Where Liveblocks's free tier stops
Liveblocks Liveblocks' free tier is usable, but it stops at a few core ceilings that matter fast for collaborative apps. You get up to 500 monthly active rooms, 256 MB of realtime data storage, 512 MB of file storage, and 1,000 custom notification events. Event logs are kept only 24 hours, and file uploads max out at 50 MB. It also limits you to 10 projects and 3 dashboard seats. Those are enough for small production use, but they are the points where growing teams usually start looking elsewhere.
Switch table
| Liveblocks | Stream | LeanCloud | Ably | Scaledrone | PubNub | Pusher | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| monthly active users or rooms | Up to 500 monthly active rooms | 1,000 monthly active users | Up to 500 daily active users for LeanMessage | Unknown | Unknown | Up to 200 MAU | Unknown |
| connection limit | Unknown | 100 concurrent connections | 3 threads | Up to 200 concurrent connections | 20 concurrent connections | Unknown | 100 simultaneous connections |
| message or transaction volume | 1,000 custom notification events included | Unknown | 30K API requests per day; 10K full-text search queries per day; 5K LiveQuery messages per day; 10K push notifications per day | Up to 500 messages per second; up to 6 million messages per month | 100,000 events per day | Up to 1M transactions monthly; 1M push notifications per month | 200,000 messages per day |
| storage | 256 MB realtime data storage; 512 MB file storage | Unknown | 1 GB of storage space; 1 GB free traffic quota per day for Client Engine | Unknown | Unknown | 1GB data storage for 7 days | Unknown |
| project or seat limit | 10 projects; 3 dashboard seats | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown |
| event retention | 24-hour event log retention | Unknown | 6 months of message history storage | Unknown | Unknown | 7 days | Unknown |
| Card required | - | No | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| First paid tier | - | Start at $399.00 USD/mo billed annually, or $499.00 monthly | Pay as you go; minimum charge $5/day | $29 / month + usage | $19/mo | $98/month | $49/month |
The alternatives
Stream
FTV 79 / 100Stream's free plan includes all Chat features, 1,000 monthly active users, 100 concurrent connections, community support, and no credit card requirement. It is a straightforward way to get a hosted realtime chat stack without paying up front, and the free allowance is easy to understand if you are building messaging first. The main benefit is user capacity: it gives you more monthly active users than Liveblocks' 500-room cap, which can matter for chat-heavy products. It falls short on collaborative app primitives, since the free items here are chat-focused rather than Liveblocks-style synced storage and collaboration features. Switch if your main use case is chat or live messaging and you want a larger free user ceiling.
- Beats Liveblocks: 1,000 MAU instead of 500 monthly active rooms
- Falls short: More chat-focused than collaboration primitives and synced storage
- Who should switch: Switch if your main use case is chat or live messaging and you want a larger free user ceiling.
LeanCloud
FTV 54 / 100LeanCloud's Developer plan includes 30K API requests per day, 3 threads, 10K full-text search queries per day, 100 LiveQuery subscriptions per day, 5K LiveQuery messages per day, 1 GB of storage space, and 30K REST API requests per day. It also includes basic messaging, push notifications, 6 months of message history storage, and up to 500 daily active users for LeanMessage. That makes it a broader backend option than Liveblocks when you need database-style app infrastructure plus realtime features. It falls short on Liveblocks' collaboration-specific pieces like prebuilt collaboration components and room-based workflows. Switch if you want one free backend that can cover data, messaging, and realtime app logic.
- Beats Liveblocks: Broader backend surface, including storage, API requests, and messaging
- Falls short: Less focused on collaboration primitives and prebuilt collaboration components
- Who should switch: Switch if you want one free backend that can cover data, messaging, and realtime app logic.
Ably
FTV 57 / 100Ably's free package lets you build a proof of concept for $0 with up to 200 concurrent connections, up to 500 messages per second, up to 6 million messages per month, access to any Ably product, and community or email support on a best-effort basis. It is a clean fit for apps where throughput and connection count matter more than collaboration-specific UI or storage features. The main advantage over Liveblocks is scale on message delivery, especially if you are pushing frequent realtime updates. It falls short on the productized collaboration layer that Liveblocks includes on free, such as synced storage, comments, and prebuilt components. Switch if your app is more general realtime transport than collaborative editing.
