From 52d5263627d8ee8f7b6152986fc3400c540fe535 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: JamieAbly Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2026 14:39:48 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add pricing examples to docs MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Adds four worked pricing examples to help customers estimate costs for common use cases: - Livestream chat – high-concurrency event chat with batching (Chat) - Support chat – 1:1 customer support with consumption vs MAU comparison (Chat) - Data broadcast – one-to-many updates with conflation (Pub/Sub) - Realtime dashboard – many-to-few device monitoring (Pub/Sub) Each example includes assumptions, cost summary, message breakdown, and relevant optimisation notes (batching, conflation, etc). --- .tool-versions | 5 +- src/data/nav/platform.ts | 21 ++++++ .../pricing/examples/data-broadcast.mdx | 68 +++++++++++++++++ .../platform/pricing/examples/livestream.mdx | 72 ++++++++++++++++++ .../pricing/examples/realtime-dashboard.mdx | 73 +++++++++++++++++++ .../pricing/examples/support-chat.mdx | 68 +++++++++++++++++ 6 files changed, 305 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) create mode 100644 src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/data-broadcast.mdx create mode 100644 src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/livestream.mdx create mode 100644 src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/realtime-dashboard.mdx create mode 100644 src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/support-chat.mdx diff --git a/.tool-versions b/.tool-versions index c21f78518e..9a0a21df69 100644 --- a/.tool-versions +++ b/.tool-versions @@ -1,3 +1,4 @@ ruby 3.4.5 -nodejs 22.19.0 -yarn 1.22.19 \ No newline at end of file +nodejs 20.19.2 +yarn 1.22.22 +node 20.19.2 diff --git a/src/data/nav/platform.ts b/src/data/nav/platform.ts index 5a6dc1abf8..98303df686 100644 --- a/src/data/nav/platform.ts +++ b/src/data/nav/platform.ts @@ -124,6 +124,27 @@ export default { link: '/docs/platform/pricing/limits', name: 'Limits', }, + { + name: 'Pricing examples', + pages: [ + { + link: '/docs/platform/pricing/examples/livestream', + name: 'Livestream chat', + }, + { + link: '/docs/platform/pricing/examples/support-chat', + name: 'Support chat', + }, + { + link: '/docs/platform/pricing/examples/data-broadcast', + name: 'Data broadcast', + }, + { + link: '/docs/platform/pricing/examples/realtime-dashboard', + name: 'Realtime dashboard', + }, + ], + }, { link: '/docs/platform/pricing/faqs', name: 'Pricing FAQs', diff --git a/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/data-broadcast.mdx b/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/data-broadcast.mdx new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..f442737f98 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/data-broadcast.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,68 @@ +--- +title: Data broadcast +meta_description: "Calculate Pub/Sub pricing for live sports betting platforms delivering real-time odds updates. Example shows how message conflation reduces costs from $1,800 to $360/month for 10K users across 50 matches." +meta_keywords: "sports betting, live odds, real-time odds updates, message conflation, Pub/Sub pricing, betting platform, live sports data, odds streaming, realtime data delivery, Ably Pub/Sub pricing" +intro: "This Pub/Sub example demonstrates consumption-based pricing for a realtime data broadcast – a single source publishing frequent updates to many subscribers." +--- +For this example, we're using a sports betting scenario (odds updates → bettors), but the same pattern applies to any broadcast where only the latest value matters: stock tickers, live scores, auction platforms, transport arrivals, etc. + +### Assumptions +- 10,000 monthly active users +- 50 live matches per month +- 200 concurrent viewers per match +- 2-hour match duration +- 60-minute average session duration +- 10 raw odds updates per second from data provider +- Message conflation enabled (500ms interval) + + + +### Cost summary +The high-level cost breakdown for this