Websites using Getstream

Okay, let s break down GetStream (now Stream), covering its overview, revenue (estimates), alternatives, pricing, and customer care.

Overview of Stream (formerly GetStream)

• What it is: Stream is a platform-as-a-service (PaaS) that provides APIs and SDKs to build scalable and engaging activity feeds, chat messaging, and in-app notifications within your applications. It handles the complex infrastructure required to manage these features, allowing developers to focus on their core application logic.

• Core Features:

  • Activity Feeds: Create personalized feeds similar to those found on social media platforms, including user activity, trending content, and more.
  • Chat Messaging: Real-time chat functionality for various use cases, including one-on-one messaging, group chats, and live streams. Features often include moderation tools, reactions, and rich media support.
  • In-App Notifications: Deliver targeted notifications to users within your application based on their actions or events.
  • Search: (Added later) Provides tools for building in-app search experiences.
  • Moderation Tools: Includes tools to help moderate content, flag inappropriate content, and manage users.

• Target Audience: Developers and companies building web and mobile applications across various industries, including:

  • Social Networks
  • E-commerce Platforms
  • Gaming Platforms
  • Marketplaces
  • Collaboration Tools

• Key Benefits:

  • Scalability: Designed to handle a large volume of users and data.
  • Reliability: Offers high uptime and performance.
  • Reduced Development Time: Speeds up development by providing pre-built components and APIs.
  • Focus on Core Business: Allows developers to focus on their core product instead of infrastructure.
  • Customization: Offers a degree of customization to match the look and feel of your application.

Revenue (Estimates)

• It is difficult to ascertain accurate revenue figures for a private company such as Stream. It is difficult to estimate the revenue of Stream without it being a publicly traded company. However, based on publicly available information, estimated revenue ranges from $10 million to $50 million USD annually. This is based on its funding history, market position, customer base, and general estimates for similar SaaS companies.

Alternatives to Stream

Here s a breakdown of alternatives, categorized by primary function:

• Activity Feeds:

  • Appwrite: An open-source platform that provides various backend services, including activity feeds.
  • Feedly: While primarily a news aggregator, Feedly s API can be used to build custom activity feeds.
  • Superfeedr: (Acquired by Medium, now part of Medium s platform): Used to provide real-time updates from RSS and Atom feeds.
  • Custom Implementation: Building your own activity feed from scratch using a database and custom logic (most complex and time-consuming).

• Chat Messaging:

  • Twilio (Programmable Chat): A comprehensive communication platform that includes chat APIs and SDKs. Offers flexibility and customization.
  • Sendbird: A popular chat platform with a wide range of features, including moderation, bots, and advanced analytics.
  • PubNub: A real-time communication platform that can be used for chat, data streaming, and more.
  • Firebase (by Google): A suite of tools for building mobile and web applications. Includes Firebase Realtime Database and Cloud Firestore, which can be used to implement chat functionality.
  • CometChat: A chat API and SDK provider that offers pre-built UI components and a variety of features.
  • Layer: Another chat platform focused on enterprise-grade messaging.
  • Ably: A realtime data streaming platform that provides reliable messaging infrastructure.

• In-App Notifications:

  • Braze: (formerly Appboy): A customer engagement platform that includes push notifications, in-app messaging, and email marketing.
  • OneSignal: A popular push notification service for web and mobile applications. Offers a free tier.
  • Airship: Another leading push notification provider with advanced segmentation and personalization features.
  • Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM): Google s push notification service. Free to use.
  • Amazon SNS (Simple Notification Service): A flexible and scalable notification service from AWS.
  • Iterable: A growth marketing platform with robust notification capabilities.

• General Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) Platforms (that can be used to build these features):

  • Supabase: An open-source alternative to Firebase, offering a Postgres database, authentication, real-time subscriptions, and storage.
  • Parse: An open-source backend framework.
  • Nhost: An open-source Firebase alternative with GraphQL.
  • PocketBase: An open-source Go backend that includes built-in databases, authentication, file storage, and an admin UI.

• Factors to Consider When Choosing an Alternative:

  • Features: Does the alternative offer the specific features you need (e.g., moderation, rich media support, advanced analytics)?
  • Scalability: Can the alternative handle your expected user base and data volume?
  • Pricing: How does the pricing compare to Stream? Consider both upfront costs and ongoing costs.
  • Ease of Use: How easy is it to integrate and use the alternative s APIs and SDKs?
  • Community Support: Is there a strong community of developers using the alternative? This can be helpful for troubleshooting and finding solutions.
  • Open Source vs. Proprietary: Do you prefer an open-source solution for greater control and customization?
  • Integration: Does it integrate with your existing tech stack?

Pricing

• Stream offers tiered pricing plans, generally based on usage, which is determined by monthly active users (MAU) and API calls.
• They typically have a free tier, which has limitations.
• The paid plans usually involve a monthly subscription fee with different feature sets and usage limits.
• Higher-tier plans will offer more features, greater usage limits, and dedicated support.
• Visit Stream s website directly for the most up-to-date and accurate pricing information: https://getstream.io/pricing/

Customer Care Details

• Documentation: Stream provides comprehensive documentation for its APIs, SDKs, and features. This is usually the first place developers look for answers.
• Support Channels:
  • Email Support: Stream provides email support for paying customers. The response time depends on the plan.
  • Community Forum/Slack/Discord: They maintain a community forum or Slack/Discord channel where developers can ask questions and share knowledge.
  • Dedicated Support: Higher-tier plans often include dedicated support from Stream s team.
  • Help Center: A knowledge base with articles and FAQs covering common issues.
• Service Level Agreements (SLAs): For enterprise customers, Stream provides SLAs that guarantee uptime and performance.

In Summary

Stream is a valuable platform for developers looking to add activity feeds, chat messaging, and in-app notifications to their applications without building the infrastructure from scratch. When evaluating Stream, consider its features, pricing, and customer support options, and compare it to the alternatives to find the best solution for your needs. Always check their official website for the latest pricing and feature details.