Ably vs Firebase(2026)
Ably is better for teams that need message ordering guaranteed. Firebase is the stronger choice if real-time sync out of the box. Ably is freemium (from $0 (free 6M messages/month)) and Firebase is freemium (from $25/month).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
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Ably
Ably is a realtime messaging platform with guaranteed delivery, ordering, and a global edge network.
Starting at $0 (free 6M messages/month)
Visit AblyFirebase
Firebase is Google's app development platform with realtime database, Firestore, auth, hosting, and cloud functions.
Starting at $25/month
Visit FirebaseHow Do Ably and Firebase Compare on Features?
| Feature | Ably | Firebase |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | $0 (free 6M messages/month) | $25/month |
| Pub/Sub | ✓ | — |
| Presence | ✓ | — |
| Message history | ✓ | — |
| Push notifications | ✓ | — |
| Server-sent events | ✓ | — |
| MQTT support | ✓ | — |
| Firestore (NoSQL) | — | ✓ |
| Realtime Database | — | ✓ |
| Authentication | — | ✓ |
| Cloud Functions | — | ✓ |
| Hosting | — | ✓ |
| Storage | — | ✓ |
| App Check | — | ✓ |
Ably Pros and Cons vs Firebase
Ably
Firebase
Should You Use Ably or Firebase?
Choose Ably if…
- •Message ordering guaranteed
- •Generous free tier
- •Global edge network
Choose Firebase if…
- •Real-time sync out of the box
- •Complete backend platform
- •Excellent mobile SDKs