Getstream

What is getstream.io

Getstream.io (commonly referred to as Stream) provides cloud-hosted APIs and SDKs for building activity feeds and in-app chat. The platform separates core real-time functions — feeds, chat, and notification routing — into managed services that handle storage, delivery, ranking, and scalability so engineering teams can integrate social and messaging features without building and operating the underlying infrastructure.

GetStream.io supports multiple client SDKs (JavaScript, iOS, Android, and popular backend languages) and provides server libraries, hosted infrastructure, and developer tools for authentication, moderation, and analytics. Its services are aimed at product teams building social feeds (follow feeds, aggregated feeds, personalized timelines), messaging experiences (1:1 and group chat, reactions, attachments), and push/email notification pipelines.

The platform is commonly used as a component in consumer-facing apps, marketplaces, media sites, and enterprise collaboration tools where fast, consistent delivery of user-generated content and messages is required. Deployment is fully managed, with options for enterprise-level compliance and dedicated infrastructure for high-volume customers.

Getstream.io features

What does getstream.io do?

Getstream.io exposes two primary product families: activity feeds and chat. The feeds product stores user activities (for example: a user liked an item, or posted a comment), supports configurable feed types (flat, aggregated, notification feeds), and offers ranking, filtering, and personalization options. The chat product manages message storage, real-time delivery, presence, typing indicators, read receipts, file attachments, and moderation controls.

Beyond the core APIs, Getstream.io provides:

• SDKs and client libraries for web and mobile platforms to speed integration and reduce client-side complexity.
• Server-side libraries and helper functions for authentication, token generation, and access control.
• Moderation tooling including profanity filters, automated rules, and webhooks for manual workflows.
• Analytics hooks and export options so teams can track engagement metrics and message volumes.

The platform also includes utilities for scaling (sharding/partitioning), rate limiting rules, and enterprise security features such as SSO, IP allowlists, and dedicated instances for compliance-sensitive deployments.

Getstream.io pricing

Getstream.io offers these pricing plans:

• Free Plan: $0/month with limited usage caps and basic features
• Starter: $99/month with higher usage limits and standard support
• Professional: $499/month with expanded quotas, advanced features, and email support
• Enterprise: Custom pricing with dedicated infrastructure, SLA, and enterprise support

Pricing for feeds and chat is generally based on a combination of monthly active users (MAU), number of messages or activities, storage, and additional features such as push notifications, moderation, or dedicated clusters. Overages and custom volume discounts are handled per account on Professional and Enterprise plans. Check GetStream's current pricing plans for the latest rates and enterprise options.

How much is getstream.io per month

Getstream.io starts at $99/month for the Starter plan when billed monthly. That plan provides a higher quota than the Free plan and is intended for small production applications or early paid pilots. Higher-volume teams typically use the Professional plan at $499/month or negotiate custom Enterprise contracts with usage-based pricing.

Monthly costs increase with message or activity volume, storage retention time, and the number of integrations (push, email, moderation). Add-ons such as dedicated clusters, SSO, or custom SLAs will raise the monthly rate under Enterprise agreements.

How much is getstream.io per year

Getstream.io costs $1,188/year for the Starter plan when paying monthly-equivalent for 12 months at the monthly Starter rate ($99/month × 12 = $1,188/year). The Professional plan equates to $5,988/year at $499/month. Enterprise pricing is quoted annually and depends on usage, retention, and compliance requirements.

Annual billing often includes discounts compared with month-to-month billing and may bundle support or onboarding credits for new customers. For precise annual rates and discounts, consult GetStream's pricing page and request an enterprise proposal.

How much is getstream.io in general

Getstream.io pricing ranges from $0 (free) to $499+/month. Small projects can start on the Free Plan for prototyping and development. Production applications typically move to Starter or Professional based on usage. Large-scale or compliance-driven deployments require Enterprise plans where costs scale with traffic, retention, and additional service guarantees.

Since the platform uses usage metrics (MAUs, messages/activities, storage), total cost depends on traffic patterns and retention policies. Many teams estimate total monthly cost by projecting MAU, average messages per MAU per month, and retention window.

What is getstream.io used for

Getstream.io is used to add social and messaging primitives to applications without building the underlying real-time infrastructure. Common uses include:

• Activity feeds for social networks, marketplaces, and content sites where users follow other users or objects and need personalized timelines.
• In-app chat for customer support, community messaging, multiplayer games, and team collaboration tools that require message history, presence, and attachments.
• Notification routing to deliver real-time notifications, digest emails, or push notifications derived from feed events or chat triggers.

