Realtime cost calculator: Pusher, Ably and Hibira
The same traffic costs very different amounts, because each service counts messages its own way. Enter your numbers or start from an example.
Hibira
Lowest$35 / month
Plan: Starter
- Counts 50,000 messages a day: only what you publish. Deliveries to subscribers are free.
- Sends about 3.8 GB a month to subscribers.
Pusher Channels
$99 / month
Plan: Pro
- Counts 300,000 messages a day: each publish and each delivery to a subscriber.
Ably
$73.10 / month
Plan: Standard
- Counts 9,000,000 messages a month: one in, plus one per subscriber.
- $29 base + $22.50 for messages + $21.60 for 21,600,000 connection-minutes.
Hibira costs $38.10 less a month than the next cheapest option, $457.20 a year.
How each service counts
| Service | One message to 100 subscribers counts as | Billed by |
|---|---|---|
| Hibira | 1 | Plan: peak connections and messages a day, with a monthly data allowance |
| Pusher Channels | 101 | Plan: peak connections and messages a day |
| Ably | 101 | Base fee plus each million messages and connection-minutes |
Sources and assumptions
- Prices are the list prices in US dollars on each pricing page, checked on Oct 24, 2026: Pusher Channels, Ably, Hibira. They change; check the pages before you decide.
- A month is 30 days. Taxes, yearly discounts, add-ons and support plans are left out.
- Ably: the free tier allows 6,000,000 messages a month and 200 connections; other Ably limits are not checked.
- Hibira: the plan must fit connections, messages and data. Usage past a limit can also be paid with prepaid credits instead of a larger plan.