WebRTC vs WebSocket: 10 Key Differences in 2025

What is WebRTC?

WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) is an open-source technology that enables web browsers and mobile applications to implement real-time communication (e.g., voice chat or live video calls) without the need for additional plugins or softphones.

This technology was initially released in May 2011 by Google. It enables web browsers, mobile devices, and IoT devices to stream media files (e.g., audio or video) directly to one another. This reduces the need for server-side file hosting.

Although WebRTC is already powerful, developers are always trying to improve it. Accordingly, we’ve witnessed several recent trends in this tech, like better support for adaptive bitrate streaming (which means adjusting video quality based on network conditions), smoother integration with other web techs, and improved security measures.

When internet speeds increase and companies demand real-time communication for global operations, WebRTC becomes more powerful and popular. In the five upcoming years (2025-2030), its worldwide value is expected to increase surprisingly with a CAGR of 45.7%.

Major Components

WebRTC has some really cool features which are all JavaScript APIs:

getUserMedia: Streams audio and video data in real-time. This allows you to conduct live streaming and video conferencing directly with a web browser.

RTCPeerConnection: Enables all the data to flow directly between devices without the need to pass through a central server. This keeps real-time communication seamless and efficient.

RTCDataChannel: Allows for two-way data exchanges between devices using SCTP over DTLS.

Besides these major components, WebRTC uses STUN/TURN servers to connect devices that stand behind firewalls or use NAT traversal. STUN helps devices identify their public IP address, whereas TURN functions as a relay server when a device isn’t directly connected to one another. With these servers, devices can find each other easily and create direct connections, even when they’re on different networks.

Pros of WebRTC

With these key features, WebRTC has brought the following advantages:

Peer-to-peer communication. This is the key benefit. Direct communication between devices reduces delays (latency) and server load. This allows for a more effective and seamless real-time experience.

Real-time media streaming. WebRTC is designed to handle the complexities of encoding, decoding, and transferring media data effectively. This makes it well-suited for real-time media applications like live streaming or video calls.

Open-source. This means WebRTC is free to use and can be adjusted to fit your unique needs.

Secure communication. WebRTC offers DTLS (Data Transport Layer Security) encryption to protect interactions between devices. This is extremely beneficial when users deliver sensitive data.

Cross-platform compatibility. WebRTC works with different browsers (e.g., Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome) and other operating systems (e.g., Android or iOS). This allows you to approach a wider audience with your app.

Pros of WebRTC

Despite these benefits, WebRTC still comes with unexpected challenges as follows:

Need for a separate signaling setup. Devices need to exchange data (e.g., their network addresses and capabilities) before making any direct connection. This requires you to install an extra signaling server.

Hard to scale for large groups of users. WebRTC works well with small numbers of users. But scaling it to process thousands or millions of users is daunting. It requires careful planning and infrastructure to effectively monitor connections, distribute media streams, and ensure service quality at scale.

Have limited control over the underlying network. WebRTC depends on a network connection (e.g., Wi-Fi or 5G) to deliver media streams and data. Therefore, if any network issues happen (e.g., congestion or latency), developers hardly have control over them.

When to Use WebRTC

Today, WebRTC is a good option for applications where real-time communication is key. Further, if you want to reduce the burden on your servers or prioritize security during live chat, WebRTC’s peer-to-peer capabilities and built-in DTLS encryption can be big advantages.

Below are several common cases where you can use WebRTC:

Video Conferencing & Calling Apps: WebRTC excels at low-latency audio and video streaming. So, it’s ideal for video calls, group video conferences, and webinars.

Live Streaming with Minimal Delays: Live Streaming with Minimal Delays: WebRTC benefits any live-streaming app that needs ultra-low latency. This technology allows broadcasters to interact with viewers in near real-time.

File-Sharing or Collaboration Apps: WebRTC is very efficient for applications where users want to share files or data directly without a central server as an intermediary. It also benefits any application where various users need to collaborate in real-time (e.g., document editing, remote control, or whiteboarding) while prioritizing data security.

Online Gaming Platforms: WebRTC is useful for in-game interactions in real-time, like voice chat between players.

What is WebSocket?

WebSocket is a protocol that allows a client (e.g., a web browser or a mobile app) and a server to send and receive data at the same time through a single TCP connection. This type of communication is often known as “bidirectional” or “full-duplex.”

So, how does WebSocket work? Let’s take a look:

Opening the Handshake: WebSocket starts working with an HTTP handshake to create a connection between the client and server. Accordingly, the client sends an HTTP request to ask the server to upgrade to a WebSocket connection. The server then returns an HTTP response to confirm this upgrade.

Data Exchanges: After the handshake, the connection is no longer HTTP but becomes WebSocket instead. This means that the client and server now use a different protocol to transfer real-time messages (i.e., data or binary) whenever possible.

Closing the Handshake: Finally, the client or the server can end the connection by closing the handshake. Accordingly, either sends a Close frame to initiate this process and the other must return a response Close frame with the same payload.

