Stream
Stream provides APIs and SDKs for in-app chat, video, activity feeds, and AI moderation, serving 2,000+ applications and 1+ billion end users across dating, fintech, social, gaming, and enterprise verticals with usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBoulder, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Stream does
Stream (legally Stream.io, Inc.) is a Boulder, Colorado-based platform-as-a-service provider offering APIs and SDKs for real-time in-app communication infrastructure, serving developers and enterprises building chat, video, voice, activity feeds, and AI-powered content moderation into their applications. Founded in 2014-2015 by Thierry Schellenbach (CEO) and Tommaso Barbugli (CTO), the company operates across four global offices (Boulder, Amsterdam, Skopje, Toronto) with 120+ employees from 35 nationalities and has raised $58.25M in total venture funding.
The platform's core technology stack is built on Go, RocksDB, and Raft consensus protocol, deployed across six edge-server locations and six edge data centers globally to deliver sub-9ms API response times and a 99.999% uptime SLA. Stream offers five integrated core products—Chat Messaging, Video & Audio (supporting 100K+ concurrent participants with proprietary Dynascale adaptive resolution), Activity Feeds, AI Moderation, and the open-source Vision Agents SDK—alongside add-on modules for AI chatbot integration and Agent Skills. The technology supports 10+ typed SDKs across React, iOS, Android, Flutter, Unity, Unreal, Python, Node.js, and other languages.
Stream generates revenue through API usage-based subscriptions, charging customers based on message volume, participant-minutes, and API calls. The company employs a hybrid go-to-market combining a self-serve developer portal with a free tier (no credit card required) and dedicated enterprise field sales for Fortune 500 accounts. Pricing spans freemium for individual developers and SMBs through custom enterprise contracts with dedicated infrastructure and 24/7 support. The customer base of 2,000-4,000+ applications spans dating (Match Group, Zoosk), fintech (eToro, Ajaib), social (Patreon, Nextdoor, Strava), enterprise (Walmart, IBM, Procore), gaming (Pocket Gems, PrizePicks), healthcare (Care.com, Healthline), marketplace (Gumtree, BlaBlaCar), and sports media (NBC Sports, PGA, Fanatics), collectively serving 1+ billion end users globally.
Stream firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Stream
- Legal name
- Stream.io, Inc.
- Website
- https://getstream.io
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Stream provides APIs and SDKs for in-app chat, video, activity feeds, and AI moderation, serving 2,000+ applications and 1+ billion end users across dating, fintech, social, gaming, and enterprise verticals with usage-based pricing and enterprise contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Stream industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Real-Time Communication APIs and SDKs
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Data/Apps Connectivity & Adapters (Connectors, Drivers, SDKs) (HDAEAIAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Event Streaming & Pub/Sub Platforms (HDAEAIAD), Video Player SDKs & Playback Apps (Web/Mobile/CTV) (MPAHAJAD), Connector/Adapter Frameworks & Integration Runtimes (HDAEACAJ), Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms (BPAMADAG)
Keywords
Where Stream is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boulder
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Stream business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- API Usage-based Subscriptions: Stream generates revenue through API usage-based pricing where customers pay based on message volume, participant-minutes, and API calls. The platform offers free tier with limited usage (333k free participant-minutes/month for developers) and paid tiers with scale-based pricing. Enterprise customers receive custom contracts with dedicated infrastructure and SLA guarantees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Developer Tier |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise Plan |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Stream product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Stream provides a unified real-time communication platform-as-a-service delivered via APIs and SDKs, comprising five integrated products: Chat Messaging, Video & Audio, Activity Feeds, AI Moderation, and Vision Agents. Developers integrate pre-built components into web and mobile applications using 10+ typed SDKs, replacing quarters of in-house infrastructure work with days of integration. The shared global edge infrastructure serves 1+ billion end users across 2,000+ apps with sub-9ms latency and a 99.999% uptime SLA.
Product overview
Stream is a platform-as-a-service provider offering a unified suite of real-time communication APIs and SDKs. The core product portfolio consists of five integrated products: Chat Messaging (real-time in-app chat), Video & Audio (video calling, livestreaming, audio rooms), Activity Feeds (personalized social feeds), AI Moderation (multi-media content moderation), and Vision Agents (open-source framework for voice and video AI agents). These products share a global edge infrastructure and can be combined seamlessly within the same application experience. The platform is built for scalability, supporting 1+ billion end users across 2,000+ apps, with 99.999% uptime SLA and sub-9ms API response times. Additional offerings include AI Chatbot Integration for LLM-powered experiences and Agent Skills for AI-assisted development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vision Agents: Open-source Python framework for voice and video AI agents with real-time WebRTC, 25+ integrations, native tool calling and pluggable vision pipelines.
