If you're looking for a PubNub alternative, Ably is a good option. It's a real-time digital experience platform that offers APIs for building and delivering powerful applications. It supports live chat, data broadcasting, multiplayer collaboration, GPS location tracking, and notifications. It has a free tier and pay-as-you-go and committed use pricing, so it's good for EdTech, FinTech, and other businesses.
Another good option is Stream, a high-performance and scalable API for building social networks, activity feeds, and chat apps. It has a variety of features, including a Chat Messaging API with offline support, an Activity Feeds API with real-time updates, and a Video & Audio API with security features. Stream has flexible pricing and detailed documentation to make it easy to integrate and customize.
If you're looking for something more powerful than instant messaging, check out QuickBlox. It offers APIs and SDKs for chat and calling integration into Android, iOS and web apps. QuickBlox supports embedded chat, voice and video calling, push notifications, and secure file sharing. More than 30,000 developers and companies use it, and it's certified for security standards like SOC2, HIPAA and GDPR.
Tencent RTC is another option, offering real-time communication features like video and voice calls, chat and conference. It's available for multiple platforms and is designed to work well on global networks for high availability and reliability. Tencent RTC offers a free trial and pay-as-you-go pricing, so it's good for social entertainment, health care, retail and other businesses.