Specific scenarios:

• A marketplace uses feeds to show a personalized stream of relevant listings, seller updates, and promotional activity to buyers.
• A mobile app adds persistent chat with read receipts, typing indicators, and image/file attachments using GetStream's chat SDKs instead of building a messaging backend.
• A media site aggregates user actions into daily or hourly digest feeds and sends push notifications when a followed author publishes new content.

The platform is also used for hybrid cases where feeds and chat are combined (for example, a social app with public activity feeds and private messaging between users).

Pros and cons of getstream.io

Getstream.io is feature-rich but tradeoffs exist depending on product needs.

Advantages:

• Rapid integration: Well-documented SDKs reduce development time for feeds and chat features.
• Scalability: Managed infrastructure handles high throughput and delivers low-latency updates to clients.
• Feature completeness: Support for aggregation, ranking, reactions, attachments, moderation, and presence out of the box.
• Multi-platform SDKs: Native mobile and web libraries with consistent API behavior.

Limitations:

• Cost model: Pricing is usage-based and can be a significant recurring expense for very high-volume applications; careful capacity planning is required.
• Vendor lock-in considerations: Feed ranking and chat behavior are implemented on the platform, so migrating to a self-hosted alternative requires re-implementing server-side logic.
• Customization limits: Deeply custom ranking or complex message-processing pipelines may require additional middleware or server-side processing outside of the managed APIs.

Operational concerns:

• For compliance-sensitive organizations, Enterprise plans are necessary to access dedicated instances and contractual security guarantees.
• Teams should plan moderation, retention policies, and backup/export approaches early to avoid surprises as volume grows.

Getstream.io free trial

Getstream.io provides a Free Plan to test core functionality and prototype feeds and chat without upfront cost. The Free Plan includes limited monthly quotas for messages and activities and basic SDK access so developers can build and validate features.

The Free Plan is suitable for development, staging, and early user testing but usually limits integrations, retention periods, and support level. Upgrading to Starter or Professional unlocks higher quotas, longer retention, and production-ready throughput.

For teams evaluating at scale, GetStream offers trial credits or short-term trial access to higher tiers on request so you can simulate production load before committing to an Enterprise contract. Refer to GetStream's documentation for current trial options and onboarding guides.

Is getstream.io free

Yes, Getstream.io offers a Free Plan with limited usage suitable for development and proof-of-concept work. The Free Plan provides basic SDK access and low monthly quotas; production use typically requires moving to a paid Starter or Professional plan for sustained traffic and production SLAs.

Getstream.io API

Getstream.io exposes RESTful APIs and real-time protocols (websockets / websocket-based streaming) to handle feed and chat functions. Key API capabilities include:

• Activity ingestion and retrieval endpoints for feeds, including operations for creating, updating, removing, and aggregating activities.
• Personalization and ranking controls to filter and sort feed content based on rules and weights.
• Chat APIs for creating channels, sending messages, managing members, handling attachments, reactions, typing indicators, read receipts, and message moderation.
• Token-based authentication for client SDKs with server-side token generation patterns to enforce access control and roles.
• Webhooks that notify external services on events such as new messages, reactions, or moderation flags.

Streams and SDKs provide both synchronous REST endpoints and real-time delivery via WebSocket or SDK-managed sockets. The API also supports pagination, filtering, and incremental sync patterns that help mobile clients save bandwidth. For integration details and code samples, see GetStream's SDK and API documentation in the developer docs: view GetStream's SDKs and documentation.

10 Getstream.io alternatives

• PubNub — Real-time messaging and presence APIs for chat and IoT with global data streaming and device messaging.
• Pusher — Hosted real-time channels and presence services focused on websockets for notifications and live updates.
• SendBird — Managed chat platform with rich messaging features, moderation tooling, and engagement analytics.
• Firebase Realtime Database / Firebase Cloud Firestore — Realtime databases from Google that support live sync and simple messaging patterns integrated with other Firebase services.
• Ably — Global pub/sub messaging platform with real-time delivery, presence, and message history options.
• Layer (historical) — Specialized messaging APIs (note: some older vendors have been acquired or repackaged; evaluate current offerings).
• Amazon Web Services (Amazon API Gateway + WebSocket + DynamoDB) — Build a custom real-time backend on AWS using managed primitives.
• Microsoft Azure SignalR Service — Managed SignalR for real-time WebSocket-like interactions in Azure-hosted applications.
• Socket.IO (commercial hosting providers) — Library for real-time bidirectional event-based communication; often used with managed hosting for scale.
• Firebase + Cloud Functions — Combined services for building custom real-time messaging with serverless backend processing.

