--- url: https://talkjs.com/compare/ title: "TalkJS alternatives: Compare in-app chat APIs" --- For AI agents: Find a documentation index at https://talkjs.com/llms.txt (full content at https://talkjs.com/llms-full.txt). Get a markdown version of any page by appending .md to its URL path. [Skip to content](https://talkjs.com/compare/#main-content) Compare # See how TalkJS compares Teams in 90+ countries send 130M+ messages a month through TalkJS. These side-by-side comparisons show how it measures up against Sendbird, CometChat, Stream, and Ably on features, compliance, and pricing, with sources and dates, and where each vendor leads. [Start building](https://talkjs.com/dashboard/signup/premium/)[Talk to an engineer](https://talkjs.com/contact/) ## TalkJS vs alternative chat APIs Each comparison puts TalkJS next to one vendor, with sources and dates, and names where that vendor leads. [ ![TalkJS logo](https://talkjs.com/new-web/logos/talkjs-logo-dark.svg)vs![Sendbird logo](https://talkjs.com/core/logos/sendbird.svg) TalkJS vs Sendbird Sendbird adds voice and video calling, native iOS and Android UIKits, and HIPAA with a BAA. TalkJS focuses on chat, with email, SMS, and push notifications built in on every plan. ](https://talkjs.com/compare/talkjs-vs-sendbird/)[ ![TalkJS logo](https://talkjs.com/new-web/logos/talkjs-logo-dark.svg)vs![CometChat logo](https://talkjs.com/new-web/logos/cometchat.png) TalkJS vs CometChat CometChat adds voice and video calling, native iOS and Android UI kits, and HIPAA on its Advanced plan. TalkJS focuses on chat, with pre-built UI components, and Data APIs for JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, and Flutter when you build your own UI. ](https://talkjs.com/compare/talkjs-vs-cometchat/)[ ![TalkJS logo](https://talkjs.com/new-web/logos/talkjs-logo-dark.svg)vs![Stream logo](https://talkjs.com/core/logos/stream.svg) TalkJS vs Stream Stream adds video and audio, native iOS and Android UI kits, threads, and HIPAA on its Elevate plan. TalkJS focuses on chat, with a complete chat UI that lives in your own codebase and support from engineers on every plan. ](https://talkjs.com/compare/talkjs-vs-stream/)[ ![TalkJS logo](https://talkjs.com/new-web/logos/talkjs-logo-dark.svg)vs![Ably logo](https://talkjs.com/core/logos/ably.webp) TalkJS vs Ably Ably is a general real-time platform that goes beyond chat, with dedicated clusters and a HIPAA BAA on its Enterprise plan. TalkJS is built for in-app chat, with ISO 27001 certification, data hosted in Europe, and 130M+ messages a month. ](https://talkjs.com/compare/talkjs-vs-ably/) ## What to weigh when you compare chat APIs Check these points against what your app needs. Each one says how TalkJS handles it, limits included. Pre-built UI or headless TalkJS ships a [pre-built chat UI](https://talkjs.com/features/pre-built-ui/) as React and Web Components. Theme components let you replace parts of it with your own components, and the [Data APIs](https://talkjs.com/docs/Data_APIs/) for JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, and Flutter let you build your own UI. Notifications Email, SMS, and push [notifications](https://talkjs.com/features/notifications/) are built in on every TalkJS plan, with reply by email. They don't need your own SendGrid or Twilio account. SMS is charged separately. Voice and video TalkJS is chat-first and has no native voice or video calling. You can integrate a calling provider of your choice next to TalkJS chat. Sendbird, CometChat, and Stream have their own calling products. Compliance TalkJS is ISO 27001 certified, GDPR compliant, and hosts data in Europe (see [Security](https://talkjs.com/security/)). It doesn't have SOC 2 and doesn't sign a HIPAA BAA, so if you need either, compare the vendors that do. Pricing model TalkJS bills per monthly active user (MAU), not per message or connection. Each plan includes a number of MAU, and you pay per user beyond that. See [pricing](https://talkjs.com/pricing/). Support Chat and email support from engineers on every TalkJS plan, priority support from the Growth plan, and a named Solutions Engineer on the Enterprise plan. ## More comparisons and alternatives guides Guides on the TalkJS blog that look at other chat and real-time APIs, including PubNub, Pusher, Twilio, and QuickBlox. [ PubNub alternative A feature and pricing comparison of TalkJS and PubNub Chat, with the key differences in chat UI, support, moderation, and notifications. ](https://talkjs.com/resources/pubnub-chat-alternative/)[ Pusher alternative How to move from Pusher Chatkit to TalkJS, with a feature comparison. ](https://talkjs.com/resources/pusher-chatkit-alternative/)[ TalkJS vs QuickBlox A feature and pricing comparison of TalkJS and QuickBlox, with the key differences in video and voice chat, chat UI, and notifications. ](https://talkjs.com/resources/quickblox-alternative/)[ TalkJS vs Twilio A feature and pricing comparison of TalkJS and Twilio, from multichannel messaging API to chat API, chat UI, and support. ](https://talkjs.com/resources/chat-api-comparison-talkjs-vs-twilio/) ## FAQs How does TalkJS compare to other in-app messaging platforms? TalkJS is a chat API for user-to-user chat in web and mobile apps. Compared with Sendbird, CometChat, and Stream, TalkJS has no native voice or video calling, SOC 2, or HIPAA business associate agreement (BAA). It includes email, SMS, and push notifications on every plan, a pre-built UI you can customize with your own components, and support from engineers on all plans. Ably is a general real-time platform, and TalkJS focuses on chat. What are the main alternatives to TalkJS? Sendbird, CometChat, Stream, and Ably are the chat and real-time APIs that developers most often compare with TalkJS. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with sources and dates. PubNub, Pusher, Twilio, and QuickBlox have comparison guides on the TalkJS blog. How do I choose the right chat API for my app? List what your app needs: a pre-built UI or a headless API, which notifications, voice or video calling, compliance certifications, and how you want to pay. Then check each vendor against that list. Each comparison shows how TalkJS handles these points and where the other vendor leads. Can I migrate to TalkJS from another chat provider? Yes. The TalkJS REST API imports users, conversations, and messages with their timestamps, and the data import and export API is available on all plans. A TalkJS engineer can help you plan the move: tell the team about your setup in the [contact form](https://talkjs.com/contact/). How are these comparisons made? TalkJS writes them. Each comparison uses both vendors' public pricing pages and docs, shows the month TalkJS checked the facts, and names where the other vendor leads. Features and prices change, so check both vendors' pages before you decide. Can I try TalkJS for free? Yes. TalkJS development mode is free and includes all features.