Hibira vs Sendbird: chat APIs compared
Sendbird offers a free trial and paid plans from $349 a month; Hibira keeps 500 users free with no time limit and sells 5,000 users for $149 a month.
Sendbird is a chat API built for large apps, with UI kits, AI chatbots and enterprise contracts. Hibira's Chat API covers the core of in-app chat, stored conversations with read receipts, unread counts and push to offline users, as a self-serve add-on you buy online. The differences are the price of the first paid plan, what stays free and how much comes ready-made.
At a glance
| Sendbird Chat | Hibira Chat API | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Free trial up to 1,000 monthly active users | 500 monthly active users, with no time limit; live connections come from your realtime plan (Free: 100 at once) |
| First paid plan | Starter: $349 a month billed yearly ($399 monthly) for 5,000 monthly active users | Chat 1K: $49 a month for 1,000 monthly active users |
| 5,000 users | Starter $349 or Pro $499 a month billed yearly | Chat 5K: $149 a month |
| Larger plans | Enterprise, priced through sales | Chat 20K $349 and 60K $799 a month; paying yearly gets two months free |
| Message history | Kept for 6 months; longer on Enterprise | Last 30 days always; with a Chat add-on, older messages are archived and still returned by the API |
| Files | Not listed on the pricing page | 1 GB free, then 5 GB to 300 GB included with the plan |
| Ready-made interface | UI kits for mobile and web | A React and JavaScript conversation view in @hibira-io/chat-ui, and a Filament chat page |
Sendbird figures are from its pricing page, checked on 2026-11-10.
Hibira's Chat API plans are on the Chat API page.
When Sendbird is the better fit
- You expect millions of users and want an enterprise contract, SLA and account team.
- You want native UI kits and AI chatbot features from the same vendor.
- You need message history kept longer than six months by contract.
When Hibira is the better fit
- You want to start paying at $49 a month, not $349.
- You want a free plan that doesn't end after a trial.
- Your users read Chinese, Japanese or Korean, and the word filter and search should understand them.
- Your app already uses Hibira or Pusher for realtime events, and chat should share the same account, app and connection.
See what the API does on the Chat API page and build the interface with @hibira-io/chat-ui.
Common questions
Is Hibira an alternative to Sendbird?
Yes, for in-app chat with stored history, read receipts, unread counts, reactions, files, moderation and push to offline users. Sendbird offers more enterprise features and ready-made kits; Hibira is self-serve and costs less to start.
How much does Sendbird cost?
On 2026-11-10, Sendbird Chat's Starter plan cost $349 a month billed yearly ($399 monthly) and Pro $499 a month billed yearly ($599 monthly), each for 5,000 monthly active users, after a free trial for up to 1,000 users. Source: Sendbird pricing page.
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.
Sendbird is a trademark of its owner.