Paid alternatives to getstream.io

• PubNub — Paid tiers for global real-time delivery, presence, and storage. Often used for chat, live updates, and IoT messaging.
• SendBird — Commercial chat SDK and hosted service that includes moderation, analytics, and enterprise features.
• Ably — Subscription-based real-time messaging with SLA-backed delivery, persistence, and advanced routing.
• Pusher — Paid plans covering higher connection counts, message throughput, and private channels.
• Firebase (Blaze) — Pay-as-you-go realtime database and Firestore billing for production-scale applications with integrated hosting and functions.

Open source alternatives to getstream.io

• Matrix — Open standard and decentralized protocol for real-time communication and messaging. Matrix servers like Synapse provide self-hosted chat capabilities.
• Socket.IO — Widely used open-source library for real-time communication; requires self-hosting and operational overhead for scaling.
• Rocket.Chat — Open-source chat platform that can be self-hosted and extended for team messaging and customer chat.
• Stream-Framework — Community libraries and reference implementations for feed generation and ranking (requires custom hosting and development).
• Mattermost — Open source messaging platform for teams with self-hosting and enterprise add-ons.

Frequently asked questions about Getstream.io

What is getstream.io used for?

Getstream.io is used for building activity feeds and in-app chat. Teams integrate it to provide social timelines, aggregated notifications, and persistent messaging without developing the underlying storage, delivery, and real-time infrastructure themselves.

Does getstream.io offer SDKs for mobile apps?

Yes, Getstream.io provides SDKs for iOS and Android. The SDKs include client-side helpers for authentication, offline sync, presence, and message handling to reduce client implementation time.

How does getstream.io charge for usage?

Getstream.io uses a usage-based pricing model. Charges typically depend on monthly active users (MAUs), number of messages or activities, storage retention, and optional add-ons like dedicated clusters or enterprise SLAs.

Can I moderate messages and content with getstream.io?

Yes, Getstream.io includes moderation tools and webhooks. The platform supports automated filters, manual moderation workflows, and integrations with third-party moderation services through webhooks and server-side processing.

Is getstream.io secure for enterprise use?

Yes, Getstream.io offers enterprise security options. Enterprise plans include features such as SSO, data residency controls, IP allowlisting, and contractual SLAs; customers should review the security documentation and request compliance details for specific requirements.

Does getstream.io support offline clients?

Yes, client SDKs support offline behavior to a limited extent. Mobile SDKs can cache previously loaded messages and queue outbound operations; full synchronization occurs when the client reconnects.

Can getstream.io scale to millions of users?

Yes, Getstream.io is designed for high scale. The managed service handles sharding, partitioning, and horizontal scaling to support large numbers of MAUs and high message throughput, with Enterprise options for dedicated resources.

How do I authenticate clients with getstream.io?

Client authentication is handled via server-issued tokens. Your backend generates signed tokens using server SDKs and returns them to clients to enforce secure access and role-based permissions.

Can I export my data from getstream.io?

Yes, data export and backup options are available. Export capabilities and retention controls vary by plan; for compliance needs, Enterprise agreements typically include export, retention, and audit support.

Does getstream.io integrate with push notification providers?

Yes, Getstream.io supports push notification integration. The platform can trigger push notifications and integrate with providers (APNs, FCM) and email systems for cross-channel notifications.

getstream.io careers

GetStream maintains engineering and product roles focused on API development, SDK maintenance, and infrastructure at scale. Roles typically include backend engineers, client SDK engineers, platform reliability engineers, and developer relations positions. For current openings and hiring processes, consult GetStream's official careers page linked from their site.

getstream.io affiliate

GetStream offers partner and integration programs for agencies and platform partners. Affiliate or referral arrangements, if available, are described through their sales or partnerships pages — contact GetStream's sales team to learn about referral commissions, reseller agreements, or partner enablement.

Where to find getstream.io reviews

Independent reviews and comparisons for GetStream can be found on software review sites, developer forums, and case studies published by customers. Look for technical blog posts, GitHub issues, and platform comparison pages to assess performance, developer experience, and operational considerations. Also review customer case studies and third-party benchmarks linked from GetStream's site for real-world usage examples.