A fit for a prototype: 200,000 messages a day and 100 concurrent connections. Pusher Channels is a hosted realtime service for adding live updates to web and mobile apps. Its pricing page lists a free Sandbox plan with 200,000 messages per day and 100 concurrent connections, with standard support. Paid plans run from Startup at $49 a month (1 million messages a day, 500 connections) through Pro at $99 (4 million, 2,000) and Business at $299 (10 million, 5,000) up to Growth Plus at $1,199 (90 million, 30,000). A message is counted when Pusher receives it through the API and again for each delivery, so one message sent to 50 subscribers counts as 51. Forum threads show developers asking for cheaper or self-hosted alternatives, and recommendations such as Scaledrone come from commenters.
Free tier quotas
Plan
Sandbox, free
Messages
200,000 per day
Concurrent connections
100
Support
Standard (best effort response times)
Functions
Available on Sandbox
Monitoring integrations
Not included on Sandbox or Startup, included from Pro
How messages are counted
Messages received through the API plus those delivered to connected users. One message to 50 subscribers is 51
Exceeding limits
Pusher says it emails you when you are close to plan limits and that plans have headroom for spikes
Last sniffed Oct 10, 2026. Always confirm on the official pricing page.
👍 Good boy
+Limits are fixed and public. Sandbox is 200,000 messages a day with 100 concurrent connections, and every paid tier lists its own daily messages and connections.
+The concurrent connection definition is simple: a connection is a live connected user, and the number of channel subscriptions each connection holds does not count toward the limit.
+Upgrades are prorated, and you can change or cancel a plan from the dashboard at any time, per the FAQ.
+Pusher says it emails you when you approach plan limits and that plans include headroom for unexpected spikes.
+Paid plans are flat monthly prices ($49, $99, $299, $499, $699, $899, $1,199), which makes budgeting simple compared with per-message billing.
+Standard support includes documentation, tutorials and 24/7 platform monitoring on every plan, per the page.
👎 Watch out
−Sandbox allows only 100 concurrent connections, so it suits prototypes and internal tools, not public launches.
−Message counting multiplies with audience size: publishing one message to 50 subscribers counts as 51, so busy channels use the 200,000 a day allowance faster than the number of publishes suggests.
−Support on Sandbox and Startup is Standard, with best effort response times. Premium support, with a 24-hour target, starts at the Business plan.
−Monitoring integrations are not included until Pro ($99 a month).
−SLAs are available only to a select group of enterprise customers, per the FAQ.
−Forum threads show developers looking for cheaper options. A r/webdev commenter recommended Scaledrone as a similar service that is cheaper at scale, and r/selfhosted has threads asking for self-hosted Pusher alternatives. These are commenter opinions.
The catch
Sandbox is built around two limits: 200,000 messages a day and 100 concurrent connections. The connection cap is the one that stops a public launch.
Message counting favors fewer, smaller audiences. Pusher counts every API message it receives and every delivery to a connected user, so one publish to 50 subscribers is 51 messages.
The page says Pusher emails you near plan limits and that plans have headroom for spikes. I did not find what happens when a Sandbox account passes the cap. The support link on the page points to Bird's documentation site. I did not confirm card requirements or commercial terms for the free plan.
What’s included
✓Hosted realtime pub/sub (Channels)
✓Functions
✓Monitoring integrations (Pro and above)
✓Prorated plan changes
✓Standard support with 24/7 platform monitoring
✓Premium support (Business and above)
✓Priority support package from $3,000 a month
✓Enterprise plans for millions of connections
Free tier value
Generosity
B
Estimated value
200,000 realtime messages a day for prototypes
Feature parity
Startup is $49 a month (1M messages a day, 500 connections). Pro is $99 (4M, 2,000).
Screenshots
HomepagePricing page
Paid plans
Startup, $49 a month
1 million messages a day and 500 concurrent connections, standard support.
Pro, $99 a month
4 million messages a day and 2,000 concurrent connections, with monitoring integrations.
Business, $299 a month
10 million messages a day, 5,000 connections and Premium support (24-hour target response).
Premium to Growth Plus, $499 to $1,199 a month
20 to 90 million messages a day and 10,000 to 30,000 connections. Growth and above offer annual discounts by contacting Pusher.
Enterprise and Priority support
Custom plans for very high scale. The Priority support package starts at $3,000 a month with a 1-hour target response.
Common questions
What are the free plan limits?
200,000 messages per day and 100 concurrent connections.
How does Pusher count messages?
Messages received through the API plus those delivered to connected users. One message to 50 subscribers counts as 51.
What counts as a connection?
A live connected user. The number of channel subscriptions per connection does not count.
What happens if I exceed my plan?
Pusher says it emails you when you are close to the limit and that plans have headroom for unexpected spikes.
Do you have SLAs?
Only for a select group of enterprise customers.
Change history
Checked October 22, 2026
Pricing page read in full. No G2 rating captured; a G2 comparison page exists. Reddit threads read as excerpts. Card requirement and commercial terms unknown.
