Realtime messaging and pub/sub. Parlor gives your app finished games with opponents already there. Different job.
| What you get | Parlor | PubNub |
|---|---|---|
| Ships with playable games | Yes, a catalog | No |
| Opponents included | Yes, shared pool | No |
| Server keeps score | Yes, built in | You build it |
| Time to a live 1v1 | An afternoon | Weeks |
| Custom game logic | On the roadmap | Yes |
| Engine SDKs | Swift today | SDKs |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Best for | Ready games with a ready pool |
Reading of public docs, July 2026. See something off? Tell us.
You can pass messages, but you build the rules, the referee, and the matchmaking. Parlor is all of that, finished.
No. It moves messages. Parlor validates every move server-side so scores cannot be forged.
No. Parlor pools them across apps.