How Much Do Push Notifications Cost? Real Pricing Comparison

Are you trying to reach your customers instantly? Push notifications are the right channel to do just that. But before you dive right in and get the first available provider, it's important to take a look at the push notifications cost . Learn about the prevailing pricing models and the hidden costs to ensure that your marketing budget goes exactly where you need it.

Common Push Notification Service Models and Pricing Approaches

Key Factors Influencing Push Notifications Cost

When you are thinking of using a new service for your business, it is important to evaluate its cost. This is particularly true for channels like push notifications for your app or your website. In reality, several key factors drive how much you'll pay, which are the following:

• Monthly Active Users (MAU)/Subscribers: One of the factors that plays a significant role in your push notifications cost is how many monthly active users (MAU) your brand has. Many providers charge based on how many users you are sending notifications to. Others might also charge based on the number of registered devices.
• Message Volume: Apart from your user count, how many notifications you send can also matter. Some providers will charge you based on the volume, so it's important to figure out your needs beforehand.
• Advanced Features: If you require advanced features, then you will need to find a more specialized platform, which often costs more. However, these more advanced features might also be worth the extra cost as they can push your company to new heights, and the ROI might exceed the web push notifications.
• Support Level and Company Needs: Some other elements that can raise the cost are specific things that your business might need. For example, if you are in a large organization, you might require 24/7 support, custom onboarding, and team training.
• Platform Scope and Channels: Another factor that has a critical role in push notifications cost is the scope of the platform. Some providers specialize in app and web push notifications, and others have developed for multichannel and omnichannel marketing.
• Hidden Costs: Even free services might include hidden costs that you need to be prepared for. Hidden costs are typically what throw off your business budget, as they are often overlooked.

Primary Push Notification Pricing Models in the Market

In the market, we typically see several broad pricing models used by push notification services. Below are the main ones.

#1 Freemium & Pay‐As‐You‐Go

The freemium is one of the most commonly used pricing models. However, it doesn't mean that there are no push notifications. In this model, the provider offers you a basic free tier, limited by user count and with access only to basic features. Other providers use the pay-as-you-go pricing model, which is often paired with the freemium model. In this case, you will pay only for the services and the volume of messages you will need to send.

Both of these models are ideal for startups or companies that want to experiment with their communications channels. Especially in the pay-as-you-go model, you will have a breakdown of your cost from the beginning. The risk is that as you scale, the cost might dramatically increase.

#2 MAU/Subscriber-Based Tiered Pricing

Another popular pricing model is based on your MAU or subscribers. The web push notifications cost is tied to your size, and you have to select a tier accordingly. For instance, a provider might offer different plans for up to 10k users, up to 100k users, etc. In this pricing model, you can send as many notifications as your tier includes at a fixed price. This makes the cost predictable even as you scale. However, there is always the risk of paying for unused communications.

#3 Custom Enterprise Plans/Contracted Pricing

Large organizations with high volume and complex needs typically use a custom pricing plan. Even if the providers are using some of the previous pricing models, they will offer custom contracts to enterprises that want to work with them. In this case, you can negotiate custom pricing to bring the push notifications cost to where you want it. Of course, the cost of enterprise plans is higher, but the services are tailored to your needs.

When you require total control and premium services, an enterprise plan is the solution. Get in touch with EngageLab to get an offer customized to your brand and its special needs.

How Much Does It Cost to Use a Push Notification Service?

Still, knowing all of the above doesn't answer the question of which provider to choose. In this section, we will summarize the pricing strategy that the most popular providers use, so that you can make your comparison and make the right decision for your brand.

1. EngageLab

EngageLab is a comprehensive engagement platform with a focus on unlimited push notifications and scalable pricing. In the platform, you can develop numerous channels according to your needs, including push notifications, both app push and web push, email, SMS, and WhatsApp.

In addition to this, you gain access to detailed analytics, personalization and segmentation features, and A/B testing. And what's best is that you can try push notifications in EngageLab in its free trial period (30-day free trial for AppPush and 15-day for WebPush).

Try EngageLab for Free

2. OneSignal

OneSignal is a widely used customer engagement platform covering mobile push, web push, in-app messaging, email, and SMS, among others. A great thing about this platform is that it is feature-rich, even in its free plan. Indicatively, among its features, you will find unlimited mobile push notifications, segmentation, and A/B testing. For more advanced features, though, you will have to upgrade the growth or one of the platform's custom plans. OneSignal is great for lowering the push notification cost for small businesses, as it has a free plan.

