Free Notification APIs
Which notification APIs a startup can send push, in-app, email and SMS notifications with for free today, how many messages or subscribers the free plan covers, which channels it handles, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Notification providers change their free allowances from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you build on one.
Notification APIs a startup can use for free today include Novu (10,000 workflow runs a month), Firebase Cloud Messaging (No-cost push messaging (FCM)), Knock (Up to 10,000 messages a month), OneSignal (10,000 email sends a month), and SuprSend (10,000 notifications a month). Each of the 9 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, the channels it covers, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Every product ends up notifying its users: a password reset, a comment, a payment, a reminder. Notification APIs route those messages to email, in-app inboxes, push and chat from one call, and push services deliver to phones and browsers, most with a free plan.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. A free plan can cap messages or workflow runs a month, count subscribers or monthly active users, or keep some channels and logs for paid plans. Each API below shows what is free, its main limit, the channels it covers, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which APIs we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which APIs are listed or where.
Notification infrastructure with a free plan
One API that sends to in-app, email, push, SMS and chat, with a free monthly allowance.
- 1
Novu
Teams that want every channel in one workflow engine
Novu's free plan includes 10,000 workflow runs a month across all channels, with up to 20 workflows and no credit card. The first paid plan starts from $30 a month.
- Main limit
- Up to 20 workflows (source: novu.co)
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: novu.co)
- First paid plan
- Paid plan from $30 a month (source: novu.co)
- 2
Knock
Product teams wiring email, push and in-app from one API
Knock's free plan covers up to 10,000 messages a month across unlimited delivery channels, with no credit card. The first paid plan is $250 a month plus additional usage.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: knock.app)
- First paid plan
- $250 a month plus additional usage (source: knock.app)
- 3
SuprSend
Solo developers and small apps with simple alerts
SuprSend's free plan covers 10k notifications a month with unlimited channels, and no credit card is needed. Essentials costs $100 a month, billed annually at $1,200.
- Payment card
- No credit card required (source: suprsend.com)
- First paid plan
- Essentials: $100 a month (source: suprsend.com)
- 4
Courier
Developers who want pay-as-you-go notification sends
Courier's free plan covers 10,000 sends a month, and its message logs are kept for 7 days. After that, sends cost $0.005 each as you grow.
- What's free
- 10,000 sends a month (source: courier.com)
- First paid plan
- $0.005 per send as you grow (source: courier.com)
- 5
MagicBell
An in-app notification inbox on one project
MagicBell's Builder plan is $0 a month, with all integrations and 1,000 deliveries a month. The Startup plan is $249 a month.
- First paid plan
- Startup: $249 a month (source: magicbell.com)
Start free at MagicBellTerms read on magicbell.com on MagicBell: the free allowance and how to start
Push notification services with a free plan
Mobile and web push, with a free plan to start.
- 1
Firebase Cloud Messaging
Android, iOS and web push with no spend
Firebase lists Cloud Messaging (FCM) as no-cost, with generous no-cost usage limits and no payment method needed. The next plan up is Pay as you go (Blaze plan).
- First paid plan
- Blaze: pay as you go (source: firebase.google.com)
Start free at FirebaseTerms read on firebase.google.com on Firebase Cloud Messaging: the free allowance and how to start - 2
OneSignal
Web and mobile push for early-stage apps
OneSignal's free plan includes 10,000 email sends a month and access to all channels, with mobile push for up to 1,000 monthly active users. The Growth plan starts at $19 a month.
- First paid plan
- Growth: from $19 a month (source: onesignal.com)
Start free at OneSignalTerms read on onesignal.com on OneSignal: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Pushwoosh
Push and in-app for apps under 1,000 MAU
Pushwoosh's pay-as-you-go plan is free while a project stays within 1,000 monthly active users, and push and in-app messages are unlimited at no extra cost. Beyond that limit, push costs $7 per 1,000 MAU.
- What's free
- Free up to 1,000 MAU (source: pushwoosh.com)
- First paid plan
- Push only: $7 per 1,000 MAU (source: pushwoosh.com)
Start free at PushwooshTerms read on pushwoosh.com on Pushwoosh: the free allowance and how to start - 4
Pusher Beams
Testing push alerts on a small app
Pusher Beams' Sandbox plan is free with 1,000 subscribers and best-effort response times. The Startup plan is $29 a month for 10,000 subscribers.
Also useful for founders
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
Compare the top options
How this comparison is built
The list covers notification infrastructure and push notification services a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each API's terms. Every term comes from the API's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on messages or subscribers, or channels kept for paid plans, can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these APIs pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a API appears, and no API pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free notification API?
It depends on volume and channels. By the terms each provider states, Novu includes 10,000 workflow runs a month across email, in-app, SMS, chat and push, Knock up to 10,000 messages a month, SuprSend 10,000 notifications a month, and Courier 10,000 sends a month.
Is Firebase Cloud Messaging free?
Yes. Firebase Cloud Messaging is no-cost push messaging for Android, iOS and the web, and needs no payment method on the free plan.
Is OneSignal free?
OneSignal's free plan includes 10,000 email sends a month and mobile push for up to 1,000 monthly active users. Growth starts at $19 a month.
Which free plans include in-app notifications?
Novu's free plan covers in-app alongside email, SMS, chat and push, Knock's includes up to 500 guide recipients a month for in-app messages, and Pushwoosh covers push and in-app for up to 1,000 monthly active users.
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