scenario. Messages are billed for both inbound (published to Ably) and outbound (delivered to subscribers) – 147.6M messages = 3.6M inbound + 144M outbound. +| Item | Calculation | Cost | +|------|-------------|------| +| Messages (with conflation) | 147.6M × $2.50/M | $370 | +| Connection minutes | 2.4M × $1.00/M | $2.40 | +| Channel minutes | 4.8M × $1.00/M | $4.80 | +| Package fee | | [See plans](/pricing) | +| **Total** | | **~$377/month** | + +### Connection and channel minutes +How connection and channel minute costs are calculated. + +| Metric | Calculation | Monthly | Cost | +|--------|-------------|---------|------| +| Connection minutes | 10K users × 4 sessions × 60 mins | 2.4M | $2.40 | +| Channel minutes | 40K sessions × 60 mins × 2 channels | 4.8M | $4.80 | + + +### Why conflation, not batching? + +For live betting, message conflation is the right optimization because: + +- Old odds are semantically stale — batching would group outdated prices together +- Users need the latest price, not a history of price changes +- Conflation reduces both inbound and outbound message costs + +Use server-side batching instead when every message matters (e.g., chat, notifications). + + + +### Further optimization: Delta compression + +For richer payloads (full market depth, live statistics), delta compression can reduce bandwidth costs by sending only the difference between updates. + +| Payload type | Full size | With delta | Bandwidth reduction | +|--------------|-----------|------------|---------------------| +| Full market (10+ selections) | 8 KiB | ~2 KiB | 75% | +| Live stats + odds bundle | 15 KiB | ~4 KiB | 73% | + + \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/livestream.mdx b/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/livestream.mdx new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..bc2c5bd2a3 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/livestream.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,72 @@ +--- +title: Major livestream event +meta_description: "Calculate Ably Chat pricing for livestream events with high-concurrency chat. Example shows 25K concurrent viewers, message batching reducing costs by 95%, and total cost of ~$2,430 for a 1-hour major event." +meta_keywords: "livestream chat, high concurrency chat, message batching, chat pricing, realtime messaging, room reactions, chat moderation, event chat, scalable chat, Ably Chat pricing" +intro: "This Ably Chat example demonstrates consumption-based pricing for a major live event – thousands of viewers chatting simultaneously during a broadcast. Livestream chat involves high message velocity over a short duration, where batching is essential to manage costs at scale." +--- + +### Assumptions +The scale and features used in this calculation. +| Scale | Features | +|-------|----------| +| 25,000 concurrent viewers | ✓ Message batching (100ms window) | +| 1-hour event duration | ✓ Moderation (100% of messages) | +| 100 messages per second | ✓ Room reactions | +| 360,000 total messages | | +| 10,000 room reactions (burst pattern) | | + + + +### Cost summary +The high-level cost breakdown for this scenario. Messages are billed for both inbound (published to Ably) and outbound (delivered to subscribers) – a single message to 100 subscribers generates 101 billable messages. + +| Item | Calculation | Cost | +|------|-------------|------| +| Messages (with batching) | ~901M × $2.50/M | $2,252 | +| Room reactions (with batching) | ~70M × $2.50/M | ~$175 | +| Connection minutes | 1.5M mins × $1.00/M mins | $2 | +| Moderation (Ably) | ~360K msgs × 1 rule invocatio | $1 | +| Package fee | | [See plans](/pricing) | +| **Total** | | **~$2,430** | + + +### Message breakdown +How the message cost breaks down by type. + +| Type | Inbound | Outbound | Total | Cost | +|------|---------|----------|-------|------| +| Chat messages | 360K | 900M | 900.36M | $2,251 | +| Moderation* | 360K | — | 360K | $0.90 | +| Room reactions | 10K | 70M | 70.01M | $175 | +| **Total** | **730K** | **970M** | **970.73M** | **$2,427** | + + + +### Batching impact +How batching reduces costs at scale. Actual savings depend