---
title: BuzzKit vs Knock
description: An open source alternative to Knock for teams whose channel is mobile push, with segments, scheduling, preferences, workflows and a ledger built in.
canonical: https://buzzkit.dev/compare/knock
last-updated: 2026-09-02
---

# BuzzKit vs Knock. Push done deeply, nothing to assemble.

Knock is hosted notification infrastructure across many channels. BuzzKit does mobile push deeply and open source: segments, scheduling, preferences, workflows and a ledger built in.

## Side by side

| Capability | BuzzKit | Knock |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Channels** | | |
| iOS push | Yes | Yes |
| Live Activities | Yes | — |
| Android push | Soon | Yes |
| Email | Soon | Yes |
| SMS | Soon | Yes |
| In-app messages | — | Yes |
| **Sending** | | |
| Your own APNs and FCM keys | Yes | Yes |
| Action buttons and deep links | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery in each subscriber’s time zone | Yes | — |
| Quiet hours and daily caps | Yes | — |
| A ledger of every delivery attempt | Yes | Yes |
| **Audience** | | |
| Subscribers by your own ids | Yes | Yes |
| Unlimited subscribers | Yes | Yes |
| Segments over attributes and events | Yes | Yes |
| Topics and preferences | Yes | Yes |
| Tenants for platforms built on top of it | Yes | Yes |
| **Automation** | | |
| Workflows that start from user events | Yes | API trigger |
| Conditions on what the user did | Yes | — |
| Wait for an event | Yes | — |
| Wait for a quiet moment on the device | Yes | — |
| Branches and loops | Yes | Yes |
| Call your own API from a step | Yes | Yes |
| Workflows as versioned specs | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks from other tools as events | Yes | Integrations |
| **Platform** | | |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted on your infrastructure | Yes | — |
| Pricing | Per delivery | Per notification |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |

## Choose BuzzKit when

- You want everything a push needs in one place: sending, segments, scheduling, preferences, workflows and a ledger, from one POST.
- Mobile push is the channel that matters and you want it handled deeply.
- You want segments over your own events, not only workflow conditions.
- You run a platform and need isolated tenants with their own keys.

## Choose Knock when

- You need email, SMS, chat and in-app from one workflow today.
- You want hosted preference and inbox components in your product.
- You want a vendor with a long enterprise track record today.

## Questions

### Are BuzzKit workflows comparable to Knock workflows?

Both run a sequence of steps per recipient with delays and branches. BuzzKit workflows also wait for events or a quiet moment on the device, loop, call your API with a secret, and dry-run against a real subscriber before publishing.

### Does BuzzKit send email?

Not yet. The first version delivers mobile push through APNs and FCM, and channels are generic in the core, so email arrives later as a connector.

### Do I have to self-host BuzzKit?

No. The hosted version is the easiest way in and free during the beta. Self-hosting is there when you want it, with the same code.

## Start

- [Start sending](https://buzzkit.dev/dashboard)
- [API Reference](https://docs.buzzkit.dev)
- [BuzzKit on GitHub](https://github.com/buzzkit-dev/buzzkit)