8 Best GetStream Alternatives & Competitors in 2024
Published On April 8th, 2024 Communication
“GetStream Alternatives listed below are drafted based on user reviews and pricing parameters.”
Constantly searching for a replacement to Stream (GetStream), then look nowhere, because you’ll find all the eggs in one basket in our 1000 feet article.
Here, we’ll discuss on criterias like features, tech stacks, free trials, and use cases of each competitor to help developers like you build exceptional instant messaging apps.
Therefore, without any ado, let us delve into:
Table of Contents
Top 8 GetStream Alternatives & Competitors in 2024!
While Stream can be a great choice for developers, it can still fall short when it comes to feature suites or use cases, and then, a search for a new chat API or messaging solution continues.
Therefore, to help you find the best alternative, we have compared MirrorFly, and Rocket.chat, Weavy, Cometchat, Pubnub, Sendbird, Twilio, and Ably with Stream below.
Editor’s Tip: Don’t have time to go through each competitor? Just check why Mirrorfly is the best alternative to Stream.
1. MirrorFly
“The #1 Self-hosted Messaging Provider!”
MirrorFly is considered to be the best and #1 alternative to GetStream for building any use case that needs user interaction. Be it building in-app chat, voice & video API for telecom apps, or a fintech solution, or a healthcare project, MirrorFly’s in-app SDKs do wonders.
Self-hosted Solution (SaaP)
- 100% customizable SDKs
- Complete source code ownership
- White-labeled solution
- On-premise hosting
- Pricing: One-time license cost
Cloud Solution (SaaS)
- Integrate SDKs <20 mins
- Dedicated cloud servers
- Low-code development
- Multi-tenancy Support
- Pricing: Monthly subscriptions
- Supported Platforms: Android, Mac, iOS, Windows, and Linux
- Tech Stacks: Flutter, React Native, JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, React JS, Java.
- Use Cases: Gaming, E-commerce, Telecom, Financial, Healthcare, Dating, Social, and Logistics.
MirrorFly vs GetStream: What are the differences?
1. Feature Suite: When it comes to features, Stream makes a fall compared to MirrorFly. It is devoid of prime features like offline or online presence, auto-thumbnail generator, starred messages, and similar such.
2. Pricing: As MirrorFly supports both on-the-go pricing and one-time license costs, it is helpful for developers to build chat apps flexibly.
3. Deployment: Stream allows developers to deploy apps only on the cloud, precisely on AWS servers, whereas MirrorFly supports both on-premise and cloud deployments.
4. Security & Reliability: Because MirrorFly is into offering both cloud and self-hosted solutions, it lets developers to take complete control of data thus reducing data threats or hacks.
2. Twilio
“One Of The Best GetStream Alternatives In Town!”
Unlike the previous alternatives that we looked at, Twilio is a CPaaS provider of real-time communication that is also known to drive 10X customer engagement and retention in any communication app.
Plus, its positives are SMS, programmable voice, video, and WhatsApp API which are not offered by any chat SDK provider. It also has something called Super SIM, which is a connectivity platform to connect IoT devices all around the world.
- Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, and Web
- Tech Stacks: Javascript, .Net, Unity, Flutter
- Use Cases: Public Sector, Financial Services, Hospitality, Healthcare, Real Estate, and Retail
Twilio vs StreamChat: What are the differences?
1. Messaging Solution: Twilio unlike StreamChat that is into offering only in-app messaging and calls, lets developers to build chat experiences across different platforms like WhatsApp and FB.
2. Unique Set of APIs: Twilio has an API called Hosted API that lets users to deal with chat infrastructure issues like its scaling and maintenance.
There are just more differences than these buddies!
Looking to Recreate your Existing Agora Platform?
3. Rocket.Chat
“A Trustworthy Communication Platform!”
Being an open-source communication platform, it offers unmatched reliability and security and gives a chance to customize roles and responsibilities. Plus, it offers a live chat solution for enterprises to boost internal communication and productivity.
The features mentioned above along with the ability to create a white-labeled solution for any use case make Rocket.chat the best GetStream alternative.
- Supported Platforms: MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android, and Windows
- Tech Stacks: Javascript, Node.js, React, HTML5, MongoDB
- Use Cases: Education, technology, financial services, healthcare, defense, Government US and EU
Rocket.Chat vs GetStream – Differences
1. Features: File sharing is easy in Rocket.chat as it allows sharing of images and videos across any channel with a click. While with Stream, you must first upload to the server and then share the URL.
2. Pricing: Rocket.chat offers free trials and free versions of all its important features and capabilities, which Stream lacks. And its enterprise solution comes at $7 only.
3. Deployment: Stream lets developers to deploy apps only on the cloud, whereas Rocket.chat supports both on-premise and cloud deployments.
