# Ably Realtime vs Google Cloud Pub/Sub Comparison

| | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.8 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 67 | 39 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (44.8% of reviews) | Small-Business (44.1% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | Free Per Month | No pricing available | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### Ably Realtime

Pros:
- Customer Support (11 reviews)
- Ease of Use (11 reviews)

Cons:
- Expensive (4 reviews)
- Data Management Issues (2 reviews)

### Google Cloud Pub/Sub

Pros:
- Scalability (2 reviews)
- Customer Support (1 reviews)

Cons:
- Expensive (1 reviews)
- Limitations (1 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 9.3 (60 reviews) | 9.2 (29 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 9.0 (60 reviews) | 8.7 (30 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | 8.9 (39 reviews) | 9.1 (11 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | 8.5 (28 reviews) | 7.9 (7 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 9.6 (59 reviews) | 8.8 (26 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | 9.4 (29 reviews) | 8.9 (6 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 9.6 (56 reviews) | 8.4 (29 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### Ably Realtime

#### Entry-Level Pricing

Plan: Free

Price: Free Per Month

Description: Create your first PoC hassle free. Simply upgrade when you need to ramp up usage.

Key Features:
- 200 concurrent channels
- 200 concurrent connections
- 500 messages / second

[Browse all 4 editions](https://www.g2.com/products/ably-realtime/pricing)

#### Free Trial

Yes

### Google Cloud Pub/Sub

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### Event Stream Processing

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Ably Realtime** | 8.7/10 | 20 |
| **Google Cloud Pub/Sub** | N/A | N/A |

#### Data

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Data Processing** | 9.0 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Data Sources** | 8.1 (15 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Integration** | 9.3 (16 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Real-Time Processing** | 9.2 (19 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Analytics

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Reporting & Analytics** | 8.1 (18 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Push Notification

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Ably Realtime** | 8.3/10 | 15 |
| **Google Cloud Pub/Sub** | N/A | N/A |

#### Campaigns

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Customize** | 8.8 (13 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Scheduling** | 8.5 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Retarget** | 8.2 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Segmentation** | 8.2 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Triggered Notifications** | 8.9 (11 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Analytics

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Campaign Performance** | 7.9 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Audience Insights** | 7.9 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Optimization

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **A/B Testing** | 8.3 (8 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Personalization** | 8.6 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Rich Notifications** | 8.1 (8 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Integrations** | 8.3 (8 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Agentic AI - Push Notification

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Message Queue (MQ)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Ably Realtime** | 9.1/10 | 13 |
| **Google Cloud Pub/Sub** | 8.8/10 | 20 |

#### Functionality

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Asynchronous Messaging** | 9.7 (13 reviews) | 9.2 (15 reviews) | 
| **Language Support** | 8.8 (10 reviews) | 8.5 (11 reviews) | 
| **Cloud-based Messaging** | 9.4 (12 reviews) | 9.3 (15 reviews) | 
| **Latency** | 9.6 (13 reviews) | 7.6 (13 reviews) | 

#### Integration

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Application Integration** | 9.4 (13 reviews) | 9.1 (15 reviews) | 
| **Data Integration** | 9.4 (11 reviews) | 9.2 (14 reviews) | 
| **Plugins and integrations** | 8.5 (11 reviews) | 8.8 (12 reviews) | 

#### Management

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Policies and Controls** | 8.7 (9 reviews) | 8.3 (13 reviews) | 
| **Security Monitoring** | 8.5 (10 reviews) | 8.8 (13 reviews) | 
| **Activity Monitoring** | 8.5 (11 reviews) | 8.8 (13 reviews) | 

#### Agentic AI - Message Queue (MQ)

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Multi-step Planning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Cross-system Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

### Communication Platform as a Service (CPaaS)

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Ably Realtime** | 8.9/10 | 29 |
| **Google Cloud Pub/Sub** | N/A | N/A |

#### Functionality

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Ease Of Integration** | 8.8 (29 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **API Call Speed** | 9.6 (28 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Communication Varieties** | 8.7 (21 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Support

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Documentation** | 8.7 (29 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Community Support** | 7.9 (22 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Professional Support** | 9.5 (29 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Big Data

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **Ably Realtime** | N/A | N/A |
| **Google Cloud Pub/Sub** | N/A | N/A |

