# Hibira vs PubNub Chat: chat APIs compared

> PubNub bills chat on its realtime platform from $98 a month for 1,000 users; Hibira charges $49, counts each user once a month and keeps unread counts on the server.

Source: https://hibira.io/compare/pubnub-chat
Updated: 2026-11-10

PubNub sells a realtime platform with a chat SDK on top, billed by monthly active users or transactions. Hibira's Chat API is a chat service of its own: the server keeps conversations in order, counts unread messages and pushes to people who are away. The differences are how use is counted, how long messages are kept and how far the free plan goes.

## At a glance

| | PubNub | Hibira Chat API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free plan | 200 monthly active users or 1 million transactions; messages kept 7 days; 1 GB of data | 500 monthly active users; messages kept 30 days; 1 GB of files |
| First paid plan | Starter: $98 a month for 1,000 monthly active users | Chat 1K: $49 a month for 1,000 monthly active users |
| Heavy users | A user far above the allowance counts as several users | A user counts once a month however much they send |
| Message history | Up to 6 months on Starter; unlimited on Pro | Last 30 days always; with a Chat add-on, older messages are archived and still returned by the API |
| Larger plans | Pro, priced by package with a yearly commitment | Chat 5K $149, 20K $349, 60K $799 a month; paying yearly gets two months free |
| Unread counts and receipts | Provided by the PubNub Chat SDK | Kept by the server and returned in each user's inbox |

PubNub figures are from its [pricing page](https://www.pubnub.com/pricing/), checked on 2026-11-10.

Hibira's Chat API plans are on the [Chat API page](https://hibira.io/chat).

## When PubNub is the better fit

- You want one vendor for chat, IoT messaging and other realtime traffic, billed together.
- You need edge locations worldwide rather than one region in Asia.
- You want unlimited message history with a yearly Pro contract.

## When Hibira is the better fit

- You want 1,000 chat users for $49 a month instead of $98, and 500 free instead of 200.
- Some of your users send a lot: on Hibira they still count once.
- You want the server to keep unread counts, read marks and order, so every client sees the same thing.
- Your app already uses the Pusher protocol, and chat should share the same account, app and connection.

See what the API does on the [Chat API page](https://hibira.io/chat) and how the realtime services compare in [Hibira vs PubNub](https://hibira.io/compare/pubnub).

## Common questions

### Is Hibira an alternative to PubNub Chat?

Yes, for in-app chat with stored history, read receipts, unread counts, reactions, files, moderation and push to offline users. PubNub is a broader realtime platform; Hibira's Chat API is focused on chat and costs less per user.

### How much does PubNub cost for chat?

On 2026-11-10, PubNub's Free plan covered 200 monthly active users or 1 million transactions with 7 days of message history, and Starter cost $98 a month for 1,000 users. Source: [PubNub pricing page](https://www.pubnub.com/pricing/).

### What counts as a monthly active user on Hibira?

A user who sends a message or marks a conversation read in a calendar month (UTC), counted once across all of your apps. People who only receive messages aren't counted.