BigState vs Ably

See how a managed versioned-state platform compares to Ably Pub/Sub (and LiveObjects) — and when BigState is the better fit.

What is BigState?

BigState is a managed platform for sharing versioned object state between applications, people, and AI. Publish over HTTP, store authoritative snapshots, authorize with principals and policies, and deliver matching updates over WebSocket — without running your own realtime mesh.
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What is Ably?

Ably is a hosted realtime platform built around Pub/Sub channels: connect, publish, and subscribe at global scale, with presence, history, and related messaging features. LiveObjects adds channel-scoped shared Counter and Map types on top of that messaging layer.

Compare BigState and Ably

Includes where BigState is stronger and where both are a solid fit. Omits rows where Ably alone would win — those belong in a different comparison, not this one.

Realtime basics

  • Live push to connected clients

    UIs and workers need updates without polling.

    BigStateYes

    WebSocket deliveries push matching state updates as soon as publishers set new versions.

    AblyYes

    Clients subscribe to channels and receive published messages in realtime over Ably’s global network.

  • Automatic reconnect

    Mobile and flaky networks drop connections constantly.

    BigStateYes

    Clients reconnect and can re-attach to deliveries; pair with a latest-state fetch to stay authoritative.

    AblyYes

    Official SDKs reconnect and resume channel attachments; you still decide how application state is restored after a gap.

  • Ordered updates

    Out-of-order patches make counters and timelines wrong.

    BigStateYes

    Each set creates a new versioned snapshot — consumers reason about order via versions and timestamps.

    AblyYes

    Ably provides ordering guarantees on channels so subscribers see a consistent message sequence.

  • Client SDKs & frameworks

    Teams ship in different stacks — browsers, frameworks, and backend languages.

    BigStateYes

    Core JavaScript client plus React, Vue, and Angular helpers; HTTP examples and APIs for Python, Go, Java, C#, and more.

    AblyYes

    Broad realtime and REST SDKs across web, mobile, and many backend languages.

  • Group consumers (channels / rooms)

    You need a way to target subsets of listeners.

    BigStateYes

    Delivery channels select which objects a subscriber receives.

    AblyYes

    Named Pub/Sub channels are the primary way to fan out messages to groups of clients.

Getting started

  • Try without a large commitment

    Teams want to prototype before buying or building infra.

    BigStateYes

    Create an API key and use the managed cloud to publish and subscribe quickly.

    AblyYes

    Create an Ably app and API key and use the free tier to publish and subscribe quickly.

  • Self-host when you must

    Some environments require running software on your own infrastructure.

    BigStateYes

    Managed cloud by default; self-hosted deployment is available (contact sales).

    AblyNo

    Ably Pub/Sub is a hosted platform. You do not run the global messaging mesh yourself.

  • Operational visibility

    You need to see what is connected or configured while debugging.

    BigStateYes

    Dashboard for objects, principals, policies, and deliveries.

    AblyYes

    Ably dashboard, stats, and tooling cover connections, channels, and messaging activity.

Core model

  • Versioned state as the product

    Apps need an authoritative current value — not only fire-and-forget events.

    BigStateYes

    Objects hold timestamped, versioned state. Clients can always get the latest snapshot (or a past version) over HTTP, then subscribe for live updates.

    AblyPartial

    Core Ably is Pub/Sub messages. LiveObjects adds durable Counter/Map state on channels — not a general typed object catalog with versioned snapshots.

  • HTTP publish + realtime deliver

    Backends already speak HTTP; subscribers need push without polling.

    BigStateYes

    Trusted services set state via the HTTP API. Delivery channels push matching updates to WebSocket subscribers.

    AblyYes

    REST and realtime APIs publish to channels; subscribed clients receive updates in realtime.

  • Catch up after disconnect

    Users and workers reconnect constantly — missed updates must not leave UIs stale.

    BigStateYes

    On reconnect, get the latest state, then resume delivery. Historical versions remain available per object configuration.

    AblyPartial

    Channel history and LiveObjects sync help after gaps. Authoritative domain “current object” rebuild still depends on how you model data beyond messages/Counter/Map.

  • Inline JSON and binary payloads

    Dashboards need metrics; humans and apps also share files and images.

    BigStateYes

    Publish JSON, numbers, or strings inline, or upload binary values and attach them with valueRef.

    AblyPartial

    Messages and LiveMap values can carry structured data and buffers within platform limits. Versioned file objects as first-class product state are not the Ably model.

  • Typed objects as a stable contract

    Producers and consumers need an agreed shape — not ad-hoc event names forever.

    BigStateYes

    Define objects with types and metadata once. State updates follow that contract; clients always know what “current” means.

    AblyPartial

    Channels use event/message names you invent. LiveObjects offers fixed Counter and Map types — not arbitrary custom object types in the catalog sense.

  • Efficient mutations (patch / increment)

    Counters and partial JSON updates should not require rewriting the full value every time.

    BigStateYes

    Set state with mutation.patch or mutation.incrementBy when you do not need a full replacement.

