Hibira vs Pusher Channels
Same protocol and SDKs, so moving is a configuration change. The difference is how messages are counted, where the servers are and what each plan includes.
Hibira speaks the Pusher Channels protocol. pusher-js, Laravel Echo and the Pusher server libraries work unchanged once they point at a Hibira host, so this is a comparison of plans and placement, not of APIs.
At a glance
| Pusher Channels | Hibira | |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol and SDKs | Pusher | Pusher-compatible, same SDKs |
| What counts as a message | Each message received by the API and each delivery to a subscriber | Only published messages; delivery to subscribers is free |
| Free plan | 100 connections, 200,000 messages a day | 100 connections, 200,000 messages a day |
| Entry paid plan | $49/month: 500 connections, 1 million messages a day | $35/month: 1,000 connections, 2 million messages a day |
| Asia servers | Singapore, Mumbai, Tokyo, Sydney clusters | Hong Kong cluster (hkg); Tokyo (tyo) and Singapore (sin) planned |
| Push notifications | Separate product (Beams), separate plan | Included in every plan, Beams-compatible API |
Pusher figures are from pusher.com/channels/pricing and its cluster list, checked on 2026-10-24.
Messages: the difference that changes the bill
Pusher's pricing FAQ counts both the message its API receives and every copy delivered, so one event sent to 50 subscribers is 51 messages. Hibira counts it as one. Fan-out heavy apps, such as chat rooms, live scores and dashboards on many screens, feel this most.
A worked example: 1,000 people online, 50,000 events a day, each delivered to about 20 subscribers.
- Pusher: 50,000 × 21 = 1,050,000 messages a day, and 1,000 connections. That passes the Startup plan on both counts, so it needs Pro at $99/month.
- Hibira: 50,000 messages a day and 1,000 connections fit the Starter plan at $35/month.
Your numbers will differ; the pricing page lists every limit.
When Pusher is the better fit
- Your users are mostly near a Pusher cluster that Hibira does not have, such as the Americas, Europe, India or Australia, or they are concentrated in Japan or Singapore, where Pusher's Tokyo and Singapore clusters are live today and Hibira's are still planned.
- You need a long-established vendor with a large customer base for procurement.
- You rely on Pusher-specific integrations beyond the Channels and Beams APIs.
When Hibira is the better fit
- Your users are in Hong Kong, Taiwan, southern China or nearby, where Hong Kong is closer than Pusher's Singapore or Tokyo clusters. Both services pin each app to one cluster, and Hibira's Hong Kong cluster (
hkg) is the one live today. - Each event reaches many subscribers, so counting only publishes saves a plan tier or more.
- You also send push notifications and want one plan and one bill for both.
- You want support in English, Chinese, Japanese or Korean.
Moving over
Create an app, put its key and host into your server library and pusher-js, and move traffic at your own pace; both services can run side by side during the switch. The migration guide has the code and a feature-by-feature table.
Pusher Channels is a trademark of its owner.