Ably vs Stream (GetStream)
Agent-native side-by-side. Scores are curated estimates on a 0–10 scale. Lock-in: higher = worse. Prefer JTBD picks via /api/decide when choosing for a job.
| Dimension | Ably | Stream (GetStream) |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | 8.3 | 7.9 |
| Capability fit | 8.8 | 8.8 |
| Price / performance | 7.4 | 5.8 |
| Latency / reliability | 9.2 | 9.0 |
| Developer & agent DX | 8.4 | 8.6 |
| Privacy / data retention | 8.6 | 8.4 |
| Lock-in risk (higher = worse) | 5.2 | 5.5 |
| Maturity / track record | 9.2 | 9.0 |
| Pricing | As of 2026-10-24 (ably.com/pricing, fetched 2026-10-24): Messages '$2.50 / million' ('As low as $0.50/M with volume discount'); channels and connections '$1.00 / million mins' each ('As low as $0.20/M with volume discoun… | As of 2026-09-14 (getstream.io/pricing): Chat Build free (makers higher limits; ~1k MAU / 100 concurrent class). Start $399/mo annual ($499 MoM) — 10k MAU. Elevate $599/mo annual — multi-tenancy, HIPAA, translations. Ent… |
| Tagline | Depot pick for realtime agent↔user channels (token streaming, presence, multiplayer agent UIs). Not a… | Use when the agent product is a chat/feed UX. Ably remains Depot realtime channel pick for raw pub/sub token… |
Ably
Depot pick for realtime agent↔user channels (token streaming, presence, multiplayer agent UIs). Not a substitute for email/SMS orchestration or durable workflow engines. Strengths: Battle-tested pub/sub + presence for streaming agent tokens to clients; Clear free→$29 path; strong SLAs on Enterprise; AI Transport scenar
Strengths
- Battle-tested pub/sub + presence for streaming agent tokens to clients
- Clear free→$29 path; strong SLAs on Enterprise
- AI Transport scenarios documented on pricing page
Weaknesses
- Usage math (msg + conn + channel mins) easy to under-estimate
- Not a notification preference/orchestrator (pair with Knock/Courier)
- Overkill for pure server-side agent queues (use QStash/SQS)
Stream (GetStream)
Use when the agent product is a chat/feed UX. Ably remains Depot realtime channel pick for raw pub/sub token streaming; Stream when you need chat UX primitives. Strengths: Production chat/activity feeds with GenAI features for agent products; Strong SLA / enterprise story; SDKs cover web/mobile quickly.
Strengths
- Production chat/activity feeds with GenAI features for agent products
- Strong SLA / enterprise story
- SDKs cover web/mobile quickly
Weaknesses
- Start tier ~$399/mo is steep vs Ably for pure token streaming
- MAU+concurrent+message dimensions stack
- Overkill if you only need server→client LLM token push
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