    AblyPartial

    LiveCounter supports increment/decrement; LiveMap supports key updates. General JSON patch on arbitrary versioned objects is outside that model.

  • State validity / freshness window

    Stale readings should be detectable — especially for sensors, locations, and live metrics.

    BigStateYes

    Configure validity on objects so consumers can reason about whether the latest state is still current.

    AblyNo

    No first-class per-object freshness/validity window. Expiry semantics are application logic (plus LiveObjects retention windows).

Delivery & routing

  • Configurable delivery channels

    Each consumer should receive only the objects it needs.

    BigStateYes

    Create deliveries that select objects and push updates to the right subscribers — one model for apps, UIs, and agents.

    AblyPartial

    Channels route messages, and capabilities scope access. Object-pattern deliveries over a versioned catalog remain application design.

  • Many consumers on the same object

    One published state should feed dashboards, services, and agents without duplicating writes.

    BigStateYes

    Publish once; multiple deliveries and readers attach to the same authoritative object stream.

    AblyPartial

    Many clients can share a channel or LiveObject. Broader “one authoritative object for apps, humans, and AI” still needs your product model around Pub/Sub.

  • Multi-node fan-out without DIY adapters

    Horizontal scale is where self-hosted transports get expensive to operate.

    BigStateYes

    BigState is a managed service: publish once and subscribers receive matching updates without Redis adapters or sticky sessions on your side.

    AblyYes

    Ably operates a global realtime network — you publish and subscribe without running your own mesh.

  • HTTP publishers without a sticky Node fleet

    Most backends — including serverless — already publish over HTTP.

    BigStateYes

    Any trusted service can set state with the HTTP API. You do not keep long-lived socket processes just to accept writes.

    AblyYes

    REST publish works from ordinary backends and serverless functions alongside realtime clients.

Security & access

  • First-class principals, API keys, and tokens

    Every publisher and subscriber needs a scoped identity.

    BigStateYes

    Create principals with API keys or tokens as part of the platform model — ready for services, browsers, and agents.

    AblyPartial

    API keys and short-lived tokens (with optional clientId) authenticate clients. End-user identity is still something you map in your auth layer.

  • Policy-based authorization

    Who may set or read which resources should be explicit and auditable.

    BigStateYes

    Policies match principals, actions, and resources so access stays scoped per object and environment.

    AblyPartial

    Token capabilities scope channels and operations. Fine-grained object policies on a versioned catalog are not the same product model.

Operations & reliability

  • Managed infrastructure

    Realtime meshes fail during deploys, reconnect storms, and hot channels.

    BigStateYes

    Run on BigState’s managed cloud (or contact sales for self-hosted). No socket fleet or Redis fan-out to babysit.

    AblyYes

    Ably runs global Pub/Sub infrastructure with vendor-operated capacity, dashboards, and platform guarantees.

  • Authoritative history for audits and rebuilds

    Debugging and late joiners need more than the last ephemeral event.

    BigStateYes

    Each set creates a new version. Keep depth via versionDeep and re-read any retained snapshot when you need it.

    AblyPartial

    Channel message history and LiveObjects retention help. Long-lived versioned object history as a first-class catalog is BigState’s model, not Ably’s core.

Built for apps, people, and AI

  • One model for applications

    Services should share live data without a bespoke sync bus per pair of apps.

    BigStateYes

    Applications publish and subscribe to versioned object state — the same foundation as humans and AI consumers.

    AblyPartial

    Apps share channels easily; each product still designs persistence and “what is current?” beyond messages or Counter/Map.

  • Human-readable public states

    Reports, files, and dashboards need shareable latest versions — not only socket rooms.

    BigStateYes

    Curate public states with documents and media so people and apps read the same current version.

    AblyNo

    No curated public object-state product surface. Sharing latest reports and media versions remains custom work.

  • Live context for AI agents

    Agents need fresh structured state — not a fragile side-channel of events.

    BigStateYes

    Connect agents to the same states apps and humans already publish — read latest or subscribe as values change. Expose the same operations through MCP tools when you wire an agent runtime.

    AblyPartial

    Agents can use channels or LiveObjects for live updates; authoritative catalog state, policies, and MCP-shaped object ops are still your layer.

  • Dashboard to manage objects and access

    Teams need to inspect streams, credentials, and policies without shipping a custom admin UI first.

    BigStateYes

    Use the BigState dashboard to work with objects, principals, policies, and deliveries as first-class resources.

    AblyPartial

    Ably dashboard covers apps, keys, channels, and messaging. Versioned objects and resource policies remain your application.

Build on versioned state — not just events

Publish once, authorize with policies, and deliver live updates to applications, people, and AI — without running a separate Pub/Sub stack for authoritative state.

Create API keyExplore the docs

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This comparison is based on publicly available Ably Pub/Sub and LiveObjects documentation and BigState product docs. Ably is a capable hosted realtime platform; BigState is a managed versioned-state platform. Validate requirements against current docs before deciding.