6 best alternatives to Stream (GetStream) for in-app chat experiences

Rocket.Chat is an open-source, in-app messaging platform known for offering higher levels of data protection and security. The live chat solution helps businesses communicate and collaborate between customers, internal teams, clients, and vendors through a single platform. All these features make Rocket.Chat a reliable Stream alternative. 

Key Features

• Multiple deployment options - cloud and on-premise
• Open-source platform
• Customizable roles and permissions
• High level of customization - white labeling options
• Omnichannel collaboration
• Video, audio, and text format

Rocket.Chat vs GetStream

Deployment

Rocket.Chat can be deployed on your on-premises server or cloud, whereas Stream can be deployed only on the cloud.

Data storage

As Rocket.Chat can be deployed on-premises, critical data can be stored on the business server. Complete control over data storage is optimal for businesses functioning in highly-regulated industries that value data privacy, like defense, healthcare, education, and others. 

File sharing

Rocket.Chat allows sharing of files, images, and videos across multiple channels in just a click. Whereas with GetStream, you must upload the file to the server and share the URL. it also limits the maximum file size to 100MB. 

Open source

As a Stream alternative, Rocket.Chat is an open-source messaging platform, so you can use its OpenAPI to build your own private chat solution and white-label the components. 

Pricing

Crucial live chat requirements like message history, inquiries distribution and routing, real-time analytics, omnichannel support, and end-end encryption are available in the free version of Rocket.Chat. Additionally, if you want to build a chat interface within your product, you can inquire about Rocket.Chat's custom Enterprise pricing about the Chat Engine capabilities.

On the other hand, it costs $499 and more to access the same features in Stream Chat. So businesses increasingly prefer Rocket.Chat as a suitable Stream alternative. 

Use cases

Rocket.Chat is appropriate for use in industries that have strict legal regulations, like healthcare, banking, defense, education, and government. 

2. Weavy

Weavy is a collaborative in-app messaging solution that offers API so businesses can build a fully functional in-app chat in a few minutes. It offers extensive features for business collaboration, including one-on-one messaging, message preview, video conferencing, group chats, URL previews, presence indicators, unread message views, and more.

Weavy vs. GetStream

File sharing

Using Weavy, businesses can share documents, images, and videos with internal teams and customers. There are no limitations when it comes to file size, as is the case with GetStream.io. So, Weavy is an effective Stream alternative. 

Integration 

Unlike GetStream, Weavy goes well with Onedrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc., so you can share files using these apps. 

APIs and SDKs

Weavy offers robust API and SDK components to quickly integrate the widget with other applications and your business website. 

3. CometChat

CometChat is one of the popular embeddable in-app chat platforms that help businesses promote meaningful conversations with their team and customers.  Compared to Stream, many businesses prefer CometChat because it is relatively easier to install and use, has broader integration abilities, and follows fair pricing. 

CometChat vs. GetStream

Moderation features

As a Stream alternative, CometChat has extensive moderation features, including AI, human, rule-based, and group-based moderation, compared to GetStream.io.  So it is appropriate to build community. 

Malware scanning

CometChat has data-masking and malware-scanning features, so you can scan file attachments for viruses and malware before downloading them. 

Fair pricing

CometChat package starts at $109 per month, and when compared to the GetStream package, which starts at $499 a month, CometChat seems to be a worthy investment. 

➡️ Check out the best CometChat alternatives on the market.

4. PubNub

PubNub Chat is also a Stream alternative that offers an enterprise-grade, in-app messaging platform, and real-time features in mobile, web, IoT, and edge computing applications. It is is appropriate for one-on-one conversations, group chats, and live messaging. It can push notifications, alerts, and messages, and you don’t have to worry about proxies and firewalls. 

PubNub vs. GetStream

Message compression

PubNub provides GZIP compression abilities for both inbound and outbound messages, while GetStream does not offer compression options. 

Latency

Being a Stream alternative, the latency of PubNub is less than 20 ms, while that of GetStream.io is around 40 ms. With lower latency, PubNub promotes greater engagement and a better experience than GetStream.io.

Customer support

PubNub offers 24/7 customer support in all its plans, and its team is located in four different time zones. GetStream.io offers 24*7 customer support only to its enterprise customers. 

If you're still not convinced, check out the best PubNub alternatives for in-app messaging capabilities.

5. Kuzzle

Kuzzle is a popular in-app messaging tool and an open-source alternative to GetStream. It offers an on-premises and cloud-based chat solution under the aegis of Kuzzle IoT and Kuzzle PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service). It allows users to build online chat experiences of their choice.

Kuzzle vs. GetStream

Open-source

As a Stream alternative, Kuzzle is an open-source alternative to GetStream. The developers can access the source code and customize the features as per the business requirements.

Location-based monitoring

Kuzzle can be used for location-based services like monitoring assets, managing geofence, and pushing other location-centric alerts and notifications. 

6. Sendbird

Sendbird is an extensive in-app messaging platform known for offering chat abilities in text, images, and videos. The API and SDK components can be integrated to enhance their communication abilities. It is highly popular for its features that help businesses increase user engagement.

Sendbird vs. GetStream

Advanced chat features

Sendbird offers several advanced real-time chat features like open-channel dynamic partitioning, supergroup conversations, do-not-disturb options, scheduled messages, polls, etc. It must be noted that these options are not available in GetStream. 

Analytics and Integration abilities

This Stream alternative offers an analytical dashboard, automated moderation, and domain filtering. It can also be integrated with the Salesforce support chat connector.

➡️ However, both GetStream and Sendbird are not the ideal choice for organizations in highly-regulated industries. Check out the list of best alternatives to Sendbird here.

Best Stream alternative for organizations operating in highly-regulated industries

The communication and in-app messaging platforms detailed in the above section have advanced abilities and features. However, when it comes to regulated industries where data security and privacy are a concern, then Rocket. Chat stands out.  

As ntoed above, one of the main concerns when it comes to using Stream is it is data-handling and storage. As the data is stored in the AWS server of that region, there are chances of a data breach. However, Rocket.Chat is compliant with HIPAA, GDPR, FINRA, FedRAMP, and more regulations. It also offers end-to-end encryption, protects against data leaks and has advanced access controls to limit insider threats. 

Powered with all these features, Rocket.Chat's Chat Engine stands ahead of GetStream and its alternatives. Also, it remains the most-preferred communication and in-app messaging tool in highly-regulated industries like defense, healthcare, education, and government.