OneSignal is the default pick for most small apps: free up to 1,000 monthly active users, and Growth starts at $19 per month plus usage, with in-app messages included with mobile push. Pushwoosh is the budget pick for push-led apps: Push only costs $7 per 1,000 monthly active users, with the first 1,000 free and every feature included on every plan. CleverTap and Customer.io suit teams that want in-app messages inside a wider lifecycle program, while Braze, Iterable, Airship, and MoEngage are quote-only enterprise options with no published list price.
In-app notification software shows messages inside your app while a person is using it, so it can guide a new user or announce a feature without waiting for a push opt-in. Pick by audience size first, then by channel mix, because the billing unit decides the monthly cost.
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Top-rated in-app notification software: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OneSignal | Small apps starting with push and in-app messages | $19 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Pushwoosh | Push-led apps on a simple per-user bill | $7 per 1,000 monthly active users | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | CleverTap | Mobile brands that want retention analytics with messaging | ₹2,000 per month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 4 | Customer.io | Data-driven lifecycle messaging across channels | $100 per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 5 | Braze | Large brands on cross-channel campaigns at scale | quote only | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 6 | Iterable | Enterprise teams on AI-led cross-channel journeys | quote only | No | Visit |
| 7 | Airship | App teams that want push, in-app, and Message Center | quote only | Yes | Visit |
| 8 | MoEngage | Mid-market and enterprise brands on tracked-user billing | quote only | No | Visit |
The 8 best top-rated in-app notification software tools, in detail
OneSignal
Best for: Small apps starting with push and in-app messages
OneSignal is the most direct starting point for an app that needs in-app messages alongside push. The Free plan costs $0 per month and covers unlimited mobile push and in-app messages for up to 1,000 monthly active users, plus 10,000 email sends per month. The Growth plan starts at $19 per month plus $0.012 per monthly active user, and in-app messages are included with mobile push at no extra usage charge.
- Growth allows 5 active journeys, 10 segments, and 10 data tags, with reporting history up to 90 days.
- Web push costs $0.004 per subscriber, and email above 20,000 sends per month costs $1.50 per 1,000 sends.
- OneSignal counts a monthly active user as a mobile record active in the app in the last 30 days, even without a push opt-in.
- Choose OneSignal for a free start and a monthly plan.
Pros
- Free plan up to 1,000 monthly active users
- in-app messages included with mobile push on Growth
- unlimited push sends on Growth
Cons
- Growth caps active journeys at 5 and segments at 10
- Professional and Enterprise prices are custom and annual only
Pushwoosh
Best for: Push-led apps on a simple per-user bill
Pushwoosh keeps its pricing model simple, and that is its main appeal. The subscription costs nothing while a project stays within 1,000 monthly active users. Above that, Push only costs $7 per 1,000 monthly active users, Omnichannel costs $13 per 1,000, and Email only costs $5 per 1,000 monthly unique recipients.
- Push and in-app messages are unlimited at no extra cost, and each monthly active user includes 20 email sends per month, with extra sends at $1.50 per
- Every plan includes the full platform, including unlimited campaigns and journeys, full segmentation, A/B testing, API access, analytics, and its Many
- A user counts toward monthly active users if that user received a message on any channel during the month, even without a push token, and users are de
- Custom plans start when the estimated cost passes $3,000 per month.
Pros
- Free while a project stays within 1,000 monthly active users
- every feature included on every plan, with no enterprise-only gates
Cons
- Push only rate of $7 per 1,000 monthly active users is a limited offer until December 31
- WhatsApp carries separate Meta charges on top of the plan
CleverTap
Best for: Mobile brands that want retention analytics with messaging
CleverTap pairs in-app messages with analytics, journeys, and experiments. Its Core plan is the only plan with a published price on the page opened today, shown as ₹2,000 per month, with ₹8,000 crossed out, and billing starts after a 30-day trial. Taxes apply and add-ons are excluded.
- Core includes omnichannel engagement, real-time behavioral segmentation, and built-in experimentation and analytics, with 3-year data retention.
- Pro adds automated segmentation, in-depth insights, send-time and channel optimization, and personalization across touchpoints, while Ultimate adds on
- Both higher plans are quoted after a demo, so a team that needs those features cannot model the cost from the pricing page alone.