on your message patterns – bursty traffic batches more efficiently than steady streams. + +| Scenario | Cost | Messages | Savings | +|----------|------|----------|---------| +| Without batching | ~$22,500 | ~9B messages | — | +| With batching | ~$2,350 | ~900M messages | **$20,150** | + +### Room reactions calculation + +10,000 room reactions to 25,000 viewers would generate 250M outbound messages unbatched. + +With batching enabled and assuming 80% of reactions occur in bursts (during key moments), total outbound messages drop to ~70M: + +- **Burst reactions (80%):** 8,000 reactions batched into ~800 deliveries × 25K viewers = 20M messages +- **Individual reactions (20%):** 2,000 × 25K viewers = 50M messages + +**Total:** 70M messages × $2.50/M = **~$175** + + \ No newline at end of file diff --git a/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/realtime-dashboard.mdx b/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/realtime-dashboard.mdx new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..586525b004 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/realtime-dashboard.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,73 @@ +--- +title: Realtime dashboard +meta_description: "Calculate Pub/Sub pricing for healthcare patient monitoring dashboards. Example shows real-time vitals tracking for 100 patients monitored by 5 care coordinators, with total cost of ~$98/month including presence and history features." +meta_keywords: "healthcare dashboard, patient monitoring, real-time vitals, healthcare IoT, care coordination, patient monitoring devices, clinical dashboard, realtime healthcare data, Pub/Sub pricing, Ably healthcare" +intro: "This Pub/Sub example demonstrates consumption-based pricing for a realtime dashboard – many data sources publishing to a small number of viewers." +--- +For this example, we're using a healthcare scenario (patient vitals → care coordinators), but the same pattern applies to any dashboard with high inbound volume and low fan-out: IoT sensor monitoring, logistics tracking, infrastructure observability, etc. + +### Assumptions +The scale and features used in this calculation. + +| Scale | Features | +|-------|----------| +| 100 patients with home monitoring devices | ✓ Presence (shift handover visibility) | +| 5 care coordinators viewing dashboard | ✓ History retrieval (late joiners see recent readings) | +| 8-hour monitoring shifts, 22 days/month | | +| Vitals transmitted every 10 seconds (6 per minute) | | +| 15 clinical alerts per patient per day | | + +### Cost summary +The high-level cost breakdown for this scenario. + +| Item | Calculation | Cost | +|------|-------------|------| +| Messages | 38.24M × $2.50/M | $95.60 | +| Connection minutes | 1.11M × $1.00/M | $1.11 | +| Channel minutes | 1.11M × $1.00/M | $1.11 | +| Presence & history | ~6,600 messages | Less than $0.02 | +| Package fee | | [See plans](/pricing) | +| **Total** | | **~$98/month** | + +### Message breakdown +Patient devices transmit vitals (heart rate, SpO2, blood pressure) every 10 seconds, plus clinical alerts when readings breach thresholds. Each message is delivered to all 5 care coordinators subscribed to the monitoring channel. + +| Message type | Calculation | Monthly | +|--------------|-------------|---------| +| Vitals updates (inbound) | 100 patients × 6/min × 480 mins × 22 days | 6.34M | +| Clinical alerts (inbound) | 100 patients × 15/day × 22 days | 33K | +| **Total inbound** | | **6.37M** | +| Outbound to care team | 6.37M × 5 coordinators | 31.87M | +| **Total messages** | | **38.24M** | + +**Message cost:** 38.24M × $2.50/M = **$95.60** + +### Connection and channel minutes +How connection and channel minute costs are calculated. + +| Metric | Calculation | Monthly | Cost | +|--------|-------------|---------|------| +| Patient device connections | 100 × 8 hrs × 22 days × 60 mins | 1.06M | $1.06 | +| Care coordinator connections | 5 × 8 hrs × 22 days × 60 mins | 52.8K | $0.05 | +| **Total connection minutes** | | **1.11M** | **$1.11** | +| Channel minutes | 105 users × 8 hrs × 22 days × 60 mins | 1.11M | $1.11 | + +### Presence and history + +These