Pusher
Pusher provides managed WebSocket-based realtime messaging infrastructure (Channels) and cross-platform push notification services (Beams) to software developers globally. Acquired by MessageBird in 2020, it enables web and mobile teams to add live pub/sub features via 40+ SDKs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Pusher does
Pusher Limited, founded in 2010 and headquartered in London, is a developer infrastructure company that provides managed realtime messaging APIs. Its core product, Pusher Channels, is a hosted pub/sub messaging service built on WebSockets that lets developers publish events from server code and subscribe clients across web, iOS, Android, and other platforms using 40+ official and community SDKs. A second product, Pusher Beams, offers programmatic push notification delivery across APNs (iOS), FCM (Android), and web via a single unified API. The platform is supported by public infrastructure clusters in 9 global locations, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certified security, and a NaCl Secretbox-based end-to-end encrypted channel option where Pusher itself cannot read payload data.
Pusher's business model is usage-based pricing on a freemium foundation: developers sign up directly at dashboard.pusher.com, integrate via SDKs, and pay tiered fees as message volume and connection counts grow. A premium enterprise tier adds dedicated clusters, custom SLAs, security reviews, and premium support. Go-to-market is product-led and developer-first, with distribution through package managers (npm, pip, gem), GitHub, a Discord community, Twitch, YouTube, and direct documentation; enterprise sales engage via a contact form. Notable enterprise customers include GoGuardian, ServiceTitan, The Washington Post, and Remind, spanning education technology, field service management, media, and communications.
Since November 2020, Pusher has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of MessageBird, the Amsterdam-based omnichannel communications platform (NYSE: BIRD) that serves 25,000+ customers globally. Pusher continues to operate as a focused brand and product unit under MessageBird UK Ltd, with the founders Max Williams (co-founder & CEO) and Damien Tanner (co-founder) involved historically. Headcount sits in the 51-100 range and total disclosed venture funding prior to acquisition was approximately $11.5M, including a 2018 $8M Series A led by Balderton Capital.
Pusher firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pusher
- Legal name
- Pusher Limited
- Website
- https://pusher.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Pusher provides managed WebSocket-based realtime messaging infrastructure (Channels) and cross-platform push notification services (Beams) to software developers globally. Acquired by MessageBird in 2020, it enables web and mobile teams to add live pub/sub features via 40+ SDKs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pusher industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Realtime Messaging Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Communications Services, Nec (4899)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Messaging APIs, CPaaS & Programmable Communications (BPAMACAL)
Keywords
Where Pusher is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pusher business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Channels Subscription: Usage-based pricing for Pusher Channels realtime messaging service. Plans are tiered based on message volume and connection limits. Free tier available for development and testing. Paid plans scale with usage.
- Beams Push Notifications Subscription: Usage-based pricing for Pusher Beams push notification service. Tiered plans based on delivery volume. Free tier available for development use.
- Premium Support: Enterprise-grade premium support options available for customers requiring dedicated assistance beyond standard limited free technical support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free tier for development and testing |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Paid tiers scaling with usage |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise plans with premium support |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Pusher product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pusher provides bi-directional hosted APIs that enable developers to add realtime features to web and mobile applications. Its two core products are Channels, a managed pub/sub messaging service for live features such as chat, dashboards, location tracking, and collaboration, and Beams, a programmatic push notification service delivering to iOS, Android, and web platforms. The platform abstracts complex WebSocket and notification infrastructure behind simple SDK calls across 40+ languages and frameworks.
Product overview
Pusher offers two core realtime communication products: Channels (pub/sub messaging API for realtime features) and Beams (programmable push notifications). Channels supports WebSocket-based bidirectional communication with features including private channels, presence channels, end-to-end encrypted channels, client events, and webhook integrations. Beams handles cross-platform push notifications for iOS, Android, and web. Both products are supported by 40+ official and community SDKs across server and client platforms including Go, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Swift, JavaScript, .NET, Unity, Flutter, and React Native. Pusher is a member of the MessageBird team.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Channels: A realtime pub/sub messaging service that enables developers to build scalable realtime features into web and mobile applications with flexible, scalable and easy-to-use hosted APIs.
