{"data":{"slug":"liveblocks","name":"Liveblocks","tagline":"Hosted collab rooms; Free $0 pauses at the cap","category":"comms","categoryName":"Comms","url":"https://liveblocks.io","github":"https://github.com/liveblocks/liveblocks","pricing":"freemium","hook":"Liveblocks is the hosted collab layer you rent when Socket.IO is the wrong job.","whatsGood":"Free is $0, no credit card. Caps: 3,000 collab minutes, 200 comments, 1 GB realtime storage, 512 MB files, 10 connections/room, 3 dashboard seats. Watermark required. Presence, comments, Yjs, storage. Pair with /skills/liveblocks-best-practices for the cookbook — this page is the product Catch, not the skill.","theCatch":"Free pauses at the cap until the next cycle — not PAYG. Pro is $30/mo (credits + drop branding). Self-host is an Enterprise add-on, not the OSS path. Distinct from Socket.IO (you run the server) and Centrifugo (Go binary you operate).","verdict":"Hosted collab with a real $0 Free. Caps pause the feature; Pro is $30; self-host is sales.","addedAt":"2026-09-03","featured":false,"domain":"Comms","subSpecialty":"Realtime","capabilities":["realtime","collab"],"surfaces":["Hosted"],"ecosystem":["Node.js","Browser"],"licenseModel":"Freemium","githubStars":4704},"related":[{"slug":"livekit","name":"LiveKit","tagline":"Apache-2.0 realtime rooms, SFU, and agents"},{"slug":"chatwoot","name":"Chatwoot","tagline":"MIT-core support inbox you can self-host for $0/agent"},{"slug":"socket-io","name":"Socket.IO","tagline":"MIT realtime library with fallbacks, not a hosted product"},{"slug":"plunk","name":"Plunk","tagline":"AGPL-3.0 transactional email, workflows, and broadcasts"},{"slug":"centrifugo","name":"Centrifugo","tagline":"Apache-2.0 Go realtime server binary, not in-process Socket.IO"}],"links":{"self":"/api/gems/liveblocks","html":"/gems/liveblocks","markdown":"/gems/liveblocks.md","category":"/api/gems?category=comms","categoryPage":"/stacks/comms"}}