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Paid plans start at $29/mo. There's also a free plan.
Ably is realtime infrastructure and APIs for delivering and syncing data across connected users and devices, including chat, collaboration, AI agent sessions, and database-to-frontend sync. It has a free tier, while Pro starts at $29 per month billed annually; Business is $349 per month billed annually, and Enterprise pricing is custom. The catch: Pro and Business each list 1K MAUs, so check that allowance against your growth forecast before treating the entry price as your likely bill.
01Every plan, line by line
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | — | $0 | Building and testing for free |
| Pro | $29 | — | Rolling out a production app |
| Business | $349 | — | Scaling business-critical workloads |
| Enterprise | — | Quote | Serious workloads with custom requirements |
Add-ons and overages
- Dedicated cluster (add-on; price not listed)
- PrivateLink / VPN (add-on; price not listed)
02What the plan grid doesn't tell you
Annual billing terms
Pro and Business prices are shown per month when billed annually. Enterprise is annual billing only; monthly-billed prices are not published.
MAU limits
Free includes up to 500 MAUs; Pro and Business each list 1K MAUs. Pricing for higher usage is not published.
Add-on prices
Dedicated cluster and PrivateLink / VPN are add-ons. Their prices are not listed.
Enterprise quote
Enterprise includes custom MAUs and requirements, but its price is custom rather than published on the plan grid.
03Which plan should you buy?
| If you are… | Get | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Building and testing | Free | Includes up to 500 MAUs, best-effort community and email support, and no commitment. |
| Launching a production app | Pro | Lists 1K MAUs, an email support SLA under one business day, and a 99.999% uptime SLO. |
| Scaling critical workloads | Business | Lists 1K MAUs, a service-impaired SLA under four business hours, 99.999% uptime SLA, SOC 2 report, and HIPAA BAA. |
| Custom workload requirements | Enterprise | Offers custom MAUs, faster support SLAs, SAML / SCIM / Okta SSO, and a dedicated Solution Architect and CSM. |
04Is Ably worth the money?
Ably's plan grid gives buyers useful distinctions: the paid tiers list support response terms and uptime commitments, while Business adds a SOC 2 report and HIPAA BAA. But Pro and Business both list only 1K MAUs, so the $29 starting price may not answer what a growing app will cost. We’d compare that allowance with your forecast and ask Ably about higher usage and add-on pricing before committing. Enterprise is a quote, not a price you can compare from the grid.
Ably pricing FAQ
What is Ably software?
Ably provides realtime infrastructure, APIs, and products for delivering and syncing data across connected users and devices. Its offerings include Pub/Sub, Chat, AI Transport, Live Objects, Spaces, and Live Sync, covering messaging, collaboration, agent sessions, and database-to-frontend updates.
How much does Ably cost?
Ably has a Free plan. Pro is listed at $29 per month and Business at $349 per month when billed annually. Enterprise pricing is custom and billed annually. The pricing page does not publish monthly-billed rates for Pro or Business.
Does Ably have a free plan?
Yes. The Free plan is for building and testing, includes up to 500 MAUs and best-effort community and email support, and has no commitment. The plan grid does not list a free trial separately.
What limits should I check before choosing a paid plan?
Pro and Business each list 1K MAUs, even though they target different workloads and include different terms. The published pricing details do not publish higher-usage rates. Dedicated cluster and PrivateLink / VPN are add-ons, and their prices are not listed.
