Overlap
Realtime for Go
Realtime tools that run on Go. The Catch for each, not a winner list.
5 tools · the Catch, not a ranking
- LiveKitApache-2.0 realtime rooms, SFU, and agents
Self-hosting an SFU is ops-heavy. Cloud pricing was unverified, so no Cloud Build $0 claim and no monthly allowance numbers. Do not assume Cloud is free.
- CentrifugoApache-2.0 Go realtime server binary, not in-process Socket.IO
You run it. This is not Socket.IO in-process. Cloud/PRO SKUs were unverified here — no invented Cloud prices. Ops, clustering, and Redis when you scale stay yours.
- MercureAGPL-3.0 SSE hub; homepage still says MIT
Homepage still says the Hub is MIT-licensed. The LICENSE file is AGPL-3.0 — print the file. SSE, not WebSockets, not Pusher protocol. Distinct from Socket.IO and Soketi. Cloud/Enterprise exist; do not invent prices. OSS self-host is the free path.
- NATSApache-2.0 subject-based messaging and streaming fabric
Subject-based messaging/streaming fabric — not an in-process WS lib and not a Go realtime binary alone. Distinct from Socket.IO and Centrifugo.
- Pion WebRTCMIT embeddable Go WebRTC library — not a rooms product
Embeddable Go library — not LiveKit rooms product, not mediasoup C++/Node media server, not PeerJS browser-only P2P helper. You assemble signaling and any SFU-class topology yourself. Distinct from LiveKit, mediasoup, and PeerJS.