head to head
Novu vs Knock
Open-source self-host versus polished hosted product.
Side by side
| Feature | Novu | Knock |
|---|---|---|
| Tagline | Open-source notification infrastructure. | Notification infrastructure with workflow engine. |
| Free tier | 30,000 events/mo on cloud, free self-hosted | 10,000 notifications/mo |
| Starts at | $250/mo (Business cloud) | $249/mo (Starter) |
| Pricing model | volume | volume |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP | No | No |
| SDKs | node, python, go, php, java, dotnet | node, python, go, ruby, php, elixir, java, dotnet |
| Templates | rich | rich |
| React Email | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| Inbound | No | No |
| Multi-tenant | Yes | Yes |
| Idempotency | Yes | Yes |
| Dedicated IP | No | No |
| Deliverability | BYO provider. | Inherits the deliverability of the provider you BYO (Postmark, SendGrid, Resend). |
| DX score | 8/10 | 9/10 |
| Best for | Teams that want self-hostable notification infrastructure. | Teams that need multi-channel product notifications with preferences. |
Novu
pros
- ›Open source, MIT-licensed
- ›Self-hostable
- ›Active community
cons
- ›Self-hosting takes effort
- ›Cloud pricing competitive only above 1M events/mo
Knock
pros
- ›Strong workflow engine
- ›In-app feed component
- ›Deep SDK coverage
- ›Idempotency keys
cons
- ›Pricier than running your own; entry plan is steep
- ›Bring your own delivery provider