Products and services
- Chat Messaging Real-time in-app chat messaging API and SDK with features including message reactions, threaded replies, URL enrichment, user presence, push notifications, and AI moderation integration. Targets developers integrating chat into web and mobile applications with global edge delivery.
- Video & Audio In-app video calling, voice calling, audio rooms, and livestreaming infrastructure powered by a global edge network of WebRTC SFUs with Dynascale adaptive resolution. Supports 100K+ concurrent participants with sub-9ms latency and adaptive codec switching.
- Activity Feeds Enterprise-grade activity feed infrastructure for personalized and For You feeds with ranking, filtering, and analytics. Designed for applications with hundreds of millions of users with ~15ms read and ~32ms write latency.
- AI Moderation AI-powered content moderation for text, images, video, and audio using LLM-driven classification with configurable policies, real-time screening, escalation queues, moderator workflows, and audit logs. Supports compliance for DSA, Online Safety Acts, COPPA, and HIPAA.
- Vision Agents Open-source Python framework for building real-time voice and video AI agents with WebRTC, 25+ integrations (OpenAI, Gemini, Claude, ElevenLabs, Deepgram, YOLO, Tencent RTC), native tool calling, and pluggable vision pipelines. Targets AI developers building multimodal applications with sub-500ms join latency.
Quantifiable outcome
- 50% reduction in development costs compared to building in-house messaging
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Stream
Customer profileNamed customers29 records
Segments14 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Stream technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration29 records
AI capability14 records
Feature7 records
Stream partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Tencent CloudcoreStrategic collaboration integrating Tencent Real-Time Communication (Tencent RTC) as an officially supported edge transport plugin for Stream's open-source Vision Agents framework. The partnership leverages Tencent RTC's global infrastructure of over 3,200 nodes with sub-300ms worldwide latency, particularly strengthening real-time communication performance across Asian markets where global real-time stacks face connectivity challenges.
- Tencent RTCcoreTencent RTC provides global edge infrastructure with 3,200+ nodes enabling sub-300ms latency. Integrated as edge transport option within Vision Agents framework, allowing developers to swap transport layers with a one-line config change.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreIntegration with Amazon Bedrock and Amazon Nova 2 Sonic for building real-time voice assistants using Stream Vision Agents framework. Enables low-latency, speech-to-speech AI applications leveraging AWS infrastructure.
- OpenAIcoreOpenAI Realtime API integration as LLM option within Vision Agents framework. Enables developers to leverage OpenAI's real-time voice capabilities within Stream's multi-modal agent platform.
- Google (Gemini)coreGemini integration for Vision Agents framework, supporting real-time video understanding and voice interactions. Featured in demos and tutorials for low-latency multimodal AI applications.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Stream competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Stream social profiles
Digital presenceStream compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Stream financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Stream leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Stream funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors14 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Stream M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Stream
What does Stream do?
Stream provides a unified real-time communication platform-as-a-service delivered via APIs and SDKs, comprising five integrated products: Chat Messaging, Video & Audio, Activity Feeds, AI Moderation, and Vision Agents. Developers integrate pre-built components into web and mobile applications using 10+ typed SDKs, replacing quarters of in-house infrastructure work with days of integration. The shared global edge infrastructure serves 1+ billion end users across 2,000+ apps with sub-9ms latency and a 99.999% uptime SLA.
Is Stream a public or private company?
Stream is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Stream founded?
Stream was founded in 2015. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Stream based?
Stream is headquartered in Boulder, United States, in the North America region.
How does Stream make money?
One revenue line is on record: API Usage-based Subscriptions.
Does Stream have an API?
Yes. Stream offers a comprehensive REST API and platform APIs for Chat, Video & Audio, Activity Feeds, and Moderation. The APIs support real-time messaging, video calling, activity feeds, and AI-powered content moderation. Available to developers with SDK support for multiple languages including React, iOS/Swift, Android/Kotlin, Flutter, React Native, Angular, Unity, Unreal, Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, and Go. Developer documentation is at getstream.io/chat/docs.
What industry is Stream in?
Stream's product category is Real-Time Communication APIs and SDKs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAIAK, Data/Apps Connectivity & Adapters (Connectors, Drivers, SDKs), with a secondary code of HDAEAIAD, Event Streaming & Pub/Sub Platforms. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7372.