | `{"presence":true,"auth_model":"token/JWT","deployment":"cloud-hosted","pricing_model":"MAU-metered","global_edge_network":true,"message_history_replay":true,"push_notification_bridge":true,"offline_reconnect_catchup":true}` | - |
| integrations.count | - | 2 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Librato"},{"name":"Datadog"}]` |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"GB","primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"ios":true,"android":true}` | `{"ios":true,"web":true,"android":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"usage","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","features":["Presence tracking","Chat","Push notifications","Message history","Access control","File sharing"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Development and testing tier with basic features","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"MAU":"200","storage":"1GB for 7 days","function_calls":"1M/month","push_notifications":"1M/month"}},{"free":false,"name":"Starter","features":["User management","Insights","6-month chat history","Advanced analytics","99.999% SLA","Custom integrations","Standard support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":98,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Production tier for live applications with core features and 6-month message history","contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"MAU":"1000","chat_storage":"6 months"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","features":["Unlimited chat storage","Custom allowances","Volume discounts","Premium support options","All Starter features"],"components":[{"kind":"per_unit","unit":"MAU","amount":0.04,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Enterprise tier with usage-based pricing. Tier 1 (up to 10K MAU): $130 base + $0.04/MAU capped at $550. Tier 2 (10K-50K): $500 base + $0.035/additional MAU. Tier 3 (50K+): custom pricing with volume discounts.","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier with up to 200 MAU. Starter at $98/month for 1,000 MAU. Pro with tiered usage-based pricing starting around $370/month for 5,000 MAU.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.pubnub.com/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-09-05T21:13:29.281Z","startingPrice":{"amount":98,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Sandbox","summary":"Free","features":["Standard support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"messages_per_day":"200k","concurrent_connections":"100"}},{"free":false,"name":"Startup","summary":"$49/month","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":49,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"messages_per_day":"1 million","concurrent_connections":"500"}},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$99/month","features":["Monitoring integrations"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":99,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"messages_per_day":"4 million"}},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$299/month","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":299,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"messages_per_day":"10 million"}},{"free":false,"name":"Premium","summary":"$499/month","features":["Premium support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":499,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"messages_per_day":"20 million","concurrent_connections":"10,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Growth","summary":"$699/month","features":["Annual price discount"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":699,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"messages_per_day":"40 million","concurrent_connections":"15,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Plus","summary":"$899/month","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":899,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"messages_per_day":"60 million","concurrent_connections":"20,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Growth Plus","summary":"$1,199/month","features":["Premium customer support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":1199,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"messages_per_day":"90 million","concurrent_connections":"30,000"}},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Custom pricing","features":["Custom plan","Outstanding uptime","Top-tier support"],"description":"For applications requiring 10+ million concurrent connections and 100+ billion messages","contactSales":true}],"addOns":[{"name":"Priority Support","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":3000,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}]}],"summary":"From $49/month for Startup plan. Free Sandbox tier available.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://pusher.com/channels/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-19T18:23:22.878Z","startingPrice":{"amount":49,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | high | mid |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":98,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":49,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | 99.999 | - |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"ISO 27001","status":"active"},{"name":"SOC 2 Type II","status":"active"},{"name":"SOC 3","status":"active"}]` | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.hipaa | yes | yes |
| security.iso27001 | yes | yes |
| security.soc2 | yes | - |

## Capabilities (Realtime Messaging Infra)

| Capability | PubNub | Pusher Channels |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Capabilities** |  |  |
| Presence | ✓ | - |
| Message history replay | ✓ | - |
| Delivery guarantee | - | - |
| Global edge network | ✓ | - |
| Scaling model | - | - |
| Offline reconnect catchup | ✓ | - |
| Push notification bridge | ✓ | - |
| Auth model | Token/JWT | - |
| Self hostable | - | - |
| Mqtt support | - | - |
| Deployment | Cloud hosted | - |
| Pricing model | MAU metered | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T19:18:54.114Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*