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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Platform as a Service
  4. Realtime Backend API
  5. Google Cloud Pub/Sub vs PubNub vs Pusher

Google Cloud Pub/Sub vs PubNub vs Pusher

OverviewComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Pusher
Pusher
Stacks618
Followers1.4K
Votes234
PubNub
PubNub
Stacks249
Followers458
Votes238
Google Cloud Pub/Sub
Google Cloud Pub/Sub
Stacks550
Followers428
Votes13

Google Cloud Pub/Sub vs PubNub vs Pusher: What are the differences?

  1. Scalability: Google Cloud Pub/Sub supports horizontal scaling for high throughput messaging, enabling the system to handle a large number of messages efficiently. In contrast, PubNub and Pusher do not offer the same level of scalability out-of-the-box and may require additional configuration for handling high volumes of messages.

  2. Data Retention: Google Cloud Pub/Sub allows for storage of messages for up to 7 days, which can be useful for recovering lost data or replaying events. PubNub and Pusher do not provide similar message retention capabilities, making it challenging to retrieve messages after they have been delivered.

  3. Pricing Model: Google Cloud Pub/Sub offers a pay-as-you-go pricing model, allowing users to pay only for the resources they consume. In comparison, PubNub and Pusher have tiered pricing plans based on features and message volumes, which can result in higher costs for users with unpredictable or fluctuating messaging needs.

  4. Integration with Google Cloud Services: Google Cloud Pub/Sub seamlessly integrates with other Google Cloud services such as BigQuery, Dataflow, and Cloud Functions, enabling users to build comprehensive data processing pipelines. PubNub and Pusher do not have the same level of integration with Google Cloud services, limiting the functionality and versatility of the platform.

  5. Enterprise-grade Security: Google Cloud Pub/Sub offers advanced security features such as encryption at rest and Custom Access Controls, ensuring that data is protected and compliant with regulations. While PubNub and Pusher provide basic security measures, they may not offer the same level of robustness required for enterprise-grade applications.

  6. Global Availability: Google Cloud Pub/Sub has a global presence with multiple regions, allowing users to deploy messaging workflows closer to their end-users for reduced latency and improved reliability. PubNub and Pusher have fewer global data centers, potentially leading to higher latency and reliability issues for geographically dispersed users.

In Summary, Google Cloud Pub/Sub stands out for its scalability, data retention, pricing model, integration with Google Cloud services, security features, and global availability compared to PubNub and Pusher.

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Detailed Comparison

Pusher
Pusher
PubNub
PubNub
Google Cloud Pub/Sub
Google Cloud Pub/Sub

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

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.

Cloud Pub/Sub is a fully-managed real-time messaging service that allows you to send and receive messages between independent applications. You can leverage Cloud Pub/Sub’s flexibility to decouple systems and components hosted on Google Cloud Platform or elsewhere on the Internet.

Easily build scalable in-app notifications, chat, realtime graphs, geotracking and more in your web & mobile apps with our hosted pub/sub messaging API.;Send programmable push notifications to iOS and Android devices with delivery and open rate tracking built in.;Easily add 1-1 and group Chat to your web & mobile apps. Presence, message storage, rich media, notifications, typing indicators and more.;Embed a realtime collaborative editor in your app in seconds to empower your users to do more, together.
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
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Statistics
Stacks
618
Stacks
249
Stacks
550
Followers
1.4K
Followers
458
Followers
428
Votes
234
Votes
238
Votes
13
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 55
    An easy way to give customers realtime features
  • 40
    Websockets
  • 34
    Simple
  • 27
    Easy to get started with
  • 25
    Free plan
Cons
  • 11
    Costly
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
Pros
  • 9
    Easy to set-up and start with
  • 2
    A great choice for microservice architecture
  • 2
    Efficient and practical for complex systems
Cons
  • 2
    Need integration with stackdriver for monitoring
Integrations
Slack
Slack
Datadog
Datadog
Librato
Librato
No integrations available
Google Cloud Functions
Google Cloud Functions
Cloud Functions for Firebase
Cloud Functions for Firebase

What are some alternatives to Pusher, PubNub, Google Cloud Pub/Sub?

Firebase

Firebase

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.

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.

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.

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.

8base

8base

A cloud service designed to power enterprise-grade web and mobile applications that require support for large numbers of users, complex data and transactional requirements, comprehensive role-based security and a modern look-and-feel.

Supabase

Supabase

Supabase is currently in early-Alpha .It is an open-source Firebase alternative. It adds realtime and RESTful APIs to your PostgreSQL database without a single line of code.

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