- Beams
Products and services
- Channels A realtime pub/sub messaging API that enables developers to build scalable realtime features such as live charts, notifications, location tracking, and in-app chat into web and mobile applications. Supports WebSocket connections with client and server SDKs across multiple programming languages including JavaScript, Node.js, PHP, Ruby, Python, Java, Go, and .NET, and includes public, private, presence, and encrypted channel types.
- Beams Programmable push notification service for mobile and web that enables targeted notification delivery to users across iOS (APNs), Android (FCM), and web platforms through a unified publishing API.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced infrastructure complexity - no need to engineer custom solutions for handling spike loads
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Pusher
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Pusher technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Pusher partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Pusher competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AWS AppSync / SNS: AWS offers GraphQL subscriptions (AppSync) and push notification services (SNS) that compete with Pusher, particularly for customers already standardized on AWS infrastructure.
- Firebase (Google): Google's Firebase offers Realtime Database, Cloud Firestore, and Cloud Messaging, providing bundled realtime pub/sub and push notification services that compete with Pusher's two core products.
- Twilio: Twilio is a leading CPaaS incumbent whose Conversations, Notify, and Sync products overlap with Pusher's realtime messaging and push notification offerings, but Twilio operates at much greater scale and breadth.
- Azure SignalR Service: Microsoft's Azure SignalR Service provides managed WebSocket-based real-time messaging, offering hyperscaler-native competition to Pusher Channels for Azure-aligned customers.
Direct peers
- PubNub: PubNub offers real-time publish-subscribe messaging APIs and push notifications with comparable SDK coverage, competing head-to-head with both Pusher Channels and Beams.
- SendBird: SendBird provides chat, voice, and video APIs with hosted infrastructure, competing with Pusher Channels for in-app messaging and notification use cases.
- OneSignal: OneSignal is a leading multi-channel push notification delivery platform directly competing with Pusher Beams for mobile and web notification use cases.
- Stream: Stream provides hosted chat, activity feed, and video APIs with realtime messaging infrastructure, overlapping with Pusher Channels for messaging-driven experiences.
- Ably: Ably provides a managed real-time messaging platform with pub/sub APIs over WebSockets, directly competing with Pusher Channels for developer-led realtime infrastructure use cases.
Emerging players
- CometChat: CometChat offers chat SDKs and APIs focused on messaging experiences, providing partial overlap with Pusher Channels for developers building in-app chat products.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pusher social profiles
Digital presencePusher compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Pusher financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pusher leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Pusher funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pusher 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 Pusher
What does Pusher do?
Pusher provides bi-directional hosted APIs that enable developers to add realtime features to web and mobile applications. Its two core products are Channels, a managed pub/sub messaging service for live features such as chat, dashboards, location tracking, and collaboration, and Beams, a programmatic push notification service delivering to iOS, Android, and web platforms. The platform abstracts complex WebSocket and notification infrastructure behind simple SDK calls across 40+ languages and frameworks.
Is Pusher a public or private company?
Pusher is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Pusher founded?
Pusher was founded in 2010. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Pusher based?
Pusher is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Pusher make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Channels Subscription is the primary driver. The others are beams Push Notifications Subscription and premium Support.
Who are Pusher's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AWS AppSync / SNS, Firebase (Google), Twilio and Azure SignalR Service. Direct peers are PubNub, SendBird, OneSignal, Stream and Ably. CometChat is listed as an emerging player.
Does Pusher have an API?
Yes. Pusher provides bi-directional hosted APIs for realtime messaging (Channels) and programmable push notifications (Beams). The Channels API supports WebSocket connections for subscribing and REST API for publishing. Server SDKs available for: Go, Java, .NET, Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Swift. Client SDKs available for: Android, AngularJS, iOS (Swift/Objective-C), Java, JavaScript, .NET, Unity, Flutter, React Native. Features include end-to-end encryption channels, presence channels, private channels, client events, and webhook support. Over 40+ SDKs total including official and community libraries. Developer documentation is at pusher.com/docs.
What industry is Pusher in?
Pusher's product category is Realtime Messaging Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAL, Messaging APIs, CPaaS & Programmable Communications. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 4899.