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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Platform as a Service
  4. Mobile Backend
  5. Firebase vs Kinvey vs PubNub

Firebase vs Kinvey vs PubNub

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Kinvey
Kinvey
Stacks20
Followers42
Votes13
Firebase
Firebase
Stacks42.5K
Followers36.0K
Votes2.0K
PubNub
PubNub
Stacks249
Followers458
Votes238

Firebase vs Kinvey vs PubNub: What are the differences?

Firebase, Kinvey, and PubNub are all popular platforms for building and managing web and mobile applications. Below are some key differences between Firebase, Kinvey, and PubNub:

  1. Real-time capabilities: Firebase is known for its real-time database which allows for seamless data synchronization across clients. Kinvey, on the other hand, offers real-time data integration but may require additional configuration. PubNub specializes in real-time messaging and communication, making it a go-to choice for chat applications.

  2. Integration with other platforms: Firebase has seamless integration with other Google products such as Google Analytics, AdMob, and Google Cloud Platform. Kinvey offers integrations with various enterprise systems and services, making it a preferred choice for businesses seeking end-to-end solutions. PubNub offers integrations with popular platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, providing flexibility for developers.

  3. Scalability: Firebase offers automatic scaling of resources as the application grows, making it suitable for projects of all sizes. Kinvey provides robust scalability options for enterprise-level applications that require high performance and reliability. PubNub is designed for massive scalability, supporting millions of devices and messages per second.

  4. Security features: Firebase offers built-in authentication, data validation, and security rules to protect user data. Kinvey provides enterprise-grade security features such as data encryption, compliance certifications, and role-based access control. PubNub ensures secure end-to-end encryption and compliance with industry standards for data protection.

  5. Cost structure: Firebase offers a flexible pricing model with a free tier for small projects and pay-as-you-go options for larger applications. Kinvey follows a subscription-based pricing model that includes support and maintenance services. PubNub offers a usage-based pricing model, allowing developers to pay only for the resources they consume.

  6. Customization and control: Firebase provides a wide range of tools and libraries for customization and control over app behavior. Kinvey offers a low-code development platform, enabling rapid app deployment with minimal coding. PubNub provides extensive APIs and SDKs for developers to customize and extend the functionality of their applications.

In Summary, the key differences between Firebase, Kinvey, and PubNub lie in their real-time capabilities, integration options, scalability, security features, cost structures, and customization controls.

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Advice on Kinvey, Firebase, PubNub

Jared
Jared

Contractor at Insight Global

Aug 9, 2019

ReviewonFirebaseFirebase

I started using Firebase over 5 years ago because of the 'real-time' nature. I originally used to use Real Time Database, but now I use Cloud Firestore. I recommend using the Google Firebase PaaS to quickly develop or prototype small to enterprise level web/mobile applications. Since Google purchased Firebase, it has exploded and it growing rapidly. I also find some level of comfort that it is Backed by Google.

272k views272k
Comments
Noam
Noam

Jul 16, 2020

Needs adviceonNode.jsNode.jsExpressJSExpressJSReactReact

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect artists (clients) and professional freelancers (service providers). In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are essential core features. We are considering using Node.js, ExpressJS, React, MongoDB stack with Socket.IO & Apollo, or maybe using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

1.15M views1.15M
Comments
Eric
Eric

Owner at The Richner Group

Sep 24, 2020

Needs adviceonReactReactElasticsearchElasticsearchFirebaseFirebase

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect investors/wholesalers (clients) and buyers (service providers). A third service provider, lenders, will be added in the future.

The ability to create profiles of buyers w/ their buying criteria, to create saved records of properties for sale (provided by client) to be cross-referenced against the buyers' criteria is our core functionality.

In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are post MVP features we would like as well.

We are considering using React, Elasticsearch / App Search w/ their Search UI, and using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

30.1k views30.1k
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Kinvey
Kinvey
Firebase
Firebase
PubNub
PubNub

Kinvey makes it ridiculously easy for developers to setup, use and operate a cloud backend for their mobile apps. They don't have to worry about connecting to various cloud services, setting up servers for their backend, or maintaining and scaling them.

Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.

PubNub makes it easy for you to add real-time capabilities to your apps, without worrying about the infrastructure. Build apps that allow your users to engage in real-time across mobile, browser, desktop and server.

