Best Chat API · FREE
Best free Chat API (2026)
9 chat api that offer a genuine free plan, ranked by entry price. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
Key takeaways
- Cheapest: Ably at $0/mo.
- Qualifying: Ably, CometChat, MirrorFly, PubNub, Pusher Channels, Sendbird, Stream (GetStream), Twilio Conversations, ZEGOCLOUD.
- Data current through: 2026-06-15.
Comparison
| # | Chat API | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | SOC 2 | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ably | $0/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | real-time data pipelines | ably.com |
| 2 | CometChat | $0/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | marketplace chat | cometchat.com |
| 3 | MirrorFly | $0/mo | Yes | — | — | white-label chat apps | mirrorfly.com |
| 4 | PubNub | $0/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | real-time data streaming | pubnub.com |
| 5 | Pusher Channels | $0/mo | Yes | — | — | real-time notifications | pusher.com |
| 6 | Sendbird | $0/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | healthcare messaging | sendbird.com |
| 7 | Stream (GetStream) | $0/mo | Yes | Yes | Yes | social apps | getstream.io |
| 8 | Twilio Conversations | $0/mo | Yes | — | — | multi-channel customer messaging | twilio.com |
| 9 | ZEGOCLOUD | $0/mo | Yes | — | — | gaming chat | zegocloud.com |