Hibira vs Supabase Realtime
Supabase counts a message for every client that receives it; Hibira counts only what you publish and keeps the Pusher protocol and SDKs.
Supabase Realtime is part of the Supabase platform: broadcast, presence and Postgres change events for clients using the Supabase SDKs. Hibira is a hosted Pusher-protocol service, so the same events reach clients through pusher-js, Laravel Echo and every Pusher SDK, whatever database you use.
At a glance
| Supabase Realtime | Hibira | |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol and SDKs | Supabase SDKs | Pusher protocol: pusher-js, Laravel Echo and every Pusher SDK |
| How messages count | One for each send plus one for each client that receives it | Only published messages count, however many clients receive them |
| Free plan | 200 peak connections, 2 million messages a month | 100 connections, 200,000 messages a day |
| Paid | Pro from $25/month: 500 peak connections and 5 million messages a month, then $10 per 1,000 connections and $2.50 per million messages | $35/month: 1,000 connections, 2 million messages a day |
| Database changes | Streams Postgres changes | Publish from your code after you save |
| Push notifications | Not included | Included (Beams-compatible) |
Supabase figures are from supabase.com/pricing and its guide to Realtime messages, checked on 2026-10-25.
Supabase
Hibira
A worked example
A live dashboard sends a small update every 10 seconds to 1,000 viewers. That is 8,640 updates a day. Supabase counts each update once when sent and once for each of the 1,000 viewers: about 260 million messages a month, or roughly $650 in message overage on Pro on top of the $25 base. Hibira counts the 8,640 publishes a day; at around 200 bytes per update on the wire, the viewers receive about 52 GB a month, which fits Pro at $89/month. Apps where each message reaches only a few clients, such as one-to-one chat, come out much closer.
When Supabase Realtime is the better fit
- Your app already runs on Supabase and you want database changes streamed to clients without extra code.
- Each message reaches only a few clients.
- You want auth, storage and the database from one vendor.
When Hibira is the better fit
- Your messages fan out to many viewers, such as dashboards, live audiences or notifications.
- Your database is not Supabase, or your backend is Laravel or another framework with Pusher support.
- You need push notifications in the same plan.
- Your users are in East and Southeast Asia.
The integration guides show how to publish from each server language.
Common questions
How does Supabase count Realtime messages?
Supabase counts each message once when it is sent and once for each client that receives it. Hibira counts only what you publish; delivery to subscribers is free.
Which costs less for a live dashboard with 1,000 viewers?
For an update every 10 seconds, Supabase counts about 260 million messages a month, roughly $650 in overage on Pro; the same dashboard fits Hibira Pro at $89 a month.
Do I need Supabase to use Hibira?
No. Hibira works with any database and any backend that can call its HTTP API, and clients use pusher-js, Laravel Echo or any Pusher SDK.
Supabase Realtime is a trademark of its owner.