The Best Pusher Alternatives for Realtime and Push in 2026

• Pusher is two products under one name. Channels is managed WebSockets for realtime features, and Beams is push notifications. The tools that replace one have almost nothing to do with the tools that replace the other, so the first step is naming which you use.
• For realtime, Ably is the closest managed upgrade, Soketi is an open-source server that speaks the Pusher protocol so your client code keeps working, and Supabase Realtime is the natural fit if you already run Postgres.
• For push, Firebase Cloud Messaging is the free baseline, OneSignal is the managed console option, and Pushfire adds visual workflows on top of FCM.
• Both sides of Pusher bill on usage, so price any replacement at your real message or subscriber volume before you switch.

Pusher is two products wearing one name. Channels is managed WebSockets for realtime features, the live dashboards and presence indicators you'd otherwise build on a socket server. Beams is push notifications to iOS, Android, and web. So when someone asks for a Pusher alternative, the first question is which one they mean, because the tools that replace Channels have close to nothing in common with the tools that replace Beams.

Pusher still works for its core job. It joined MessageBird, now Bird, in 2020, and Bird has spent the years since moving upmarket toward an enterprise CRM and omnichannel platform, which leaves some teams wondering how much runway the developer products have. Cost climbs at scale, and global edge latency was never the strong suit. Those are the reasons people start shopping.

I'll sort the alternatives by which Pusher product you're replacing. Pushfire is the product I work on, and it sits on the push side, so I'll be straight about it: Pushfire replaces Beams, and it does nothing for realtime WebSockets.

• Pushfire (replaces Beams, push): visual push workflows on FCM. Free to 5,000 subscribers, then $29/month to 50,000. Best for push plus automation without a marketing suite.
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (replaces Beams, push): raw push delivery from Google. Free. Best for owning push delivery when you have the engineering time.
• OneSignal (replaces Beams, push): managed multi-channel push with a console. Free to around 10,000 subscribers, then paid tiers. Best for
• managed campaigns and segmentation.
• Ably (replaces Channels, realtime): managed realtime pub/sub with presence and a global edge network. Free tier, then usage-based. Best for teams outgrowing Pusher on scale or latency.
• Soketi (replaces Channels, realtime): open-source server that speaks the Pusher protocol. Free, self-hosted. Best for a near drop-in you run yourself.
• Supabase Realtime (replaces Channels, realtime): Postgres-backed realtime with database-change streams. Free tier, usage-based. Best for apps already on Postgres.
• PubNub (replaces Channels, realtime): realtime messaging infrastructure at scale. Usage-based with a free tier. Best for high client fan-out across many SDKs.

Pushfire

Pushfire is where Beams users tend to land when they want push plus automation without much ceremony. You build sequences on a canvas from push and wait nodes with conditional branches, and they run against your audience. Delivery goes through FCM, so one project covers iOS, Android, and web. There's a Flutter SDK on pub.dev, and setup can run through your AI coding agent with npx skills add https://www.pushfire.app, which drops the wiring into Claude Code, Cursor, and similar tools. It's free up to 5,000 subscribers, then $29 a month up to 50,000 on Pro. For realtime WebSockets it does nothing, so if you're replacing Channels, see the realtime options below.

Firebase Cloud Messaging

Firebase Cloud Messaging is the free baseline for the push side of Pusher. Google delivers unlimited push to Android, iOS, and web at no cost, and most managed push tools send through it underneath, Pushfire included. What it doesn't give you is segmentation or a console for non-engineers. You send to tokens and build the rest. For a team replacing Beams that has the engineering hours, FCM is the honest floor.

OneSignal

OneSignal is the managed option on the push side, with a campaign console, segmentation, and a free tier up to around 10,000 subscribers. It has grown into a broader engagement platform, which is either handy or more than you want depending on the team. If you're weighing it as a Beams replacement, our OneSignal alternatives guide covers where it fits and what else to consider.

