Building real-time collaboration into web apps used to mean wrestling with WebSockets and conflict resolution from scratch. We compare five collaboration APIs—Supabase Realtime, Ably, Triplit, Pusher, and ElectricSQL—by architecture, ease of integration, and pricing.
Building real-time collaboration into web apps—live cursors, co-editing, presence, sync—used to mean wrestling with raw WebSockets and conflict resolution algorithms from scratch. Today's collaboration APIs handle the hard parts: CRDTs, presence, message ordering, and reconnection logic, so teams can ship multiplayer features in days rather than months.
This guide compares five of the best options, grouped by architecture type: pub/sub messaging, database change-data-capture (CDC), and CRDT-based sync. We'll look at what each one does well, where it falls short, and which use cases it fits best.
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Before diving into the picks, it helps to understand the three main approaches:
Each approach trades off latency, offline support, self-hosting flexibility, and vendor lock-in differently. We've called out those trade-offs for every pick below.
Supabase Realtime is an open-source real-time engine that streams PostgreSQL database changes, broadcasts messages, and synchronizes presence via WebSockets.1 If your app already uses Postgres (or Supabase's managed Postgres), it's the most natural fit: you get CDC streaming, broadcast messaging, and presence sync out of the box, all with row-level security support.1
Why it's our top pick: The combination of open-source self-hostability, a free tier, and native Postgres integration covers the majority of web app collaboration needs. You're not locked into a vendor, and the RLS support means you can enforce data access policies at the real-time layer.1
Where it falls short: It's not a CRDT engine. If you need true offline-first collaborative editing with automatic conflict resolution, you'll need something like Triplit or ElectricSQL alongside it. And while self-hosting is possible, the managed Supabase platform is where the experience is smoothest.
Best for: Apps already on Postgres that need live data sync, presence, and broadcast messaging without a separate messaging infrastructure.
Ably is a global, serverless real-time data delivery platform built on a fault-tolerant edge network spanning 18+ regions.2 It provides WebSocket, Server-Sent Events, and WebHooks with guaranteed message ordering and low latency, plus SDKs for 25+ languages.2
Why it stands out: The edge network and delivery guarantees are the headline features. If you're building chat, live dashboards, or notifications that need to reach users across continents with predictable latency, Ably's infrastructure is hard to beat. The freemium model starts at roughly $29.75/month on pay-as-you-go.2
Where it falls short: Ably is a messaging layer, not a database sync layer. You'll need to handle persistence and conflict resolution yourself. There's no self-hosting option—it's a managed service only.
Best for: High-throughput, globally distributed real-time messaging where delivery guarantees and low latency matter more than database integration.
Triplit is a full-stack database designed for real-time synchronization between server and client, with strong TypeScript type safety and CRDT-based conflict resolution.3 Key features include client-side relational queries, schema-defined consistency, and built-in CRDTs.3
Why it stands out: Triplit handles the hardest part of collaborative editing—conflict resolution—automatically through CRDTs. Clients can query relational data locally, work offline, and sync changes when connectivity returns, all with schema-defined consistency guarantees.3 The free Dev tier makes it easy to prototype without upfront cost.3
Where it falls short: Triplit is a newer project with a smaller ecosystem than Supabase or Ably. If you need deep integrations with an existing Postgres setup, it's not the right tool—it replaces your database layer rather than sitting alongside it.
Best for: Collaborative editing apps and offline-first applications where automatic conflict resolution and client-side querying are essential.
Pusher Channels is a hosted real-time messaging service that lets you add WebSocket-based features like live dashboards, chat, and notifications with minimal code.4 It offers managed WebSocket connections, presence and private channels, client SDKs for web/iOS/Android, and webhooks for server-side events.4
Why it stands out: Time-to-first-feature is Pusher's strongest selling point. The pub/sub API is simple, the SDKs are mature, and getting a basic real-time feature running can take under an hour. A free sandbox tier is available, with paid plans starting at $49/month.4
Where it falls short: Like Ably, Pusher is a messaging layer—not a database sync or CRDT solution. The free sandbox has connection limits, and pricing scales with peak connections, which can get expensive for apps with many concurrent users. No self-hosting option.
Best for: Teams that need to ship a real-time feature (chat, notifications, live updates) fast, without managing WebSocket infrastructure.
ElectricSQL is a durable sync layer for Postgres that leverages replication streams to maintain strict schema consistency between cloud and edge.5 Key features include durable streams, PGlite integration, and partial replication.5
Why it stands out: ElectricSQL's partial replication and PGlite integration make it well-suited for local-first apps that need to sync subsets of a Postgres database to the edge or client. The open-source core means you can self-host and avoid vendor lock-in.5
Where it falls short: ElectricSQL is more specialized than the other picks. It's not a general-purpose messaging or presence layer—it's specifically about durable Postgres-to-edge replication. The managed cloud pricing varies, so you'll need to evaluate costs for your specific workload.5
Best for: Local-first applications with strict schema consistency requirements that sync from Postgres to edge or client environments.
Here's a quick decision framework based on use case:
| Use case | Recommended pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Postgres-backed app needing live sync + presence | Supabase Realtime | Native CDC, RLS, self-hostable, free tier1 |
| Global chat / notifications at scale | Ably | Edge network in 18+ regions, delivery guarantees2 |
| Collaborative editing with offline support | Triplit | CRDT conflict resolution, client-side queries3 |
| Fast time-to-first real-time feature | Pusher Channels | Simple SDKs, managed pub/sub, quick setup4 |
| Local-first Postgres-to-edge sync | ElectricSQL | Partial replication, PGlite, open-source core5 |
A few tools didn't make our top five but are worth mentioning depending on your stack:
There's no single "best" collaboration API—there's the best one for your architecture. If you're on Postgres, start with Supabase Realtime. If you need global messaging at scale, look at Ably. If collaborative editing with offline support is the goal, Triplit's CRDT approach handles the hard problems for you. And if you just need to ship something fast, Pusher Channels gets you there quickest.
Sources are linked inline throughout. Product details were sourced from each provider's documentation and homepage; verify current pricing and feature availability directly with the vendor before committing.
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