- Choose CleverTap if retention analytics matter as much as the message itself.
Pros
- Core includes omnichannel engagement and real-time behavioral segmentation
- 3-year data retention on Core
Cons
- Pro and Ultimate are quote-only after a demo
- add-ons such as WhatsApp and advanced analytics cost extra
Customer.io
Best for: Data-driven lifecycle messaging across channels
Customer.io prices on profiles, not on messages, which changes how teams should count cost. Essentials starts at $100 per month, billed monthly, for 5,000 profiles and 1 million emails per month, with unlimited monthly push and in-app messages. Extra profiles cost $0.009 each and extra emails cost $0.12 per 1,000 sends.
- Premium starts at $1,000 per month, billed yearly, with custom profile and email volume, and Enterprise is quoted through sales.
- The bill is based on the highest number of profiles in the billing period, including people and objects, and deleted profiles still count if they exis
- Essentials includes 2 object types, while Premium includes 10, and anonymous messages are held back for Premium.
- The Startup Program offers up to 12 months free for companies that raised under $10 million.
Pros
- Essentials includes unlimited push and in-app messages and 1 million emails per month
- user seats are unlimited on every plan
Cons
- Billing is based on the highest profile count in the period, including deleted profiles
- Premium starts at $1,000 per month and is billed yearly
Braze
Best for: Large brands on cross-channel campaigns at scale
Braze does not publish a price, and that is the first fact to accept before an evaluation. Its pricing page names four Platform Editions, Go, Select, Pro, and Enterprise, and explains that each contract combines the edition, a number of Monthly Active Users and profiles, a pool of Action Credits, and CX Services for support. Action Credits are one pool spent across email, SMS, WhatsApp, Content Cards, in-app messages, and BrazeAI features, so the same credit pool pays for several channels.
- Go covers core features for early-stage growth teams, Select adds more orchestration and security features, Pro adds predictive AI and message priorit
- Braze states that it does not offer a free plan, but it offers a 14-day free trial and startup programs.
- Choose Braze if you run cross-channel campaigns at large scale and want one vendor for email, push, in-app, and messaging apps.
- Skip it if you need a published price or a free tier to start.
Pros
- Four editions from Go to Enterprise with a clear feature ladder
- Action Credits cover many channels from one pool
Cons
- No published price and no free plan
- every contract is quoted on edition, monthly active users, and credits
Iterable
Best for: Enterprise teams on AI-led cross-channel journeys
Iterable sells through sales only, with no public price list, no listed trial, and no self-serve signup. Its pricing page redirects to a demo booking, so a buyer cannot model cost before a sales process. Iterable positions itself as an AI customer engagement platform for enterprise scale, with Embedded Messaging, Mobile Inbox, RCS, a product Catalog, and its Nova AI suite alongside email, mobile push, web push, in-app, and SMS.
- Contracts are quoted on audience size, channels, message volume, and support level, on an annual contract.
- That makes the quote the only real number, so ask what the contract counts, whether it counts all profiles or only active users, and which Nova AI fea
- Choose Iterable if you are an enterprise team that wants in-app messages inside a wide AI-led journey program.
- Skip it if you want to start on a trial or compare a published entry price.
Pros
- Embedded Messaging and Mobile Inbox extend in-app reach beyond push
- Nova AI suite covers journey and content work
Cons
- No published price, no listed trial, and no self-serve signup
- its pricing page routes buyers to a demo
Airship
Best for: App teams that want push, in-app, and Message Center
Airship publishes no prices for any plan, so a buyer cannot estimate a bill from the pricing page alone. The Airship Experience Platform, which its docs call the Enterprise plan, is sold through a quote, while Airship Essentials is a self-service plan that starts with a free account and shows prices only after signup. Essentials covers push, in-app messages, Message Center, Scenes, web push, Live Activities, and journeys, which is a full app-messaging stack for many teams.
- Essentials Starter caps active automations at 25, with 50 in total, and Scenes are an add-on on that plan.
- Email, SMS, MMS, RCS, and Wallet are add-on packages on Enterprise only, so a lifecycle program that includes email must buy Enterprise.
- Airship bills audience units such as monthly active users and contacts, and it bills Scenes on Enterprise by impressions.
- Choose Airship if your program is app-first and you want a Message Center plus in-app automation.
