CloudSignal is a managed MQTT messaging platform that provides real-time pub/sub communication for AI agents, IoT devices, and modern applications. It offers sub-100ms latency, 99.9% uptime SLA, and seamless integrations with popular platforms like Supabase, n8n, and Make.

What is MQTT and why use it for AI agents?

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight, publish-subscribe messaging protocol ideal for real-time communication. For AI agents, MQTT enables efficient multi-agent orchestration with minimal latency and overhead.

How does CloudSignal pricing work?

CloudSignal offers three plans. Starter (free) includes 50,000 messages/month and 25 connections. Pro at $29/month includes 500,000 messages/month and 200 connections. Scale at $79/month includes 5,000,000 messages/month and 2,000 connections. Enterprise plans with custom pricing are available for higher volumes.

What is the latency of CloudSignal?

CloudSignal delivers sub-100ms message latency globally through its distributed edge infrastructure. Messages are typically delivered in under 50ms within the same region.

Does CloudSignal support IoT devices?

Yes. CloudSignal supports MQTT 5.0, TLS encryption, device authentication, and efficient message handling for resource-constrained devices. The platform handles millions of concurrent device connections.

Can I use CloudSignal with no-code platforms?

Yes. CloudSignal integrates with n8n, Make, Zapier, Bubble, and FlutterFlow.

Platform Comparison

CloudSignal vs Pusher
Open Protocol vs Proprietary WebSockets

Pusher Channels is great for classic chat, but its proprietary protocol locks you in and its best-effort delivery breaks under unreliable networks. CloudSignal gives you the same real-time experience on an open protocol with real QoS guarantees.

Try CloudSignal Free Read the Docs

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

An honest side-by-side. We call out where Pusher has the stronger story.

Feature

CloudSignal

Pusher

Protocol

MQTT is portable. Pusher Channels code only runs on Pusher

MQTT (ISO/IEC 20922 open standard) over TCP or WebSockets

Proprietary Pusher protocol over WebSockets

Pricing model

Pusher bills on peak concurrent connections and daily message counts

Flat monthly tiers with all features included

Per-message and per-connection tiers with sandbox limits

Free tier

Both have free entry points. The shape of the limits differs

Unlimited time, no credit card, 3 MQTT users

Sandbox plan with 200K messages per day and 100 connections

Delivery guarantees

Pusher is fire-and-forget. If a client misses a message during a reconnect, it is gone

MQTT QoS 0, 1, and 2 for at-most-once, at-least-once, and exactly-once

Best-effort delivery, no QoS levels, no exactly-once semantics

Offline support

If your users go offline, MQTT will resume cleanly. Pusher requires you to layer your own catch-up

Persistent sessions, retained messages, and QoS 1/2 queueing

No native offline queue. Channels assume a live connection

Security model

Pusher's auth lives in your application code. CloudSignal enforces in the broker before bytes move

Broker-enforced ACL rule sets with identity-bound topics

Private and presence channels gated by an HTTP auth endpoint in your app

AI integration

For AI chat or agent communication, this is a real category difference

AI Transport for Vercel AI SDK with streaming and offline resume

No first-party AI streaming product

Presence and typing indicators

Pusher's presence channel API is more turnkey for chat-style features

Built on MQTT primitives via retained messages and last-will

Dedicated presence channels with a clean SDK API

Beams push notifications

Pusher Beams is a separate product but covers more platforms today

PWA push notifications included; native APNs/FCM on the roadmap

Pusher Beams supports iOS, Android, and web push

Vendor lock-in

Pusher Channels code does not port. MQTT code does

None. MQTT clients run unchanged on any broker

Proprietary protocol. Migrating away requires client and server rewrites

Why the Differences Matter

The Pusher SDK is pleasant to use. The protocol underneath is where the long-term engineering trade-offs live.

Open Protocol, Zero Lock-In

Pusher Channels uses a proprietary WebSocket protocol. Migrating away means rewriting client SDKs, server handlers, and channel auth endpoints. CloudSignal speaks MQTT, a 30-year-old ISO/IEC standard. If you ever want to move to another broker or self-host, your client code does not change.

Real Delivery Guarantees

Pusher is fire-and-forget. If a subscriber misses a message during a network drop, it is gone. CloudSignal supports MQTT QoS 0, 1, and 2, plus persistent sessions and retained messages, so reconnecting clients catch up automatically. For chat, notifications, and AI streaming, this is the difference between a polished feature and a flaky one.

Security at the Broker Layer

Pusher's private and presence channels authenticate by calling an HTTP endpoint in your application. If that endpoint has a bug, the security guarantee is gone. CloudSignal enforces ACL rules inside the broker, validated against topic patterns before a byte leaves the network.

AI Transport Out of the Box

CloudSignal ships AI Transport, a drop-in transport for the Vercel AI SDK that streams tokens over MQTT and resumes after disconnects. With Pusher you would build that streaming and resume layer yourself on top of an unguaranteed transport.

How to Decide

The right choice depends on whether your use case needs guaranteed delivery and an open protocol.

Choose CloudSignal when…

You are building AI chat, agent communication, or anything that needs reliable streaming
You want an open protocol with no client rewrite if you ever migrate
You need real delivery guarantees, not best-effort messages
You want broker-enforced ACL rule sets, not application-layer channel auth
You want flat monthly pricing without per-connection ceilings

Choose Pusher when…

You are shipping a classic chat or live-update feature and want a turnkey presence API
You need cross-platform push notifications today via Pusher Beams
Your team is already deep in Pusher SDKs and migration cost is high
You are happy with best-effort delivery and do not need QoS guarantees
You prefer a WebSocket-only product without MQTT in the stack

Open Protocol. Guaranteed Delivery. AI-Native.

Ready to Try CloudSignal?

Start on the free tier in minutes. MQTT over WebSockets works from any browser, and QoS gives you real delivery guarantees from day one.

Start Free See Pricing

Questions about migrating from Pusher?

CloudSignal vs Pusher Open Protocol vs Proprietary WebSockets