4. Security: As Rocket.chat supports on-premise deployments, it allows developers to take complete control of data thus reducing data hacks.
4. Weavy
“Their APIs Build Fully-Functional Chat Apps”
Weavy’s chat APIs help businesses to build highly interactive and functional in-app chat experiences and feeds to any communication app.
From a rich feature suite like one-to-one messaging to group chats to URL previews to presence indicators, and tools for business collaboration, Weavy has become every developer’s favorite.
- Supported Platforms: iOS, Android, and Windows
- Tech Stacks: Javascript, jQuery, HTML5, Google Analytics
- Use Cases: Known to cover all major use cases like healthcare and education
Weavy vs GetStream – Differences
- Third-party Integrations: The best part about Weavy is that it supports integration with Onedrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more to share documents or files, which Stream lacks a bit.
- Customizations: Both offer customizations on their feature suite and both are into offering feed functionality.
- Pricing: Compared to Stream, Weavy is way more budget-friendly to opt for.
5. CometChat
“Best Video, Voice, and Chat SDK Alternatives to Stream!”
Cometchat comes to developers as one of the leading in-app communication API providers in the market with HQ video and voice calls and impeccable engagement capabilities.
Plus, when it comes to accessibility, their APIs are more flexible and reliable in the town with zero downtime.
- Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, and Windows
- Tech Stacks: React, Vue, Angular, React Native, Flutter, Cordova
- Use Cases: Dating, Online Education, Community, & Social, Sports and Gaming, Team Communication, Healthcare, Online Marketplaces
Cometchat vs GetStream: What are the differences?
1. No-code Policy: Cometchat has a widget that allows developers to simply copy the code to their apps to integrate call and chat features. Though Stream also follows a lightweight code policy, Cometchat’s integration seems to be faster.
2. Tech Stack Support: Comparatively, Cometchat’s SDKs support varied technologies or frameworks like Laravel, PHP, Vue, and WordPress, which are absent in Stream.
3. Webhooks & Bots: The presence of these two potentials designed to send notifications and to do particular tasks stands as a unique feature under Cometchat’s hood.
4. Pricing: Cometchat comes to developers at $109 per month, which is way more cost-efficient than Stream’s $499 per month.
And there are more differences between the two. However, if we look at what makes them go hand-in-hand is that both Cometchat and Stream support only cloud hosting.
6. PubNub
“Effective StreamChat Alternative In Town!”
Standing as the potential chat SDK provider in town with exquisite features like real-time chats, third-party integration support, global presence, and built-in redundancies, PubNub is truly the best alternative to StreamChat.
Plus, it alleviates the developer’s stress with respect to proxies and firewalls, and brings down the scalability issues by supporting over millions of concurrent users without any lags.
- Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, and IoT
- Tech Stacks: Rust, Kotlin, Javascript, C#, Objective C, PHP, Unity, Python, and Dart
- Use Cases: Media and Entertainment, Gaming, Sports, eCommerce, Digital Health and Fitness, Enterprise, Blockchain and Web3, and more
🌟 Also Read: Best 6 PubNub Alternatives & Competitors 🌟
PubNub vs StreamChat: What are the differences?
1. Numerous Frameworks: From Python, Rust, Dart to Go, Ruby, and PHP, PubNub has a hefty list of tech stacks thus making their SDKs widely compatible to build real-time chat applications.
2. Latency Parameter: While comparing the latency factor, we were quite surprised to note that PubNub has latency < 20ms while Getstream.io seems to favor lagless conversations at <40ms.
3. Tech Support: PubNub is known for offering round-the-clock support for all its plans, while Stream offers 24/7 tech support only under its Enterprise Plan.
4. Compression of Messages: GZIP compression capabilities are available for both incoming and outgoing messages in PubNub. Streamchat lacks this feature.
Looking to Recreate your Existing Getstream Platform?
7. Sendbird
“Leading In-app Messaging SDKs For Higher Retention!”
It is said that with Sendbird, developers get a chance to be more productive as their call and native chat SDKs come with ready-made UI components and customizable features that help to build an interactive chat app.
Plus, they are known to capacitate any limit of operational complexity under their hood without having an eye on reliability and scalability. We will see where they stand large when compared with Stream below.
- Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, and Web
- Tech Stacks: Javascript, .Net, Unity, Flutter
- Use Cases: Live Streaming, Customer Service, Sales, Marketing, and Operations
Sendbird vs StreamChat: What are the differences?
1. Rich Features: When it comes to features, Sendbird always outnumber any other chat SDK provider as it offers supergroup conversations, dynamic partitioning, polls, and scheduled messages.
