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Alternatives · Notifications

ntfy alternatives (2026)

ntfy: The notification CLI that is actually free. curl it from a cron job.

Its Catch: Anonymous topics are passwords — guessable names leak other people's alerts.

Below: 8 free or free-tier tools from the same category (notification tools), free and open source first, then the closest match by shared tags. Each keeps its own Catch.

  1. 1.EdgepushAGPL server + MIT SDK: BYO APNs/FCM on Cloudflare Workers

    Free / OSS · Freemium · 9 GitHub stars

    VerdictAGPL Workers push. Self-host $0; Hosted Free is capped — ignore Pro.

    CatchBYO APNs+FCM on Cloudflare Workers — not ntfy/Gotify self-host pub/sub, not Novu workflow orchestration. Server is AGPL; pitch self-host or Hosted Free caps. Distinct from ntfy, Gotify, and Novu.

  2. 2.web-pushMPL-2.0 classic Node Web Push Protocol + VAPID library

    Free / OSS · OSS/MIT · 3.6k GitHub stars

    VerdictMPL-2.0 Node Web Push lib. Free forever on Node; stale npm + Workers are the catches.

    CatchMaintenance pace slow — npm ~3.6.7, last publish ~2024-01; repo still merges but npm lag is real. Vs PushForge (edge/Workers Web Crypto builder) and vs ntfy/Gotify/OneSignal/Novu: Node-only library, not Workers, not a self-host inbox, not multi-channel SaaS. MPL-2.0 file-level copyleft — read the license before vendoring into proprietary trees.

  3. 3.notifiersMIT one Python API for many notification providers

    Free / OSS · OSS/MIT · 2.7k GitHub stars

    VerdictA tidy choice for Python code that needs to send to several providers.

    CatchFewer providers than Apprise, which is the bigger tool in this space. Version 2.0 is fresh, so check the changelog when upgrading. It is a sending library, not a notification inbox or a service.

  4. 4.ListmonkAGPL-3.0 self-hosted newsletters and transactional mail

    Free / OSS · AGPL-3.0 · 23.8k GitHub stars

    VerdictThe self-host newsletter stack. AGPL, fully free, you run the mail.

    CatchAGPL-3.0 is copyleft — network use means you share modifications. You operate Postgres, SMTP, and bounces. There is no official hosted Listmonk Cloud.

  5. 5.AppriseBSD-2-Clause CLI that talks to a hundred notifiers

    Free / OSS · BSD-2-Clause · 17.6k GitHub stars

    VerdictThe notification Swiss Army CLI. BSD, no meter, no product SKU.

    CatchNot a hosted inbox. There is no pricing page — that is the path. You bring every backend (SMTP, Slack tokens, Twilio). This is a notifier, not ntfy and not Novu.

  6. 6.GotifyMIT self-host push server; Android-first, no ntfy.sh twin

    Free / OSS · OSS/MIT · 16.1k GitHub stars

    VerdictMIT push you self-host. No ntfy.sh-shaped public instance; Android is the client.

    CatchNo public hosted twin like ntfy.sh. Android-first client, not a public pub-sub host. Distinct from ntfy (public ntfy.sh + dual license) and Apprise (CLI fan-out, no inbox).

  7. 7.MauticGPL-3.0 self-host marketing automation; hosted trial is not free

    Free / OSS · GPL-3.0 · 10.8k GitHub stars

    VerdictGPL-3.0 marketing automation. Self-host free; hosted trial is not forever-$0.

    CatchMarketing automation — not Listmonk newsletter/tx alone. Hosted 14-day trial is NOT the free path; self-host is. Distinct from Listmonk.

  8. 8.ShoveMIT end-to-end Go device-push relay

    Free / OSS · AGPL-3.0 · 283 GitHub stars

    VerdictMIT Go push relay. Self-host free; not Edgepush AGPL Workers.

    CatchEdgepush server is AGPL; Shove is MIT end-to-end Go. Device-push relay — not ntfy/Gotify general pub/sub, not Novu multi-channel workflows. Distinct from Edgepush, ntfy, Gotify, and Novu.

FAQ

What are the best free alternatives to ntfy?
Edgepush, web-push, notifiers, Listmonk, Apprise. All are reviewed on Stack Gems in the same category (notification tools); 8 free or open source.
What is the catch with ntfy?
Anonymous topics are passwords — guessable names leak other people's alerts.
Is there an open-source alternative to ntfy?
Yes: Edgepush (Freemium), web-push (OSS/MIT), notifiers (OSS/MIT), Listmonk (AGPL-3.0).

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