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PubNub pricing and limits

iScore73–82 · ≈#3/4
www.pubnub.com · Realtime and websockets
SEPT 2026 audit

Realtime messaging billed on monthly active users rather than messages or connections, with unlimited channels on every plan.

Visit PubNub documentation

No affiliate links, sponsored placements or paid rankings appear on this site. Ordering follows the sourced data and the stated criteria.

Entry paid plan$98 a month for the Starter plan, which includes 1,000 monthly active users. The highest entry price of the four, and the only one where the entry unit is people rather than messages or connections.
Free tierYes
CategoryRealtime and websockets

Reviewed by Palash BagchiUpdated 9 criteria comparedSources last checked

PubNub pricing at a glance

Entry paid plan
$98 a month for the Starter plan, which includes 1,000 monthly active users source ↗
Pricing model
Per monthly active user, and PubNub presents that as the point rather than as a detail: one metric, unlimited channels on every plan, and… source ↗
What the free plan includes
200 monthly active users or 1 million transactions, whichever comes first, plus 1 GB of data storage retained for 7 days source ↗

First line of each sourced value. The full text is in PubNub pricing below. How this free offer stacks up: cloud free tiers compared.

01.Evaluation guide

Who it suits

Products with heavy users rather than many of them. Billing is per monthly active user with unlimited channels on every plan, so a small audience sending constantly costs the same as a small audience sending rarely.

Consider something else if…

You have many short-lived users. MAU billing inverts every message-metered competitor here: a product with a large, lightly-engaged audience pays for all of them, and at $98 the entry price is twice the next highest.

Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved

Each value below links to the page it was read from, with the sentence it came from. Criteria PubNub does not publish are not listed.

PubNub pricing

6 criteria
Free tierYes
Sources (1) →
Kind of free offerAlways free
Sources (1) →
What the free plan includes200 monthly active users or 1 million transactions, whichever comes first, plus 1 GB of data storage retained for 7 days. Described as suitable for testing and prototypes.
Sources (1) →
Credit card to startNo
Sources (1) →
Entry paid plan$98 a month for the Starter plan, which includes 1,000 monthly active users. The highest entry price of the four, and the only one where the entry unit is people rather than messages or connections.
Sources (1) →
Pricing modelPer monthly active user, and PubNub presents that as the point rather than as a detail: one metric, unlimited channels on every plan, and core features included rather than tiered. A product with many short-lived users costs more here than one with few users sending constantly — the reverse of every message-metered competitor.
Sources (1) →

Support

1 criteria
Support on entry paid planAll plans include standard support, with premium options available for mission-critical applications.
Sources (1) →

Compliance

2 criteria
HIPAAwith user status, full featured chat and push notifications, all with HIPAA compliance
Sources (1) →
GDPR / data residencyPubNub complies with the provisions of the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament, known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Sources (1) →

When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.

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PubNub pricing questions

How much does PubNub cost?

$98 a month for the Starter plan, which includes 1,000 monthly active users. The highest entry price of the four, and the only one where the entry unit is people rather than messages or connections.

PubNub Pricing · read

How does PubNub charge?

Per monthly active user, and PubNub presents that as the point rather than as a detail: one metric, unlimited channels on every plan, and core features included rather than tiered. A product with many short-lived users costs more here than one with few users sending constantly — the reverse of every message-metered competitor.

PubNub Pricing · read

Does PubNub have a free tier?

Yes. 200 monthly active users or 1 million transactions, whichever comes first, plus 1 GB of data storage retained for 7 days. Described as suitable for testing and prototypes.

PubNub Pricing · read

Do you need a credit card to start on PubNub?

No.

PubNub Pricing · read

Comments

Every page here is sourced and dated.