#### Building Reports

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Data Transformation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Modeling** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **WYSIWYG Report Design** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Integration APIs** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Platform

| Feature | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Mobile User Support** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Customization ** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **User, Role, and Access Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Internationalization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Sandbox / Test Environments** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Performance and Reliability** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Breadth of Partner Applications** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories
**Shared Categories (2):** [Message Queue (MQ) Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/message-queue-mq), [Stream Analytics Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/stream-analytics)

**Unique to Ably Realtime (3):** [Push Notification Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/push-notification), [Event Stream Processing Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/event-stream-processing), [Communication Platform as a Service (cPaaS) Platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/communication-platform-as-a-service-cpaas)



---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | Ably Realtime | Google Cloud Pub/Sub | 
|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 44.8% | 44.1% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 28.4% | 23.5% | 
| **Enterprise** | 26.9% | 32.4% | 

### By Industry

#### Ably Realtime

- **Information Technology and Services:** 22.4%
- **Computer Software:** 7.5%
- **Entertainment:** 7.5%
- **Financial Services:** 6.0%
- **Sports:** 4.5%
- **Computer Games:** 4.5%
- **Education Management:** 4.5%
- **Gambling & Casinos:** 4.5%
- **Higher Education:** 4.5%
- **Events Services:** 3.0%
- **Other:** 31.3%

#### Google Cloud Pub/Sub

- **Computer Software:** 20.6%
- **Education Management:** 14.7%
- **Retail:** 8.8%
- **Marketing and Advertising:** 8.8%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 5.9%
- **Information Services:** 5.9%
- **E-Learning:** 5.9%
- **Automotive:** 5.9%
- **Music:** 2.9%
- **Medical Practice:** 2.9%
- **Other:** 17.6%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to Ably Realtime

- [OneSignal](https://www.g2.com/products/onesignal/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (1198 reviews)
- [Twilio](https://www.g2.com/products/twilio/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (522 reviews)
- [MuleSoft Anypoint Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/mulesoft-anypoint-platform/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (771 reviews)
- [Brevo Marketing Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/brevo-marketing-platform/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (2572 reviews)
- [Dotdigital](https://www.g2.com/products/dotdigital/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (1212 reviews)
- [Agentforce Marketing (formerly Salesforce Marketing Cloud)](https://www.g2.com/products/agentforce-marketing-formerly-salesforce-marketing-cloud/reviews) — 4.0/5 stars (4625 reviews)
- [Braze](https://www.g2.com/products/braze/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (1683 reviews)
- [Omnisend](https://www.g2.com/products/omnisend/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (1189 reviews)
- [GetResponse](https://www.g2.com/products/getresponse/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (1126 reviews)
- [Customer.io](https://www.g2.com/products/customer-io/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (834 reviews)

### Alternatives to Google Cloud Pub/Sub

- [Apache Kafka](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-kafka/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (131 reviews)
- [MuleSoft Anypoint Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/mulesoft-anypoint-platform/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (771 reviews)
- [IBM MQ](https://www.g2.com/products/ibm-mq/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (174 reviews)
- [Confluent](https://www.g2.com/products/confluent/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (114 reviews)
- [Amazon Kinesis Data Streams](https://www.g2.com/products/aws-amazon-kinesis-data-streams/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (91 reviews)
- [RabbitMQ](https://www.g2.com/products/rabbitmq/reviews) — 4.1/5 stars (47 reviews)
- [Amazon MQ](https://www.g2.com/products/amazon-mq/reviews) — 3.6/5 stars (18 reviews)
- [Apache ActiveMQ](https://www.g2.com/products/apache-activemq/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (16 reviews)
- [Azure Event Hubs](https://www.g2.com/products/azure-event-hubs/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (13 reviews)
- [Spotfire Analytics](https://www.g2.com/products/spotfire-analytics/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (362 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### Ably Realtime

- Title: [What does ably realtime do?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-does-ably-realtime-do) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Ably is the leader in serverless WebSockets for message delivery at the edge. Developers are mostly building their own WebSocket and last-mile event..."
- Title: [What is ably com?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-ably-com) — 1 comment, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "Ably is a serverless WebSocket PaaS operating at the edge to power applications that depend on realtime data streaming. There’s no infrastructure to..."

### Google Cloud Pub/Sub

No discussions available for this product.

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/ably-realtime-vs-google-cloud-pub-sub)