---
title: BuzzKit vs Novu
description: BuzzKit and Novu are both open source. Novu spans every channel; BuzzKit does mobile push completely.
canonical: https://buzzkit.dev/compare/novu
last-updated: 2026-09-02
---

# BuzzKit vs Novu. Both open source, different depths.

Novu is open source notification infrastructure across email, in-app, SMS, chat and push. BuzzKit is open source too, and goes deep on mobile push: segments, local-time delivery, quiet moments and a ledger.

## Side by side

| Capability | BuzzKit | Novu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Channels** | | |
| iOS push | Yes | Through providers |
| 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 | Provider payload |
| Delivery in each subscriber’s time zone | Yes | — |
| Quiet hours and daily caps | Yes | Throttle step |
| A ledger of every delivery attempt | Yes | Activity feed |
| **Audience** | | |
| Subscribers by your own ids | Yes | Yes |
| Unlimited subscribers | Yes | Yes |
| Segments over attributes and events | Yes | Topics |
| 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 | Step conditions |
| Call your own API from a step | Yes | Yes |
| Workflows as versioned specs | Yes | Code-first framework |
| Webhooks from other tools as events | Yes | — |
| **Platform** | | |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted on your infrastructure | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing | Per delivery | Per workflow run |
| 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 topics.
- You run a platform and need isolated tenants with their own keys.

## Choose Novu when

- You need email, in-app, SMS and chat from one workflow today.
- You want an in-app inbox component in your product.
- Your workflows live in your codebase with the Novu framework.

## Questions

### Are BuzzKit and Novu both open source?

Yes. Both publish the code and offer a hosted version and self-hosting. BuzzKit is built around mobile push first; Novu is built around many channels.

### Does BuzzKit have an in-app inbox?

No. BuzzKit sends push and tracks what happens to it. An inbox is a different product, and Novu ships one.

### How is BuzzKit priced compared with Novu?

BuzzKit counts deliveries, one recipient on one channel. Novu counts workflow runs. Both have a free plan and unlimited subscribers.

## Start

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