When Apple pioneered push notifications service with iOS version 3, mobile technology was still going through a lot of development. The ability to trigger notifications on a smart mobile device, without knowing the recipient’s contact number or email address enticed many others to join the league. Much sooner Google and Microsoft came up with the same technology, to power up their Android and Windows smartphones.
Today, after a decade, the users of almost every internet-enabled device with a display unit are experiencing push notifications in different aspects. We can name few-Android Phones, Apple phones, Blackberry phones, Tablets, Laptops, Desktops, Smart TVs, Smartwatches, Fitness bands, etc.
What does push notification mean?
A push notification serves as a messaging medium that delivers information from an authorized App. Publisher or website to a supported device without any specific request. It is the same as sending an SMS, but without knowing the recipient’s delivery address (contact number or email address). Various push notifications software and tools make it possible by calibrating different events for triggering the notifications.
Here are a few push notification examples for Desktop, Mobile, and Smartwatches:
Web Push Notification on a Desktop
Web Push Notification on a Mobile
App Push notification on a Mobile
Push notification on a Smartwatch
Best push notifications services utilize an array of innovative ways to send multifaceted push notifications to the target devices and subscribed users. Based on the notification content, we can name a few notifications like –
- Transactional push notifications, which merely delivers information from the publisher to the users. These are preference-based notifications and update the users on important stuff relevant to them. Example, Order status update.
- Engagement notifications that deliver information, which would encourage the users to take an action. The action can be merely opening the app or even making a purchase. For example, alert for a new blog post or a flash sale alert
Our picks for top 10 best push notifications services and tools
Based on the type of notifications and level of personalization, we have picked 10 best push notification tools and services. This list will help you comprehend about operand of top push notification software or services in 2019. And how they function in a dissimilar environment to serve an unalike purpose.
Note: The list does not represent any particular priority or order.
Urban Airship
The push notification software by Urban Airship focuses itself on triggering some highly personalized push alerts for mobile devices. The notification service includes alerts like in-app messaging and general app push alerts. Similarly, the tool offers an audience segmentation on multiple grounds like Proximity, in-app behavior, and user preference. Consequently, the company has offered push notification services to major brands like ABS News, Adidas, and Virgin Galactic.
Pricing: Comes with a free trial for the first 45days. Later you can update to the premium plans based on your requirement.
Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and Windows phone.
Amazon SNS
Launched by Amazon in 2010, Amazon SNS supports mobile app developers with a ready-made API for sending app Push Notifications. The excellent hardware architecture makes this platform highly secure and suitable for small to biggest app development projects. Similarly, it supports multiple protocols for a seamless message delivery across all popular channels. Few of the major subscribers of this service include WunderList, Yelp, Hike Messenger, and Yik Yak.
Pricing: No charges for the first million notifications sent. Subsequently, you will need to pay $50/million notification.
Supported Platforms: iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Amazon Fire OS
PushMaze
Instead of offering a push notification service, Pushmaze bids a self-hosted web and mobile push notifications tool to the businesses. In other words, it does not demand you to subscribe to a notification service. Instead, you can buy the tool at once with a time cost. It lets websites send trackable push alerts through Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), making it effectively free for the businesses. Likewise, the ability to create custom audience-segments makes this tool highly suitable for micro-targeting.
Pricing: Certainly, it comes with a one-time cost of $179. This makes the tool affordable for every grade of business.
Supported Platforms: Delivers web push notifications on all the devices with web browsers: Apple, Windows, Android, Blackberry, etc.
Batch
The French company is offering mobile push notifications service since 2014. Certainly, it specializes in triggering app-based notifications on a very large scale. Having been adopted by a large number of businesses already, its integrated Batch Insight tool tracks push campaigns from all your competitors who are using this tool. Moreover, with its sophisticated Batch API businesses can control their push campaigns from their native marketing dashboard alone.
Pricing: Offers free services for 500 notifications/minute rate with no Batch API. However, to increase the speed of notification delivery and integrate Batch API in your marketing dashboard, you can subscribe to the corresponding plans:
- 2,000 messages / minute with Batch API– $49/month
- 20,000 messages/minute with Batch API and standard support – $199/month.
