toolgrep / APIs & backend / PubNub
Alternatives to PubNub
PubNub: Global infrastructure for real-time, interactive applications. 8 products similar to PubNub, compared on pricing, free tier, API, MCP server, SDK and open source. 8 of 8 have a free tier, 7 of 8 have an API, 4 of 8 offer an MCP server, 2 of 8 are open source.
- Pusher
Hosted realtime APIs for building live features in web and mobile apps
- Ably
Realtime platform for chat, AI and live apps at scale
- Scaledrone
Realtime messaging service for adding live updates, chat, and collaboration to apps
- Novu
Open-source notification and agent communication infrastructure
- Pumble
Team communication app for messaging, file sharing, and video calls
- Cube
The agentic analytics platform built on a semantic layer
- Treblle
Runtime Intelligence Platform for APIs and AI agents
- Unkey
The Developer Platform for Modern APIs
Side by side
| Product | Pricing | Free tier | API | MCP server | SDK | Open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PubNub | Freemium · from $0 (Free plan, 200 MAU); Starter $98/month for 1,000 MAU; Pro custom/volume pricing | yes | yes | yes | yes | no |
| Pusher | Freemium | yes | yes | no | yes | no |
| Ably | Usage-based · from $0 | yes | yes | no | yes | no |
| Scaledrone | Freemium | yes | yes | no | yes | no |
| Novu | Freemium · from $0/month (Free, 10,000 workflow runs); Pro from $30/month; Team from $250/month; Enterprise custom | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Pumble | Freemium · from 2.49 | yes | no | yes | no | no |
| Cube | Freemium · from $40 per developer / month | yes | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Treblle | Freemium · from $233/mo (Core, billed yearly) | yes | yes | — | yes | no |
| Unkey | Freemium · from $0/mo | yes | yes | yes | yes | — |
Facts come from each product's own website, or from its verified owner when they have edited the listing. Each product page shows when it was last verified and how it was extracted. Similarity comes from the products' descriptions.
API
curl https://toolgrep.com/api/products/pubnub/alternatives