2. Analytics & Integration Support: From an informative analytic dashboard to domain filtering to automated moderation to integrating with Salesforce connector, Sendbird is called a master by developers.
3. Server Status: Though Streamchat runs with the Global Edge Infrastructure Policy, Sendbird stands no less when it comes to scalability as their APIs are designed to help app developers track, monitor, and review server performance.
Looking to Recreate your Existing Getstream Platform?
8. Ably
“The Best & Reliable Stream Competitor For Real-time Chats!”
Ably is by far the most similar alternative to StreamChat on our list. Also said to be one of the best real-time chat SDK providers, it aids developers to quickly build chat apps in the best way possible.
Do note that with Ably, one may not worry about managing and scaling infrastructure.
Plus, they maintain an uptime of 99.999% uptime SLA and come to town with features like Dynamic Elasticity that gives the ability to send over billions of messages to multiple channels and users.
- Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, and Web
- Tech Stacks: Laravel, Go, PHP, Mono, .Net, Unity, Python, Ruby, Flutter, and Xamarin
- Use Cases: Edtech, Fintech, B2B platforms, Healthcare, Logistics, Gaming, eCommerce, Retail, and more
Ably vs StreamChat: What are the differences?
1. Tech Stacks: Surprisingly, Ably offers 25+ SDK libraries for every development platform and language, while StreamChat offers only 9 client SDKs.
2. Third-party Integrations: Ably offers numerous integration with apps so that developers might feel it easy to integrate Ably with any of their tech stack. To name a few, AWS Lambda, Zapier, Azure, Cloudflare, Apache, Rabbit, IFTTT, and more.
3. Protocols: Ably uses WebSocket-based protocols for communication between client SDKs and Ably servers. Further they support other protocols like HTTP, MQTT, AMQP, and server-sent events.
4. Pricing Model: Ably is far more cost-efficient than Stream as its pricing plan comes at $15.00 per thousand concurrent connections which is way less than Stream’s $499 per month for 500 concurrent connections.
So what say, there you go with the list of some of the best alternatives to StreamChat.
Closing Statement!
Taking everything together, all the Stream alternatives we have mentioned in the article above will surely help you to integrate top-tier in-app communication features into your chat apps.
However, the differences among them lie in categories like latency, multi-platform support, security parameters, and reliability capabilities. So, it is wise that you give a heads-up on all the criteria before opting for a competitor.
And in case you feel we missed on other Stream alternatives, just leave a comment below, and we will be glad to accept it.
Till then happy reading. And yes, we’ve got a blog on Twilio alternatives too. You may like it!
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the alternative to the GetStream feed?
Weavy comes as a better alternative to GetStream feed as it is low-priced and its SDKs support limitless customizations.
What is the status of the GetStream server?
Because of the presence of Global Edge Server, Stream has been able to keep up low latency levels thereby giving users a lag-less messaging experience. All its servers are highly scalable and secure and are designed for utmost reliability.
How do I choose the best alternative for my specific needs?
Here are a few must-dos before you choose an in-app chat SDK alternative:
1. Discuss with your business about chat app requirements and features.
2. Identify all the alternatives present in the market.
3. Check which providers offer both SaaS and self-hosted solutions.
4. Evaluate their features, offerings, security, and integration support.
5. Note their pricing parameters and choose the alternative that best fits all the criteria.
Are these alternatives cost-effective compared to Stream?
Well, not all alternatives mentioned in the blog are cost-effective than Stream as each chat SDK provider has kept varied pricing options for deployment and feature suite. So, choose an alternative that best fits your needs.
What are some use cases that customers migrate from Stream to MirrorFly for?
Developers mostly migrate to MirrorFly for use cases or solutions like Financial Services, Transport and Logistics, Online Gaming, Telecommunications, Social and Communities, and Marketplace.
Which are the best stream alternatives & competitors in 2024?
Some of the best alternatives to GetStream in 2024 are MirrorFly and Rocket.chat, Sendbird, Cometchat, and Wowza.
Krishi Shivasangaran is a digital nomad and a veteran of Digital Marketing strategies. She is passionate about learning the newest trends in video APIs. And, when she's off-role, she loves to sketch and make people realize the true color of nature.
Great article. Thanks, I have been searching for a while for some info about the best alternatives to Stream and yours is the greatest one I have found so far. Great points you made there in your article.
Best article about getstream.io competitors. I need to integrate your api & sdk into my mobile app, I want to know the possibility of customization.
Fantastic Article Team. I like the suggestions you made in the Getstream alternative providers comparison. This post definitely help me lot to choose the best real-time communication solution. Thanks a lot.
Thanks. I found a some good ideas in your article and choosing the best Stream competitors for my mobile app.
Great post. Your writing is so clear and helpful. I like the suggestions you made in the Getstream alternative providers.