Developing Chat Apps: A Look at Pubnub and AWS

Communication is undoubtedly an integral ingredient for any business. Scratch that. Communication, evidently, is a major part of any relationship. However, in the business-to-customer relationship, this is particularly true. It goes to logic, then, that chat apps would be a popular topic of discussion in today’s mobile app market. But with so many chat apps available, and under development, it can get a little hazy navigating the marketplace, especially for developers. So if you need to build a chat app, either as a portion of a larger system, or as an individual application, where should you begin your development journey?

There are two pretty popular power-houses when it comes to developing chat apps. In fact, their names may be familiar already. Those developers are Pubnub, and AWS. Each company has their own sets of strengths and weaknesses and slightly unique service offerings. As such, it’s important to have an understanding of your companies needs before choosing who you want to develop your chat apps.

Starting With Pubnub Chat Apps

Pubnub is a great solution for those looking to develop chat apps. Especially if you’re just starting out on your chat app development journey. The thing that jumps out right away about Pubnub is that they have a totally free version that’s available. While the free version is severely limited in its scaling and features; it also offers enough for the user to get a feel for the Pubnub platform. Additionally, using the free version enables you to get some traction, trial the service, and make an informed decision.

Looking beyond the free plan, Pubnub has solutions for every and any type of application. This extends well past applications that are specifically designed for chatting; and reaches other pillar communities in the application world. This is important to note, because it goes back to the point that Pubnub is perfectly capable of even adding a chat-service onto existing applications, or assisting with real-time updates in-app.

Pubnub offers their users a variety of plans. These plans range from free, to the standard $50/month plan, and then finally, Pubnub also offers custom plans. It’s integral to note that the support plans from Pubnub also range from free, to $1,500/month.

AWS With Appsync

AWS with Appsync is another popular choice for developing chat apps. Powered by Amazon, AWS with Appsync has a true monolith in the business community supporting them. AWS builds GraphQL API’s that are multifaceted and give developers a lot of flexibility when it comes to how they want to implement GraphQL endpoints. AWS with Appsync offers a whole slew of services that allow companies to develop solutions for real-time chatting, real-time collaboration, offline application syncing, and much more.

The Best of Both

Pubnub and AWS with appsync are two of the popular choices when it comes to developing chat apps for a reason. However, users are in luck; as the hard choice is no more. The two forces partnered back in 2018, making a truly comprehensive force in the world of developing chat apps.