Ably vs Stream
Ably
Realtime that just works! Sign up for free to start building today
118 employees · est. 2016 · London, United Kingdom
Stream
Stream powers Chat, AI Moderation, Activity Feeds, Video & Audio for billions of global end-users
333 employees · est. 2015 · Boulder, United States
Stream is the older company (2016 vs 2015); Stream is the larger of the two.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Metric | Ably | Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | ||
| Founded | 2016 | 2015 older |
| Headquarters | ||
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom | Boulder, United States |
| Employees | ||
| Employees | 118 | 333 larger |
| Industry | ||
| Industry | Analytics, Cloud Infrastructure, Computing | API, Messaging, Messaging and Telecommunications |
| Funding Stage | ||
| Funding Stage | Not tracked yet | Series B |
| Total Funding | ||
| Total Funding | $149.30M | $58.06M |
| Funding Rounds | ||
| Funding Rounds | 7 | 6 |
| Services | ||
| Services | Realtime Messaging, Scalable API Operations, Data Synchronization, Collaborative Tools | Chat Messaging, Video & Audio Streaming, Activity Feeds, AI Moderation, Vision Agents |
| Target Customers | ||
| Target Customers | Developers, Enterprises, Tech Startups, Healthcare Providers, Education Institutions, Financial Services | Developers, Enterprises, Dating Platforms, Education Sector, Financial Services, Gaming Industry, Healthcare Providers, Live Shopping Platforms, Marketplaces, On-Demand Services, Real Money Gaming Operators, Social Apps, Sports Communities, Virtual Event Organizers, Workforce Management Solutions |
| Taxonomy | ||
| Taxonomy | Realtime Experience PlatformAI UXLive ExperiencesPub/sub MessagingRealtime APIs And SDKsWebSocket Connections +9 | Real-time ExperiencesChat APIAI ModerationActivity FeedsVideo And Audio APIsScalable Infrastructure +9 |
| Website | ||
| Website | ably.com | getstream.io |
About Ably
Ably is a cloud infrastructure startup based in the United Kingdom, founded in 2016. The company is renowned for its ability to facilitate resilient AI UX and high-performance live digital experiences globally. Their solution serves as the global realtime layer catering to AI agents, chat, notificat...
About Stream
Stream, founded in 2015, is a dynamic technology company headquartered in the United States. The company is renowned for providing real-time experience solutions that are crucial for app developers looking to scale. Their platform includes a comprehensive suite of APIs and SDKs designed for chat, AI...
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Compiled from the BounceWatch company index. We last looked at Ably on 10 Feb 2026, and Stream on 18 May 2026. Where a field is blank here, it means we have not recorded it — not that the answer is zero. How we source and date this.
