ExpressTURN vs Xirsys

Xirsys targets enterprises with SLAs. ExpressTURN targets indie devs and small SaaS with $9 flat.

TL;DR

Xirsys is a long-running TURN provider with formal SLAs, enterprise plans, and a REST API for credential issuance. ExpressTURN is leaner, cheaper, and aimed at developers who want a relay that just works without an enterprise contract conversation.

Side-by-side

Dimension	Xirsys	ExpressTURN
Pricing model	Tiered plans, scales up to enterprise	Flat $9/month for 5 TB; free 1 TB
Free tier	Limited dev plan	1 TB/month, all features
SLA	Available on enterprise tiers	No formal SLA at $9
Auth	REST API for time-limited creds	Long-term creds; HMAC shared-secret on premium
Protocol	RFC 5766/8656	RFC 5766/8656
Setup	Sign up + API key flow	Sign up + copy creds from dashboard

When Xirsys is the right choice

You need a written SLA with credit clauses for procurement.
Your finance/legal teams require an enterprise vendor with annual contracts.
You're already integrated with Xirsys and the migration cost outweighs the savings.

When ExpressTURN is the right choice

You're a developer or small team that just wants reliable TURN at a fixed price.
$9/month covers your traffic; you don't want to be on enterprise tiers.
You're fine implementing HMAC credential signing in your own backend (we have examples).

Migration

Same standard TURN. Replace the Xirsys API call with the static credentials from your ExpressTURN dashboard, or with a server-side HMAC signer if you want short-lived credentials.

// Before (Xirsys)
const xirsys = await fetch('https://global.xirsys.net/_turn/...', { method: 'PUT', ... }).then(r => r.json());
const pc = new RTCPeerConnection({ iceServers: xirsys.v.iceServers });

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

Skip the procurement call. Try free for 1 TB.