CometChat vs SendBird: What are the differences?

Introduction

CometChat and SendBird are two popular chat SDKs that provide real-time messaging capabilities for websites and mobile apps. While both platforms offer similar features, there are some key differences that set them apart.

Key Differences between CometChat and SendBird

1. Pricing model: CometChat follows a usage-based pricing model, where you pay based on the number of messages sent and received. On the other hand, SendBird offers tiered pricing plans based on the number of monthly active users (MAUs), with different features available in each plan.

2. Platform support: CometChat supports a wide range of platforms, including web, iOS, Android, and Unity, making it suitable for cross-platform development. SendBird also supports these platforms, but it additionally provides SDKs for macOS and Windows, which can be useful for desktop application development.

3. Customizability: CometChat offers extensive customization options, allowing developers to tailor the chat interface to match their app's branding. It provides a range of pre-built UI components along with the ability to customize colors, themes, and fonts. SendBird, on the other hand, provides more limited customization options, with predefined UI layouts and themes.

4. Voice and video calling: CometChat includes voice and video calling functionality as part of its SDK, allowing users to make audio and video calls within the chat interface. SendBird, however, requires integrating its separate SendBird Calls product to enable voice and video calling, adding an extra layer of complexity.

5. Chatbot integration: CometChat offers built-in support for chatbot integration, allowing developers to easily add automated chatbot responses to their app. SendBird does not have native chatbot integration, requiring developers to implement this functionality separately.

6. On-premise deployment: CometChat provides an on-premise deployment option, which allows businesses to host the chat server infrastructure on their own premises for added security and privacy. SendBird, however, currently only offers cloud-based deployment.

Summary

In summary, the key differences between CometChat and SendBird lie in their pricing models, platform support, customizability, voice and video calling capabilities, chatbot integration, and on-premise deployment options.