Ably vs Liveblocks(2026)
Ably is better for teams that need message ordering guaranteed. Liveblocks is the stronger choice if purpose-built for collaboration ux. Ably is freemium (from $0 (free 6M messages/month)) and Liveblocks is freemium (from $49/month).
Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.
By Bikram Nath
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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 AblyLiveblocks
Liveblocks provides APIs and SDKs for building collaborative features like multiplayer cursors, live comments, and co-editing.
Starting at $49/month
Visit LiveblocksHow Do Ably and Liveblocks Compare on Features?
| Feature | Ably | Liveblocks |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | freemium | freemium |
| Starting price | $0 (free 6M messages/month) | $49/month |
| Pub/Sub | ✓ | — |
| Presence | ✓ | ✓ |
| Message history | ✓ | — |
| Push notifications | ✓ | — |
| Server-sent events | ✓ | — |
| MQTT support | ✓ | — |
| Multiplayer cursors | — | ✓ |
| Collaborative text editing | — | ✓ |
| Comments | — | ✓ |
| Notifications | — | ✓ |
| CRDT-based sync | — | ✓ |
Ably Pros and Cons vs Liveblocks
Ably
Liveblocks
Should You Use Ably or Liveblocks?
For most teams, Ably is the better default: it offers message ordering guaranteed and is freemium (from $0 (free 6M messages/month)). Choose Liveblocks instead if purpose-built for collaboration ux matters more than more complex than pusher. There is no universal winner — the right pick depends on your budget, team size, and whether you value message ordering guaranteed or purpose-built for collaboration ux more.
Choose Ably if…
- •Message ordering guaranteed
- •Generous free tier
- •Global edge network
Choose Liveblocks if…
- •Purpose-built for collaboration UX
- •Prebuilt UI components
- •CRDT sync