Maker gives teams under 5 people and $10K monthly revenue 10K MAU and $100 of free credit. Stream provides chat, video and activity feed APIs. Its Chat pricing page lists a free plan with 1,000 monthly active users and 100 concurrent connections, all chat features, community support and no credit card. A Maker offer raises the limits to 10K MAU and $100 of monthly free credit if the project or company has fewer than 5 team members and less than $10K in monthly revenue. Paid Start is $399 a month billed annually ($499 monthly) for 10,000 MAU and 500 concurrent connections, and Elevate is $599 annual ($675 monthly). Cost is the recurring complaint. A G2 reviewer called it super-expensive even at the cheapest price point, and r/FlutterDev posters called the $499 starting point steep for solo developers.
Free tier quotas
Free plan
1,000 MAU and 100 concurrent connections, all Chat features, community support
Card
Stream's page says no credit card is required
Maker offer
10K MAU and $100 of monthly free credit
Maker eligibility
Fewer than 5 team members and less than $10K in monthly revenue
Scope
The limits above are from the Chat pricing page
Support
Community support on the free plan
Last sniffed Oct 13, 2026. Always confirm on the official pricing page.
👍 Good boy
+The free plan includes all Chat features, and the page says no credit card is required.
+The Maker offer is generous for tiny teams: 10K MAU and $100 monthly free credit if you have fewer than 5 team members and less than $10K in monthly revenue.
+A r/reactjs commenter wrote that they personally think Stream Chat is the best SDK available, in a thread about in-app chat.
+The page lists SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CCPA and GDPR compliance, SAML and 2FA, and a 99.999% uptime SLA.
+Elevate adds AI moderation, dedicated servers, 24/7 support, SAML/SSO and a Datadog integration.
+G2's seller page for Stream shows 4.5 stars from 54 verified reviews across its products.
👎 Watch out
−Price is the main complaint. A G2 reviewer wrote that the only major downside of Stream Chat is its cost, calling even the cheapest price point super-expensive.
−Several r/FlutterDev posters said pricing that starts at $499 for 10,000 MAU and 500 concurrent connections is expensive for a solo developer. The current page shows $399 billed annually or $499 monthly for that tier.
−A Firebase thread warned that Stream can get really expensive for a feed with lots of followers, quoting $0.06 per 100,000 once you start paying (a remark about Feeds).
−The free plan stops at 1,000 MAU and 100 concurrent connections, with community support only.
−Maker status depends on staying under 5 team members and $10K monthly revenue, so a growing startup can lose the higher free limits.
−Pricing for Video, Feeds and Moderation is separate from Chat, and I read the Chat page only.
The catch
Two free options exist on the Chat page. The free plan is 1,000 MAU and 100 concurrent connections. The Maker offer gives 10K MAU and $100 of monthly free credit, but only if your project or company has fewer than 5 team members and less than $10K in monthly revenue. That condition is Stream's wording.
The step to paid is large. Start is $399 a month on annual billing or $499 monthly for 10,000 MAU, and multiple Reddit and G2 comments describe the cost as the main drawback. The Reddit threads that quote $499 match the monthly price on the current page.
This review covers Chat pricing. Video, Feeds and Moderation have their own plans that I did not read. The no-card claim is Stream's.
What’s included
✓Chat API
✓Video API
✓Activity feeds
✓AI moderation (Elevate)
✓Dedicated servers (Elevate)
✓SAML/SSO and 2FA
✓Datadog integration (Elevate)
✓99.999% uptime SLA
Free tier value
Generosity
B
Estimated value
Free chat API for up to 1,000 MAU, or 10K MAU for small makers
Feature parity
Start is $399 a month billed annually for 10,000 MAU and 500 concurrent connections.
Screenshots
HomepagePricing page
Paid plans
Start, $399 a month billed annually ($499 monthly)
10,000 MAU and 500 concurrent connections with Start chat features.
Elevate, $599 a month billed annually ($675 monthly)
10,000 MAU and 500 concurrent connections, plus AI moderation, dedicated servers, 24/7 support, SAML/SSO and a Datadog integration, with bigger annual discounts.
Security and compliance
The page says the infrastructure meets SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, CCPA and GDPR standards, and lists SAML, 2FA and dedicated regional servers as enterprise features.
Common questions
Is Stream Chat free?
There is a free plan with 1,000 MAU and 100 concurrent connections, and a Maker offer of 10K MAU for teams under 5 people and $10K monthly revenue.
What does Start cost?
$399 a month billed annually, or $499 monthly, for 10,000 MAU and 500 concurrent connections.
Do I need a credit card?
Stream's Chat pricing page says no credit card is required for the free plan.
Is Stream expensive?
Reviewers say yes. A G2 reviewer called the cost the only major downside, and Reddit posters called the starting price steep for solo developers.
How is Stream rated?
G2's seller page shows 4.5 stars from 54 verified reviews across Stream's products.
Change history
Checked October 22, 2026
Chat pricing page read as a targeted extract. G2 and Reddit read as excerpts; the $499 Reddit threads match the current monthly price. Feeds, Video and Moderation pricing not read.
