vioscaleAI
Comparison

PubNub vs Supabase Realtime

On the evidence we track, PubNub leads this comparison with a composite score of 81/100. Scores are only directly comparable because these tools share a category; the full breakdown and every source is below.

PubNub full profile →Supabase Realtime full profile →
Machine formatsMarkdownJSONGraphQLMarkdown is open. JSON and GraphQL need a free key.
★PubNub81
Supabase Realtime62
Score
vioscaleAI score
PubNub81 / 100medium · 61%
Supabase Realtime62 / 100low · 32%
Pricing
Free tier
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✓
Model
PubNubfreemium
Supabase Realtimefreemium
Price level
PubNubhigh
Supabase Realtimemid
Starting price
PubNub$98
Supabase Realtime$25
Transparent
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✓
Security
Certifications
Gdpr
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime–
Hipaa
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✓
Iso27001
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✓
Soc2
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✓
Reliability
Sla pct
PubNub99.999
Supabase Realtime–
Status page
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime–
Market
Availability
Content
Faq
PubNub5 items
Supabase Realtime6 items

Capabilities

Feature-by-feature on the axes that matter for realtime messaging infra. “-” means undocumented, not absent.

Capabilities
Presence
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✓
Message history replay
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime-
Delivery guarantee
PubNub-
Supabase Realtime-
Global edge network
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime-
Scaling model
PubNub-
Supabase Realtime-
Offline reconnect catchup
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime-
Push notification bridge
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime-
Auth model
PubNubToken/JWT
Supabase Realtime-
Self hostable
PubNub-
Supabase Realtime✓
Mqtt support
PubNub-
Supabase Realtime-
Deployment
PubNubCloud hosted
Supabase RealtimeCloud hosted
Pricing model
PubNubMAU metered
Supabase Realtime-

What each one is

The product in its own terms, so the numbers below have context.

PubNub

Leader

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.

Independently observed

Supabase Realtime

A server that monitors PostgreSQL databases for data changes and broadcasts updates instantly to connected clients. It polls PostgreSQL's replication logs, converts modifications to JSON, and delivers them to authorized subscribers via WebSocket.

Independently observed

Pricing

List pricing as published by each vendor, with the date we read it. Always verify at the source before you buy.

PubNub

Leader
from $98/moUsage-basedFree tier

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.

  • FreeFree
    • Presence tracking
    • Chat
    • Push notifications
    • Message history
    • Access control
    • +1 more
  • Starter$98/mo
    • User management
    • Insights
    • 6-month chat history
    • Advanced analytics
    • 99.999% SLA
    • +2 more
  • ProContact sales
    • Unlimited chat storage
    • Custom allowances
    • Volume discounts
    • Premium support options
    • All Starter features
as of verify ↗

Supabase Realtime

from $25/moHybridFree tier

Free tier available. Pro from $25/month for first project. Team $599/month. Usage-based add-ons for storage, bandwidth, compute, and additional features.

  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited API requests
    • 50,000 monthly active users
    • 500 MB database size
    • 5 GB cached egress
    • 1 GB file storage
    • +1 more
  • Pro$25/month for first project; $10/month for additional projects
    • Everything in Free Plan
    • 100,000 monthly active users (then $0.00325 per MAU)
    • 8 GB disk size per project (then $0.125 per GB)
    • 250 GB egress (then $0.09 per GB)
    • 250 GB cached egress (then $0.03 per GB)
    • +4 more
  • Team$599/month
    • Everything in Pro Plan
    • SOC2 & ISO 27001 compliance
    • Project-scoped and read-only access
    • HIPAA available as paid add-on
    • SSO for Supabase Dashboard
    • +3 more
  • CustomContact sales
    • Designated support manager
    • Uptime SLAs
    • AWS PrivateLink support
    • 24/7/365 premium enterprise support
    • Private Slack channel
    • +1 more
as of verify ↗

Platform & deployment

Where each product runs and how it can be hosted. A dash means undocumented, not unsupported.

Platforms
Web
PubNub✗
Supabase Realtime✓
iOS
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✗
Android
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✗
Deployment
Cloud / SaaS
PubNub✓
Supabase Realtime✓
Self-hosted
PubNub✗
Supabase Realtime✓
Still deciding?

PubNub or Supabase Realtime: which one depends on you

A composite score cannot know your constraints. Describe them and both get re-weighted against what you actually need, with the evidence behind every position.

Free to run, no account needed to start. How the evaluation works

Comparison generated from independently-sourced facts. Every value links to its source and retrieval date. See the method.