Pros of WebSocket

WebSocket comes with the following benefits:

Persistent connection. WebSocket allows for a persistent connection. It means WebSocket can keep the connection open as long as possible, enabling constant data exchange in real-time. This feature not only ensures efficient, fast communication but also reduces the overhead related to repeatedly initiating and closing connections. Further, this feature also sets WebSocket apart from traditional HTTP which requires a new connection for each request.

Bi-directional communication. WebSocket enables the client and server to transmit data simultaneously at any time. This allows for real-time updates and communication.

Simple implementation. Compared to the complexities of WebRTC’s signaling and NAT traversal, WebSocket is fairly simple to execute. Besides, it builds on the existing TCP/IP protocol, so it integrates existing web server infrastructure easily. This allows it to align with any web app.

Cons of WebSocket

However, WebSocket itself still presents the following problems:

Depends on a central server. Due to its client-server nature, WebSocket always requires a central server. This may be troublesome if the server is overloaded. Particularly, it’s challenging to scale WebSocket apps which especially have a large number of concurrent users. Further, this server must be developed to process persistent connections. This can increase the cost and complexities of installing the essential infrastructure.

Not support peer-to-peer communication. WebSocket hasn’t been developed for direct peer-to-peer communication. This makes WebSocket unsuitable for apps that need direct interactions between clients (e.g., file sharing or video conferencing).

Less effective for real-time media streaming. Compared with WebRTC, WebSocket is less optimized for media streaming.

When to Use WebSocket

WebSocket is widely used for applications that require regular, two-way communication with a central server. Below are some real-life situations of adopting this technology:

Real-time Chat Apps: WebSocket allows these apps to exchange data messages immediately between users.

Live Dashboards and Notifications: WebSocket’s persistent connection and full-duplex interactions make it ideal for apps that deliver real-time updates and notifications. Some typical examples include social media feeds, news updates, or stock tickers.

Multiplayer Online Games: WebSocket excels at delivering real-time game state updates, player actions, and positions between the game clients and server. It helps all players stay updated about the game world.

WebRTC vs WebSocket: A Detailed Comparison Table

You’ve understood the definition, benefits, and challenges of WebRTC and WebSocket in communication. So, you may now wonder: are there any differences between these two technologies? To help you answer this question, we’ll make a detailed comparison table to compare their ten key different points:

Features	WebRTC	WebSocket
Main Focus	Peer-to-peer communication between clients in real time	Two-way communication between a client and server
Connection Type	Mainly peer-to-peer	Client-server
Latency	Low (suitable for real-time media like data, audio, and video)	Higher than WebRTC (thanks to server mediation)
Bandwidth Usage	Enough bandwidth for media streaming	Minimal overhead cost for data transfer
NAT Traversal	Require STUN/TURN servers (due to its peer-to-peer nature)	Doesn’t need to implement any specific mechanism for NAT traversal as the existing network infrastructure can handle it
Media Streaming	Optimized for media streaming	Less efficient for media streaming
Security	Have its own DTLS encryption mechanism to protect data and media streams	Doesn’t provide encryption itself, yet is developed to work smoothly with TLS/SSL and offers strong security through wss://
Complexity	More complex to install and manage	Simpler to set up
Scalability	Limited for large-scale deployments	Easier to scale thanks to server infrastructure
Use Cases	File sharing, video conferencing, live streaming	Chat, real-time updates, notifications

When Can You Combine WebRTC with WebSocket?

Through the detailed comparison table, you may recognize how different WebRTC and WebSocket are. Despite these differences, they still can work seamlessly together to build powerful web apps. Below are some ways to combine WebRTC with WebSocket for modern applications:

Signaling: Use WebSocket to Create WebRTC Connections

WebRTC’s peer-to-peer capability requires devices to find each other and exchange connection details before creating any direct connection. This process is known as “signaling.” However, WebRTC itself has no signaling mechanism. Therefore, you can use WebSocket to offer a reliable, two-way connection between clients and a signaling server.

Accordingly, the server helps transfer signaling messages like SDP (Session Description Protocol describing the media features of each device) or ICE (Interactive Connectivity Establishment describing network addresses and ports for connection).

Data Channel Fallback: Use WebSocket as a Fallback Mechanism

WebRTC offers data channels for peer-to-peer data exchange. But what if direct P2P connections fail? In these cases, WebSocket may act as a fallback mechanism to relay data through a server. This ensures uninterrupted data transfer, even when network conditions are poor and unreliable.

Hybrid Apps: Use WebRTC & WebSocket for Different Functions

Many applications can utilize both communication technologies for different functionalities. For example, a communication app can rely on WebRTC to reduce delays in real-time data and media transfer, while WebSocket is useful for text chat, status updates, and control messages (e.g., screen sharing requests).

Conclusion

WebRTC and WebSocket are two critical communication technologies that allow us to hold video meetings, make voice calls, and share files easily in real-time. Each comes with strengths and weaknesses. Understanding the key differences between WebRTC vs WebSocket helps you choose the best technology to build modern web apps with desired functions.

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