Independent · sourced · Updated June 2026
Best Chat API (2026)
The cheapest chat api is Ably at $0/mo. 9 offer a free tier (Ably, CometChat, MirrorFly). This page compares 9 options on entry price, free tier, HIPAA/SOC 2 and best-for — every figure linked to its source, updated June 2026.
9 options compared on price, free tier, compliance and fit — ranked cheapest-first. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it; quote-only tiers show “—”, never a guess.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest: Ably at $0/mo (Free).
- Typical paid price: from $29/mo, median $98.50/mo, up to $499/mo — across 6 with published pricing.
- Free tier: Ably, CometChat, MirrorFly, PubNub, Pusher Channels, Sendbird, Stream (GetStream), Twilio Conversations, ZEGOCLOUD.
- HIPAA-ready: Ably, CometChat, PubNub, Sendbird, Stream (GetStream).
- Tracked: 9 vendors, data current through 2026-06-15.
Comparison
| # | Chat API | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | SOC 2 | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ably | $0/mo Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | real-time data pipelines | ably.com |
| 2 | CometChat | $0/mo Build | Yes | Yes | Yes | marketplace chat | cometchat.com |
| 3 | MirrorFly | $0/mo Easy | Yes | — | — | white-label chat apps | mirrorfly.com |
| 4 | PubNub | $0/mo Free | Yes | Yes | Yes | real-time data streaming | pubnub.com |
| 5 | Pusher Channels | $0/mo Sandbox | Yes | — | — | real-time notifications | pusher.com |
| 6 | Sendbird | $0/mo Developer (Free) | Yes | Yes | Yes | healthcare messaging | sendbird.com |
| 7 | Stream (GetStream) | $0/mo Build | Yes | Yes | Yes | social apps | getstream.io |
| 8 | Twilio Conversations | $0/mo Free Tier | Yes | — | — | multi-channel customer messaging | twilio.com |
| 9 | ZEGOCLOUD | $0/mo Free | Yes | — | — | gaming chat | zegocloud.com |
Prices are the lowest published self-serve monthly rate as captured on the linked source. Annual-billing and usage details are on each vendor's record in our open dataset.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest chat api?
Ably has the lowest published entry price at $0/mo (Free), as of 2026-06-15.
How much does chat api cost per month?
Across the 6 chat api with published paid pricing, the median starting price is $98.50/mo, ranging from $29/mo to $499/mo, as of 2026-06-15. 9 also offer a free tier.
Which chat api have a free plan?
Ably, CometChat, MirrorFly, PubNub, Pusher Channels, Sendbird, Stream (GetStream), Twilio Conversations, ZEGOCLOUD offer a free tier.
Which chat api support HIPAA?
Ably, CometChat, PubNub, Sendbird, Stream (GetStream) state HIPAA support (a BAA). Always confirm current scope with the vendor.
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How we compiled this
Pricing re-verified via WebFetch against each vendor's official pricing page (getstream.io/chat/pricing, sendbird.com/pricing/chat, pubnub.com/pricing, cometchat.com/pricing, ably.com/pricing, pusher.com/channels/pricing, twilio.com/en-us/messaging/pricing/conversations-api, mirrorfly.com/pricing.php, zegocloud.com ZIM docs). Compliance verified against each vendor's official security/compliance page and corroborated via WebSearch; a flag is set true ONLY when the vendor explicitly states it, otherwise null. KEY CORRECTION: CometChat Basic/Advanced prices are NOT published on the official page (only '$' placeholders render; sign-up/contact-sales required), so monthlyUsd is set to null and billingModel to custom — the prior $299/$449 figures were third-party (dupple.com/trtc.io) approximations and are not carried. PubNub gdpr set to null (the compliance page cites the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, not GDPR explicitly). MirrorFly Essentials/Premium remain null (no public prices). All data accessed at 2026-06-15.
Last verified 2026-06-15. We re-check published prices and compliance on a recurring cadence and update this page when they change.
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