User Management- Add any number of users, using the authentication systems of your choice.;Business Logic- Kinvey's custom business logic allows you to host your code in our cloud.;Data Storage- Instantly and securely sync data between your app and Kinvey backend.;Cross-Platform- iOS, JavaScript, Android, Windows, BlackBerry – Kinvey supports them all.;Push notifications;Large file storage;Analytics- Core usage data and dashboards come native in your backend
Add the Firebase library to your app and get access to a shared data structure. Any changes made to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.;Firebase apps can be written entirely with client-side code, update in real-time out-of-the-box, interoperate well with existing services, scale automatically, and provide strong data security.;Data Accessibility- Data is stored as JSON in Firebase. Every piece of data has its own URL which can be used in Firebase's client libraries and as a REST endpoint. These URLs can also be entered into a browser to view the data and watch it update in real-time.;Real-time Synchronization- Firebase takes a new approach to the way data is moved around an app. Rather than using a traditional request & response model, it works by synchronizing data between devices. Whenever your data changes, all clients are immediately notified within milliseconds. The synchronized data is also persisted, allowing new clients to be immediately updated.;First-class Data Security- Traditional applications intermix security code with application code, whereas Firebase treats security as a first-class feature. You define your security policies in one place using a flexible rules language, and Firebase ensures that they are consistently enforced across all parts of your application. Having all your security logic in one place allows for easy auditing and helps you avoid security mistakes. The safety and security of your data is our top priority.;Automatic Scaling- The Firebase API is built from the ground up for performance and scale. Whenever your data changes, Firebase calculates the minimum set of updates required to keep all your clients in sync. In addition, all Firebase API functions are designed to scale linearly with the size of the data being synchronized. More importantly, Firebase handles all of the scaling and operations for you. Your app will scale from its first user to its first million without any code changes.;Servers are Optional- Firebase can provide all of the data storage, control, and transmission needs of most apps. In many cases, Firebase can completely replace your server and server-side code. This means you no longer need to build complicated backend software and can instead focus on your application logic and your customers.
PubNub SDKs support over 50 of the most popular environments, including: iOS, Android, JavaScript, .NET, Java, Ruby, Python, PHP and many more.;Data Push - Establish and maintain persistent socket connections to any device (mobile, browser, desktop and server) and push data to global audiences in less than ¼ of a second;Presence - Automatically detect when users enter or leave your app and whether machines are online;Storage and Playback- Store your real-time data streams for future access, “playback” or re-publish;Mobile - Easily manage the complexity of real-time apps on mobile devices;Analytics - Simulate an audience of millions. See a live view of audience size, engagement and geography;Security - Protect your real-time data with easy to use enterprise-grade security
Statistics
Stacks
20
Stacks
42.5K
Stacks
249
Followers
42
Followers
36.0K
Followers
458
Votes
13
Votes
2.0K
Votes
238
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 5
    Easy setup
  • 2
    Great free tier for testing prototypes
  • 2
    MongoDB
  • 2
    Excellent documentation
  • 1
    Great customer support
Cons
  • 1
    Base plan starts at $2,500 / year
Pros
  • 371
    Realtime backend made easy
  • 270
    Fast and responsive
  • 242
    Easy setup
  • 215
    Real-time
  • 191
    JSON
Cons
  • 31
    Can become expensive
  • 16
    No open source, you depend on external company
  • 15
    Scalability is not infinite
  • 9
    Not Flexible Enough
  • 7
    Cant filter queries
Pros
  • 36
    Massively scalable & easy to use
  • 25
    Easy setup
  • 20
    Reliable
  • 19
    Great support
  • 14
    Flexible to integrate to custom applications
Cons
  • 1
    Costly
Integrations
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Urban Airship
Urban Airship
HP Cloud Compute
HP Cloud Compute
Google Compute Engine
Google Compute Engine
Trigger.io
Trigger.io
Famo.us
Famo.us
Backbone.js
Backbone.js
Ember.js
Ember.js
AngularJS
AngularJS
React
React
No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Kinvey, Firebase, PubNub?

Socket.IO

Socket.IO

It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.

Parse

Parse

With Parse, you can add a scalable and powerful backend in minutes and launch a full-featured app in record time without ever worrying about server management. We offer push notifications, social integration, data storage, and the ability to add rich custom logic to your app’s backend with Cloud Code.

Pusher

Pusher

Pusher is the category leader in delightful APIs for app developers building communication and collaboration features.

SignalR

SignalR

SignalR allows bi-directional communication between server and client. Servers can now push content to connected clients instantly as it becomes available. SignalR supports Web Sockets, and falls back to other compatible techniques for older browsers. SignalR includes APIs for connection management (for instance, connect and disconnect events), grouping connections, and authorization.

Ably

Ably

Ably offers WebSockets, stream resume, history, presence, and managed third-party integrations to make it simple to build, extend, and deliver digital realtime experiences at scale.

Syncano

Syncano

Syncano is a backend platform to build powerful real-time apps more efficiently. Integrate with any API, minimize boilerplate code and control your data - all from one place.

built.io

built.io

Built.io Backend is an mBaaS that allows you to avoid designing, building, and supporting a custom backend for your mobile & web applications. Enterprises can dramatically reduce cost, lower risk and accelerate time-to-market for apps.

NATS

NATS

Unlike traditional enterprise messaging systems, NATS has an always-on dial tone that does whatever it takes to remain available. This forms a great base for building modern, reliable, and scalable cloud and distributed systems.

SocketCluster

SocketCluster

SocketCluster is a fast, highly scalable HTTP + realtime server engine which lets you build multi-process realtime servers that make use of all CPU cores on a machine/instance. It removes the limitations of having to run your Node.js server as a single thread and makes your backend resilient by automatically recovering from worker crashes and aggregating errors into a central log.

deepstream.io

deepstream.io

Scalable Server for Realtime Web Apps with JSON structures that can be read, manipulated and listened to, messages that can be sent to one or more subscribers, and request response workflows, between two clients or servers.

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