Supported Platforms: iOS, Android, Unity, Windows Mobile, Ionic, Air, Cordova, and PhoneGap
Pushwoosh
The Pushwoosh push notification service permits the delivery of both mobile and web push notifications. With integrated analytics, businesses can track their push marketing campaigns and analyses the performance metrics on different grounds like delivery rate and click-through rate, etc. Furthermore, its dynamic dashboard offers separate configurations and setups for all the supported platforms like iOS, Android, Windows, etc.
Pricing: With a free service plan, you can send alerts to 1,000 devices. However, corresponding plans that support more devices come as follows:
- 50, 00 devices-$42/month
- 300k devices- $126/month
- Enterprise plan above 300k devices- custom pricing.
Supported Platforms: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows, Unity, Mac OS, Alexa etc.
Aimtell
The Southern California based mobile and web push Notification Company has sent more than 5 billion push notifications until date. With basic push notification creation, segmentation and analytics, the company also offer an integrated A/B testing tool to test the notification templates. Even more, it offers features like custom branding, third-party API integration, conversion tracking, Auto triggering, scheduled triggering, and many more.
Pricing: Certainly, it comes with different plans with a dissimilar bandwidth of usage:
- Starter plan: $29/month
- Basic: $50/month
- Plus: $100/month
- Enterprise: Custom price
Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows PC, Windows Phone, All web browsers.
Pushcrew
The well-known push notification service from Pushcrew is widespread among startups and established businesses for driving website traffic through push notifications. Also, it can send web push alerts on almost every device with web browsers. With its free trial and live demo, one can always test this one of the top push notifications services before upgrading to the premium version. It has offered services to well-known brands like Lenovo, HubSpot, and McAfee.
Pricing:
- Free service: up to 2,000 subscribers
- Premium plan: 2000-10,000 subscribers- $18/month
- Business plan: 2000-10,000 subscribers- $53/month
- Enterprise Plan: Custom pricing
Supported Platforms: iOS, Windows, and Android.
PushEngage
PushEngage is yet another browser push notification tool that allows both manual and automated triggering on the web browsers. The company also presents an excellent tool for startups where they do not need a mobile app to leverage push notifications in their business development. Therefore businesses and brands across 125 countries have used this tool to trigger notifications on almost every web browser. Some of the brands it has served are Indeed, Times Now and AJIO etc.
Pricing:
- Pro plan: up to 5000 subscribers-$29/month
- Business Plan: up to 25.000 subscribers- $59/month
- Large Business Plan: up to 10k subscribers- $99/month
- Enterprise Plan: Custom Pricing
Supported Platforms: Android, iOS and Windows PC.
IBM Mobile Push Notification
IBM Inc. is not behind any competitor in this list. It offers a superlative push notification service with simple UI that is usable by anyone with basic computer skills. In contrast to its intuitive UI, it seamlessly allows complicated implementation like client SDK and Rests API for further customization and third-party integration. Additionally, it comes with all the basic tools required to trigger and track the push alerts.
Pricing:
- Lite plan: Free
- Basic Plan: First one million notifications for free
- Above 1 million: Custom pricing
Supported Platforms: Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Windows PC.
iZooto
iZoto offers an extremely customized web push notification platform for eCommerce companies. With micro-targeting through segmentation, it claims itself as a revenue booster for the eCommerce websites. Hence the USP of this tool is its ability to create rich and engaging notification copies that are packed with text and images. The company additionally offers numerous services related to push campaign planning and successful execution.
Pricing:
- Basic plan: Free
- Essential Plan to send more than 2,500 notifications at $25/month
- Advanced Plan to send more than 5,000 notifications at $75/month
Supported Platforms: IOS, Windows, Mac, and Android.
Closing Thoughts
As a result push notification is gradually taking over tasks for which business solely depended on email and SMS marketing. By overcoming an array of drawbacks in the traditional channels, push notifications have become the marketers’ favorite. In this list certainly, we have tried out best to include the best push notification tools from all spheres including mobile, desktop, web, and app push notifications.
If you still cannot find a tool that supports your business app or website, it is time to think of the ways to integrate them. Our experts have made numerous integrations in the past few years. Optimistically, they can help to integrate the same on your touchpoint too.
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