Free push notification services for scripts and servers
PushPiper is free for 10,000 messages a month with no card and no app to buy, and works with Pushover's API. ntfy.sh allows 250 messages a day with no account, Pushover 10,000 a month with a $4.99 app for each platform, and Gotify is free on your own server.
9 push notification services side by side
| Service | Free tier | Paid from | Apps | End-to-end encryption | Self-host |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PushPiper | 10,000 messages a month on 10 devices | €4 a month for 50,000 messages | Web app on iPhone, Android and desktop | Yes, on every device | No |
| Pushover | 10,000 messages a month, 30-day app trial | $4.99 once per platform | iPhone, iPad, Android, desktop browsers | Yes, in the iOS and Android apps | No |
| ntfy | 250 messages a day on ntfy.sh, no sign-up | $6 a month for 2,500 a day | Android, iOS, web | Not yet, requested since 2021 | Yes, open source |
| Gotify | Free on your own server | Nothing to buy | Android, web UI | No, request closed as not planned | Yes, self-hosted only |
| Pushbullet | 500 pushes a month | $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year | Android, Chrome, Firefox, Windows | Not for pushes | No |
| Telegram bot | Free, about 1 message a second per chat | Paid broadcasts past 30 a second | iOS, Android, desktop, web | No, Telegram's server handles it | No, messages go through Telegram |
| Simplepush | 2,500 requests a day on 1 topic | $6 a month for 10,000 a day | iOS, Android | Yes, once you turn it on | No |
| Pushsafer | A small test quota per device | €0.99 for 1,000 API calls | iOS, Android, Windows, Chrome, Firefox | Not published | No |
| Bark | Free, no published cap | Nothing to buy | iPhone | Yes, with a key you set | Yes, open source |
Which one to pick
- Scripts written for Pushover: PushPiper takes the same requests free, with no app to buy. Pick Pushover for its native apps.
- No account at all: ntfy.sh, up to 250 messages a day.
- Your own server: ntfy for Android and iOS, Gotify for Android, Bark for iPhone.
- You already use Telegram: a bot costs nothing and needs no new app.
- Encryption on every screen: PushPiper. Pushover encrypts in its mobile apps, Simplepush and Bark once you turn it on.
- High volume on a budget: Simplepush Solo allows 10,000 a day for $6 a month, ntfy 2,500 a day for $6, PushPiper Pro 50,000 a month for €4.
PushPiper: 10,000 free messages a month on Pushover's API
Scripts that post to api.pushover.net work once you change the host to api.pushpiper.com and swap in your PushPiper keys. The free plan covers 10,000 messages a month on 10 devices with no card, and Pro is €4 a month for 50,000. Messages arrive by Web Push in a web app for iPhone (iOS 16.4 or later), Android and desktop, with end-to-end encryption on every device. There are no native apps yet, and no self-hosting.
Pushover: native apps for $4.99 per platform
Every Pushover account sends 10,000 messages a month, but receiving costs $4.99 once per platform after a 30-day trial, so iPhone, Android and desktop are three separate purchases. Teams pay $5 per user a month and share 25,000 messages. The native apps cover iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Android, with end-to-end encryption on iOS and Android. PushPiper as a Pushover alternative compares the two in detail.
ntfy: open source, 250 free messages a day
One curl -d to a topic URL sends a notification, no sign-up needed. The public ntfy.sh server allows 250 messages a day, and paid plans start at $6 a month, or $5 billed yearly, for 2,500 a day. It's open source under Apache 2.0 and GPLv2, so you can run your own server with your own limits, and it has apps for Android, iOS and the web. End-to-end encryption has been an open request since December 2021.
Gotify: free and self-hosted, with an Android app
Gotify is a free, MIT-licensed server you run yourself: apps send messages through its REST API and clients receive them over a WebSocket. There's no hosted plan, so the only cost is your server. Official clients are an Android app, a web UI and a CLI, with no iPhone app. A 2018 request for end-to-end encryption was closed as not planned.
Pushbullet: 500 free pushes a month
Pushbullet's API sends notes, links and files to your devices, but free accounts are capped at 500 pushes a month and get an error past that. Pro costs $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year. Its download page lists Android, Chrome, Firefox and Windows, with no iPhone app. Its end-to-end encryption covers notification mirroring, copy and paste and SMS, not the pushes your scripts send.
Telegram bot: free if you already use Telegram
Bots are free for users and developers: create one with @BotFather and call sendMessage with up to 4,096 characters. You message the bot first, since bots can't start a chat. Telegram asks bots to stay under about one message a second per chat and 20 a minute in a group. Bot messages aren't end-to-end encrypted, because Telegram's own server handles all encryption for bots.
Simplepush: 2,500 free requests a day
The free plan allows 2,500 requests a day on one topic, with end-to-end encryption you can turn on. Solo is $6 a month or $50 a year for 10,000 a day. It has iOS and Android apps, a CLI and Python and TypeScript SDKs, and it's hosted in Germany. Its focus is now field teams and AI agents, but it says personal notifications from scripts and servers aren't going away.
Pushsafer: pay per message from €0.99
Pushsafer gives each registered device a small test quota, then sells API calls in packs, from 1,000 for €0.99 to 500,000 for €99.99. One API call is one message to one device, so a message to three devices uses three. Apps cover iOS, Android and Windows 10, plus Web Push in Chrome and Firefox. Its docs don't mention end-to-end encryption.
Bark: free and open source, for iPhone
Bark is a free, MIT-licensed iOS app you push to with a plain HTTP request to api.day.app/<your key>. Use the public server or run bark-server yourself with Docker. Encrypted pushes use a key you set in the app, so neither the Bark server nor Apple's push service can read them. Bark doesn't publish a message cap.
Sources
Every number was checked on 11 October 2026 on the service's own pages:
- Pushover: pricing, limits, encryption
- ntfy: pricing, limits, encryption request
- Gotify: overview, license, encryption request
- Pushbullet: Pro, apps, push limit
- Telegram: bots, limits, sendMessage, apps
- Simplepush: plans
- Pushsafer: prices and platforms
- Bark: app, server, encryption
Questions and answers
What is the best free push notification service for scripts?
It depends on the limit you hit first. PushPiper sends 10,000 messages a month free with no app to buy, ntfy.sh allows 250 a day with no account, and Gotify, Bark and a self-hosted ntfy are free on your own server.
How many free messages does each service allow?
PushPiper and Pushover allow 10,000 a month, Pushbullet 500 a month, Simplepush 2,500 a day and ntfy.sh 250 a day. Telegram asks bots to send about one message a second per chat instead of setting a monthly cap, and Pushsafer gives a small test quota per device.
What does it cost once I outgrow the free tier?
PushPiper Pro is €4 a month for 50,000 messages. ntfy and Simplepush start at $6 a month, for 2,500 and 10,000 messages a day. Pushbullet Pro is $4.99 a month, Pushover for Teams $5 per user a month, and Pushsafer sells 1,000 API calls for €0.99.
Which ones support end-to-end encryption?
PushPiper on every device, Pushover in its iOS and Android apps, Simplepush once you turn it on, and Bark with a key you set in the app. ntfy has had an open request since 2021, Gotify closed its request as not planned, and Telegram bot messages and Pushbullet pushes are not end-to-end encrypted.
Which push notification services can I host myself?
ntfy, Gotify and Bark publish their servers as open source. ntfy has Android and iOS apps, Gotify an Android app and Bark an iOS app. PushPiper, Pushover, Pushbullet, Simplepush and Pushsafer are hosted services.
10,000 free messages a month, no app to buy
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