AnyCable vs Centrifugo
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted chat & communication options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
AnyCable
Real-time WebSocket server for in-app messaging
VS
Centrifugo
Scalable real-time messaging server for apps and websites
| Feature | AnyCable | Centrifugo |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Chat & Communication | Chat & Communication |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Go | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary, source | docker, kubernetes, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 2,368 | ★ 10,590 |
| First released | 2016 | 2015 |
| Replaces | Pusher, Ably | Pusher, Firebase Realtime Database |
Why pick each one
Choose AnyCable if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.4k GitHub stars)
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is AnyCable or Centrifugo better?
Neither is universally better. Centrifugo has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AnyCable and Centrifugo free and open-source?
Yes. AnyCable is licensed under MIT and Centrifugo under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AnyCable and Centrifugo with Docker?
AnyCable: yes. Centrifugo: yes.