ExpressTURN vs Metered

TL;DR

ExpressTURN and Metered both target indie devs and small SaaS teams looking for cheap, reliable TURN. Both work. Differences come down to pricing structure, free-tier ceiling, and authentication features.

Side-by-side

Always check Metered's current pricing page for live numbers.

When Metered is the right choice

• You prefer a REST API for issuing time-limited credentials over running HMAC code yourself.
• You're already using Metered's other WebRTC products (recording, etc.) and want one bill.
• Your traffic profile fits one of their narrower-band plans better than ExpressTURN's flat tiers.

When ExpressTURN is the right choice

• You want flat, predictable pricing — $9/month, no surprises.
• You're under 5 TB/month and the bracketed bandwidth tiers feel inconvenient.
• You're comfortable doing HMAC credential signing in your own backend (we have copy-paste examples in 4 languages).
• You want a 30-day refund safety net.

Migration is one config change

Both speak standard TURN. Swap your iceServers array; nothing else needs to change.

// Before (Metered)
const iceCfg = await fetch('https://YOUR.metered.live/api/v1/turn/credentials?apiKey=...').then(r => r.json());

// After (ExpressTURN)
const iceCfg = [
  { urls: 'stun:stun.expressturn.com:3478' },
  { urls: ['turn:relay1.expressturn.com:3478?transport=udp',
           'turns:relay1.expressturn.com:443?transport=tcp'],
    username: 'YOUR_EXPRESSTURN_USERNAME',
    credential: 'YOUR_EXPRESSTURN_PASSWORD' }
];

Or list both during a transition week — ICE picks the best path, you observe before committing.

Related: vs Twilio · vs self-hosted coturn