3. Klaviyo

Klaviyo is primarily known for email and SMS marketing automation, and it also offers mobile push notifications and web push services. This platform has made a name for itself for its use of AI, giving you access to generative AI features. Other features you will find in Klaviyo include integrated multi‐channel workflows, segmentation, advanced analytics, and access to customer agents. When it comes to push notifications cost, the platform has a free plan for a limited number of user profiles.

4. Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)

FCM is the push notification service from Google's Firebase/Google Cloud platform. It supports Android, iOS, and web push notifications, which makes it very convenient for all businesses that want to boost their communications. FCM offers features, line A/B testing, and Analytics for free to all users.

5. Airship

Airship is one of the most advanced platforms for cross-channel user engagement. It offers push notifications, in-app messaging, email, SMS/MMS, mobile wallet, and AI-powered journeys. Among its features, you will find advanced personalization and generative AI to optimize conversations. However, there is no free trial available.

Provider Comparison Table

Hidden Push Notifications Costs That Are Easily Overlooked

Even when you think the license cost is clear, you might come across some additional costs that providers fail to communicate to you. These hidden or secondary costs include the following:

• Rich Media: If you send notifications with an image, or use heavy customization, you might be charged extra for bandwidth, storage, or data transfer

• Data/Storage Cost: You might come across extra charges for user segmentation, analytics, and storing user behavior data
• Message Deliverability and Device-Specific Channels: Android, iOS, and web all behave differently, so your provider might require extra configuration or add-ons to ensure high deliverability. However, this also means that your web push notification cost will increase.
• Testing, Segmentation, and Optimization Cost: More advanced campaigns might require tools that aren't available in all plans. This will push you into higher tiers, thus increasing the push notifications cost.

• Multichannel Add-Ons: If you later decide to add email, SMS, WhatsApp, or in-app messaging, you might see extra charges as you will need to upgrade your existing plan.
• Contract Exit Cost: Some enterprise plans require long-term contracts. If you wish to switch providers, there is a high chance that you will have to pay a migration cost.

Beyond Push Notifications: Building a Multi-Channel Strategy

Why a Multichannel Approach is Essential

There are many reasons why push notifications are a channel worth investing in. They are powerful, and you can get started with a fairly small push notification cost. But if you rely solely on push, you leave your brand vulnerable, as not all users opt in to push or register device tokens. Moreover, they can easily ignore or disable push if overused if they feel like you overuse them. And, the truth is, that some messages are better suited for email, SMS, or in-app messaging. Therefore, the best approach is to use a multi-channel strategy that gives you a broader reach.

Cost Comparison: Push Notifications vs. Email vs. SMS

As a business, you need to know the cost before investing in a new feature, service, or channel. To make things easier for you, we have created a table to compare the costs of push notifications, email, and SMS:

Channel Recommendations for Different Industries and Scenarios

When crafting a multichannel engagement strategy, it is important to know which channel is the best for each case. Below, you will find a breakdown of what to use depending on your industry, with specific scenarios:

• E-Commerce and Retail: Use push notifications for cart abandonment, back-in-stock alerts, and flash sales. Use email for broader campaigns, product drops, and newsletters, and use SMS for urgent coupon notifications or VIP alerts.
• SaaS and Subscription Services: Use web or in-app push messages to engage active users with feature announcements and usage reminders. Use email for onboarding flows and SMS only if critical, like for security alerts.
• Publishing/Media/Content Websites: Use web push notifications for breaking news alerts. Use email for digest/weekly newsletter and SMS only for premium alerts.
• Gaming and Mobile Apps: Use in-app push for daily reward reminders and event notifications, and email for less-frequent communications. SMS is rarely used except for VIP players.
• Financial and Fintech: Use web and in-app notifications for transaction alerts, email for statements, and SMS for urgent security/confirmation alerts.

EngageLab: A Unified Solution for Scalable Engagement

For businesses that want a scalable, predictable, cost-effective multi-channel engagement platform, EngageLab stands out.

Here's why:

• Unlimited push notifications (both AppPush and WebPush) and unlimited registered users mean you're not penalized for high send frequency or a broad audience
• Pricing based on DAU gives a clear cost metric aligned with your active user base, rather than per-send or per-message models. EngageLab is truly the most transparent provider, letting you know the exact push notifications cost in advance.
• Free trials (30-day for AppPush and 15-day for WebPush) let you test the service without immediately committing to the platform.
• Multi-channel support (email, SMS, and WhatsApp) means you can expand beyond push without needing different platforms.

If you're looking to implement push notifications and build a multi-channel engagement strategy without locking into high-cost enterprise tools, sign up for EngageLab. They allow you to estimate your cost based on your DAU, get started with a free trial, and scale as your user base grows. Unlock multichannel efficiency and boost your business communication with EngageLab today.