Is Sendbird worth the price?
Sendbird's pricing starts generously with a free Developer tier, but quickly jumps to $399/month for the Starter tier, which is quite expensive for up to 5K MAUs compared to some market alternatives.
The 'Custom' pricing for Pro and Enterprise suggests higher costs for advanced needs. This pricing structure is best for established businesses with significant budgets and a clear need for robust chat infrastructure.
Pricing Plans
Developer
Free
- 100 MAUs
- 10 concurrent connections
- All Pro features
- Community support
Starter
$399/month
- Up to 5K MAUs
- 5% MAU peak connections
- Unlimited messages
- Standard support
Pro
Custom
- Higher MAU limits
- Advanced features
- Priority support
- Extended capabilities
Enterprise
Custom
- Custom MAUs
- Dedicated servers
- Data export
- Custom add-ons
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Overage fees for exceeding MAU limits
Custom add-ons likely increase Pro/Enterprise costs
Dedicated servers for Enterprise are an additional cost
Higher MAU limits on Pro are custom priced
Which Plan Do You Need?
Developers testing chat features
Businesses needing scalable chat API
Enterprises requiring custom solutions
How Sendbird Compares to Competitors
Compared to Stream, which offers a similar Starter plan around $499/month for 5K MAUs, Sendbird's $399/month Starter tier is slightly more competitive. However, platforms like PubNub can offer more flexible pay-as-you-go models that might be cheaper for lower usage, making Sendbird's jump to $399 quite steep for smaller scale operations.
Sendbird Pricing FAQ
How much does Sendbird cost?
Sendbird starts at $399/month on the Starter plan. A free plan is also available with limited features.
Does Sendbird have a free plan?
Yes. Sendbird offers a free plan called "Developer". It includes: 100 MAUs, 10 concurrent connections, All Pro features.
Cheaper alternatives to Sendbird
Direct competitors with similar features. Many offer free tiers or lower per-seat pricing.