Ably

Ably is the managed realtime service teams most often move to when they outgrow Pusher Channels. It handles pub/sub, presence, and message history over a global edge network, with published latency and uptime guarantees that start to matter once realtime becomes load-bearing. SDK coverage is broad and the protocol is documented well. You get a free tier to start, and paid pricing runs on usage. When your reason for leaving is scale or latency, Ably is the closest like-for-like upgrade.

Soketi

Soketi is an open-source WebSocket server that speaks the Pusher protocol, so your existing Pusher client code keeps working once you point it at your own instance. You host it, which means you own the operations and pay only for the machine it runs on. For a team comfortable running infrastructure, it turns a per-message bill into a server you control. Reach for it when cost is the driver and you'd rather operate the thing than rent it.

Supabase Realtime

If your app already lives on Postgres, Supabase Realtime gives you broadcast and database-change subscriptions without bringing in a separate realtime vendor. Changes come straight off your tables, which suits dashboards and collaborative features built on state you already store. It's free to start and folds into Supabase's usage pricing. It also pairs with the same Postgres backend Pushfire runs on, so the two sit together cleanly if you use both.

PubNub

PubNub is realtime messaging infrastructure built for high scale, with a large catalog of SDKs and add-ons for presence and message persistence. It bills on monthly active users plus messages, and there's a free tier to prototype against. Teams pick it when they need to fan out to many concurrent clients and want a managed service to absorb that load.

Pusher retired Chatkit in April 2020, with a twelve-month sunset for existing apps. If you came here looking for a Chatkit replacement, you want a chat product rather than raw realtime plumbing. Stream Chat and Sendbird both give you hosted chat with prebuilt UI kits, and you can also build chat on top of any of the realtime services above paired with your own message store.

Start by naming the job. If you're replacing Beams, it's a push question: Pushfire if you want workflows and a console without a marketing suite attached, FCM if you'll own delivery yourself, OneSignal if you want the managed campaign side. Replacing Channels means you want managed WebSockets, where Ably is the like-for-like upgrade and Soketi hands you the same protocol to self-host. Already on Postgres? Supabase Realtime saves you a vendor. Price each option at your real message or subscriber volume first, since both halves of Pusher bill on usage and that number moves your bill more than any feature will.

What is the best Pusher alternative?

It depends on which Pusher product you use. For realtime Channels, Ably is the closest managed replacement, and Soketi is the open-source option that keeps your Pusher client code working. For push through Beams, Firebase Cloud Messaging is the free baseline, OneSignal is the managed console, and Pushfire adds visual workflows on top of FCM.

Is there an open-source Pusher alternative?

Yes. Soketi is an open-source WebSocket server that implements the Pusher protocol, so you can point your existing Pusher SDKs at your own self-hosted instance with little code change. You take on running it, and in exchange you drop the per-message bill for the cost of hosting.

What replaced Pusher Chatkit?

Pusher retired Chatkit in 2020, so it isn't an option anymore. For hosted chat in 2026, Stream Chat and Sendbird are the common picks, both with prebuilt UI kits. You can also build chat yourself on a realtime service like Ably or Supabase Realtime combined with a message store you control.

Does Pushfire replace Pusher?

Pushfire replaces the push side, Beams. It sends push to iOS, Android, and web through FCM and adds visual workflows, segmentation, and broadcasts on top. It does not do realtime WebSockets, so if you use Pusher Channels for live features, you want Ably, Soketi, or Supabase Realtime instead.

Why do developers move off Pusher?

Three reasons come up most. Cost rises steeply once message volume grows past the lower tiers. Global edge latency is weaker than newer realtime networks. And since Pusher became part of Bird, the parent company has shifted toward an enterprise CRM focus, which makes some teams cautious about the long-term investment in the developer products.

Pushfire runs your push on FCM with visual workflows and a Flutter SDK, free up to 5,000 subscribers. Start at pushfire.app.