- Beats Liveblocks: Much higher message throughput headroom
- Falls short: Does not include collaboration features or prebuilt components on the free tier
- Who should switch: Switch if your app is more general realtime transport than collaborative editing.
Scaledrone
FTV 66 / 100Scaledrone's free plan includes 20 concurrent connections, 100,000 events per day, and all product features. That combination is simple and unusually complete for a small realtime service, with no feature split between free and paid. The biggest advantage is feature access: you can use the full product without losing capabilities at the free tier. It falls short on scale, because its connection and event limits are much tighter than what larger teams may want. Compared with Liveblocks, it does not offer the same collaboration-specific primitives, but it is a neat fit for lightweight live dashboards, presence, or chat prototypes. Switch if you care more about having every feature available than about higher usage ceilings.
- Beats Liveblocks: All product features are included on the free plan
- Falls short: Far lower connection and event limits than Liveblocks
- Who should switch: Switch if you care more about having every feature available than about higher usage ceilings.
PubNub
FTV 75 / 100PubNub's free tier includes up to 200 MAU, 1M transactions monthly, 1GB of data storage for 7 days, 5 test Serverless Functions with 7-day runtime, 1M push notifications per month, and no credit card requirement. It is a good match if you want realtime messaging plus a bit of serverless and push infrastructure in the same free package. The biggest benefit is breadth across messaging, storage, functions, and notifications. It falls short on Liveblocks' collaboration experience, since Liveblocks centers on rooms, synced storage, comments, and prebuilt collaboration features. Switch if you need a wider realtime infrastructure surface rather than collaboration workflows.
- Beats Liveblocks: Broader mix of transactions, storage, functions, and push notifications
- Falls short: Less aligned with collaborative rooms and prebuilt collaboration features
- Who should switch: Switch if you need a wider realtime infrastructure surface rather than collaboration workflows.
Pusher
FTV 71 / 100Pusher's Sandbox plan includes 200,000 messages per day, 100 concurrent connections, standard support, and Functions. It is a familiar hosted realtime option for live updates, pub/sub messaging, in-app chat, and notifications, and the free plan is easy to start with. The main advantage is daily message capacity, which is more generous than many small free tiers. It falls short on Liveblocks' collaboration-specific feature set, because the free items here focus on messaging and do not cover synced storage or prebuilt collaboration components. Switch if your app is mostly messaging or notifications and you want a simple hosted pub/sub stack.
- Beats Liveblocks: 200,000 messages per day on the free plan
- Falls short: No collaboration storage or prebuilt collaboration features
- Who should switch: Switch if your app is mostly messaging or notifications and you want a simple hosted pub/sub stack.
Two quick picks
Pusher
Pusher is the closest drop-in for teams already thinking in hosted realtime messaging, live updates, and notifications. It keeps the switch narrow because the free tier is centered on connections and message delivery, with a familiar pub/sub shape and no credit card requirement.
Ably
Ably gives the most free headroom on raw realtime throughput, with up to 500 messages per second and 6 million messages per month, plus 200 concurrent connections. If your current Liveblocks limit is tight because of volume rather than collaboration features, it leaves the widest runway before payment.
Frequently asked questions
Which alternative is closest if I need a hosted realtime API, not a collaboration suite?
Ably is the closest fit for raw realtime transport, while Pusher is the closest if your app is mostly messaging and live updates.
Which alternative gives the most generous free usage before I have to pay?
Ably has the strongest free headroom in message volume, while Stream gives a larger free user or connection allowance for chat-like apps.
Which alternative is best if I need database or backend features too?
LeanCloud is the broadest backend option in this set because its free plan includes storage, API requests, messaging, push, and LiveQuery.
Do any of these alternatives avoid requiring a credit card?
Stream, LeanCloud, Scaledrone, PubNub, and Pusher all show no credit card requirement in the provided free-tier details. Ably does not.
Bottom line
For the most common case, Pusher is the best place to start if you are leaving Liveblocks because you want a simpler hosted realtime stack with a clearer free ceiling. Its free Sandbox plan gives you 200,000 messages per day and 100 concurrent connections, which is enough for many live update and messaging apps. If your main problem is raw throughput rather than collaboration features, Ably is the stronger upside pick, but Pusher is the more straightforward switch for most builders.
Read the full listing for Liveblocks. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more alternatives on /alternatives, or head-to-head comparisons on /compare.