features add negligible cost at this scale but provide important clinical functionality. Presence shows which coordinators are actively monitoring during shift changes, while history lets late joiners see recent readings. + +| Feature | Calculation | Monthly messages | +|---------|-------------|------------------| +| Presence events | 5 coordinators × 2 events × 22 days | 220 inbound | +| Presence fan-out | 220 × 4 other coordinators | 880 outbound | +| History retrieval | 5 coordinators × 1 request/shift × 22 days × 50 msgs | 5,500 | +| **Total** | | **~6,600** | + +**Total cost:** ~6,600 messages × $2.50/M = **~$0.02** + + + diff --git a/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/support-chat.mdx b/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/support-chat.mdx new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..9edf628cc0 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/pages/docs/platform/pricing/examples/support-chat.mdx @@ -0,0 +1,68 @@ +--- +title: Enterprise Support Chat +meta_description: "Calculate Ably Chat pricing for enterprise customer support chat. Example shows 50K MAU, one-to-one messaging, and why consumption pricing at ~$78/month outperforms MAU pricing at $2,500/month for support use cases." +meta_keywords: "support chat, customer support, enterprise chat, one-to-one messaging, chat pricing, MAU pricing, consumption pricing, support agent chat, customer service chat, Ably Chat pricing" +intro: "This Ably Chat example demonstrates consumption-based pricing for enterprise customer support – one-to-one conversations between agents and customers. Support chat typically involves brief, infrequent sessions, making consumption-based pricing significantly more cost-effective than MAU pricing for this pattern." +--- + +### Assumptions +The scale and features used in this calculation. + +| Scale | Features | +|-------|----------| +| 50,000 MAU (customers) | ✓ Typing indicators | +| 300 support agents | ✓ Presence | +| 5 conversations per customer/month (250,000 total) | ✓ History retrieval (20% of conversations, 50 messages each) | +| 20 messages per conversation | | +| 15 typing events per conversation | | +| 4 presence events per conversation | | +| 20-minute average conversation | | + +### Cost summary +The high-level cost breakdown for this scenario. + +| Item | Calculation | Cost | +|------|-------------|------| +| Messages | 27M × $2.50/M | $67.50 | +| Connection minutes | 5.53M × $1.00/M | $5.53 | +| Channel minutes | 5M × $1.00/M | $5.00 | +| Package fee | | [See plans](/pricing) | +| **Total (Consumption)** | | **~$78/month** | + + +### Message breakdown +How the message cost breaks down by feature. Batching has minimal impact in 1:1 chat since there's only one recipient per message – batching benefits scale with room size. + +| Feature | Events | Inbound | Outbound | Total messages | +|---------|--------|---------|----------|----------------| +| Chat messages | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 10,000,000 | 15,000,000 | +| Typing indicators | 3,750,000 | 3,750,000 | 3,750,000 | 7,500,000 | +| Presence | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 2,000,000 | +| History retrieval | 50,000 requests | — | 2,500,000 | 2,500,000 | +| **Total** | | | | **27,000,000** | + +**Message cost:** 27M × $2.50/M = **$67.50** + +### Connection and channel minutes +How connection and channel minute costs are calculated. + +| Type | Calculation | Minutes | Cost | +|------|-------------|---------|------| +| Customer connections | 250K conversations × 20 mins | 5,000,000 | $5.00 | +| Agent connections | 300 agents × avg 80 mins/day × 22 days | 528,000 | $0.53 | +| Channel minutes | 250K conversations × 20 mins | 5,000,000 | $5.00 | + +### Consumption vs MAU comparison +Consumption-based pricing works better for support chat because customers connect briefly and infrequently, using far less than the MAU allowances (20K messages, 2K connection minutes). + +| Model | Calculation | Monthly cost | +|-------|-------------|--------------| +| Consumption-based | As above | ~$78 | +| MAU pricing | 50,000 MAU × $0.05 | $2,500 | + + +