Stream

What it is for

Stream is a hosted message-list desk: you open a channel thread, and Build is FREE for 1,000 MAU. Use it when the job is messages you start inside the free bucket, not when you need a $20 chat seat.

What makes it unique: the cover is the official Stream Message List (Devchamps, dummy.pdf 13 KB, file-sample 100 KB, waterfall photo, Send a message) from the docs still — not a pricing card. The bubbles themselves are ops of Message List. Stream bills $0 or $399 / $599 tiles, not a chat seat.

Key features

• Message List — a channel thread with files and photos (cover still; docs). One desk. Cover dummy.pdf and Devchamps sit here.
• Channel List — a sidebar of conversations you switch (docs). A channel, not a bubble. Invites sit here.
• Threads — a reply lane you open on a message (docs). A thread, not a channel. Replies sit here.
• Moderation — a filter / flag you run on messages (docs). Moderation, not a thread. Start includes advanced filters.
• Chat Explorer — a dashboard you use to inspect channels (docs). Explorer, not moderation. API keys sit here.

The composer on the cover is the same Message List pipeline (not a sixth desk). Build / Start / Elevate tiles are the meter. MAU overage at $0.09 / user is the extra meter, not a desk we fold into Message List.

Who it's for

Best fit: chat / community teams who will stay on Build at $0 (1,000 MAU, 100 concurrent) while they open a first Message List, then buy Start at $399 / month billed annually ($499 monthly) for 10,000 MAU.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) from getstream.io/chat/pricing. Tiles print Build FREE, Start $399.00 / mo billed annually or $499.00 monthly, and Elevate $599.00 / mo billed annually or $675.00 monthly (10K MAU tier).

• Build — FREE. 1,000 MAU. 100 concurrent connections. No credit card. Community support.
• Start — $399 / month billed annually, or $499 / month. 10,000 MAU. 500 concurrent. MAU overage $0.09 / user. Concurrent overage $0.99. Stored messages $5.00 / 1M after 5M.
• Elevate — $599 / month billed annually, or $675 / month. Same 10K MAU / 500 concurrent. HIPAA, advanced search, translations ($2.00 / 1,000), multi-tenancy.
• Maker — $100 monthly credit if 5 or fewer people, under $10k / mo revenue, under $100k funding (modified Start, 2,000 MAU).
• Enterprise — custom. 27K MAU Start $1,049 annual / $1,299 monthly on the slider we fetched.

Confirm checkout; taxes follow your location.

Limitations / costs

• Build caps at 1,000 MAU and 100 concurrent. Crossing that is the $399 Start tile.
• $399 is the annual tile. Month-to-month Start is $499.
• A message-list desk, not a Daily Prebuilt room. For Daily see Daily. For 100ms see 100ms.

Alternatives

• Daily — WebRTC Prebuilt when you want Daily’s participant-minutes, not Stream’s $0 / $399 Message List.
• 100ms — hosted rooms when you want 100ms’s $0.004 Prebuilt, not Stream’s Devchamps thread.
• LiveKit — open-source SFU when you want LiveKit’s rooms, not Stream’s $599 Elevate tile.

Official tutorial

Official Stream channel video: Chat SDK Redesign 2026 | iOS, Android, React, & React Native (oEmbed author: Stream). First-party Chat SDK walkthrough; the Message List still is the cover. Channel List on the video is a second desk, not generate-on-Message-List.

Written path: getstream.io/chat/pricing plus the Message List still.

Website

https://getstream.io

Repository

https://github.com/GetStream

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is the official Stream Message List from the Swift SDK GitHub raw. Dollars checked on getstream.io/chat/pricing (Build FREE 1k MAU; Start $399 annual / $499 monthly; Elevate $599 / $675; overage $0.09/MAU, $0.99/concurrent). Tutorial oEmbed author: Stream.

Last verified

2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.