Pros
- Essentials covers push, in-app messages, Message Center, and journeys by self-serve signup
- Scenes build multi-screen in-app experiences without code
Cons
- No published price for any plan
- email, SMS, and Wallet are add-ons on Enterprise only
MoEngage
Best for: Mid-market and enterprise brands on tracked-user billing
MoEngage publishes no prices. Its pricing page lists two plans, Growth and Enterprise, without prices, and both are quoted per monthly tracked user after a demo, with a minimum one-year commitment. Both plans include mobile app push, web push, email, SMS, in-app messages, on-site messages, Facebook and Google Ads audience sync, and webhooks.
- WhatsApp and RCS, warehouse segments, and several AI features are add-ons, so ask for them to be priced in the first quote rather than added later.
- Enterprise adds device-triggered and business-event-triggered messages, content blocks, a template manager, tag-based frequency capping, flow debuggin
- MoEngage also offers MoEngage Personalize for website personalization and MoEngage Inform for transactional alerts through a single API.
- Choose MoEngage if you want a wide channel set in the base plan and a one-year program.
Pros
- Growth and Enterprise both include push, email, SMS, in-app, and on-site messages in the base plan
- no extra charge for adding or updating customer attributes
Cons
- No published price, no free plan, and no self-serve trial
- both plans carry a minimum one-year commitment
How we chose
We chose tools that send in-app messages as a named feature, not only push, and that are still sold as live products. Prices and plan limits come from official vendor pricing pages and docs opened on 2026-11-12. We did not test any tool hands-on. Where a vendor hid the price, we wrote quote only instead of repeating a third-party estimate.
What to check before you buy
Check the billing unit in writing before you sign, and ask whether the count includes users who never opted in to push or deleted profiles. Check the caps that force an upgrade, such as OneSignal Growth at 5 journeys and 10 segments, and Airship Essentials Starter at 25 active automations. Check whether email, SMS, and WhatsApp sit in the base plan or in an add-on. Check the contract term: OneSignal Growth is month to month, Customer.io Premium is annual, and MoEngage carries a one-year minimum.
| Audience size | Cheapest clear starting point | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,000 monthly active users | OneSignal Free at $0, or Pushwoosh free to 1,000 monthly active users | OneSignal free caps in-app messages at 1,000 monthly active users |
| 5,000 monthly active users | Pushwoosh Push only at $28 per month for 4,000 users above the free 1,000, at $7 per 1,000 | OneSignal Growth at $19 plus $0.012 per user totals $79 per month at 5,000 users |
| 10,000 monthly active users | Pushwoosh Push only at $63 per month for 9,000 users above the free 1,000 | OneSignal Growth totals $139 per month at 10,000 users, before web push and email overages |
| 5,000 profiles, email-led | Customer.io Essentials at $100 per month for 5,000 profiles and 1 million emails | Extra profiles cost $0.009 each, so 10,000 profiles cost $145 per month |
| Enterprise, no published price | Braze, Iterable, Airship, or MoEngage, all quote only | Ask for edition, user count, credit pool, and contract term in the same quote |
Frequently asked questions
What is in-app notification software?
In-app notification software shows messages inside your app while a person is using it, such as a welcome tour or a cart reminder. It differs from push, because it does not need a push opt-in to reach an active user. Most tools here pair in-app messages with push, email, and journeys.
Which in-app notification software is best for a small app?
OneSignal is the best pick for most small apps: free up to 1,000 monthly active users, and Growth starts at $19 per month plus $0.012 per monthly active user, with in-app messages included with mobile push. Pushwoosh is the budget alternative, at $7 per 1,000 monthly active users for Push only, with the first 1,000 free.
How much does in-app notification software cost?
Costs range from $0 on a free plan to quote-only enterprise contracts. OneSignal Growth starts at $19 per month plus usage, Pushwoosh Push only costs $7 per 1,000 monthly active users, CleverTap Core is shown at ₹2,000 per month, and Customer.io Essentials starts at $100 per month for 5,000 profiles.
Why do prices differ so much between these tools?
Prices differ because the billing unit differs. OneSignal and Pushwoosh bill on monthly active users, Customer.io bills on stored profiles, and MoEngage bills on monthly tracked users. Compare quotes at your real audience size, not at the entry tier alone.
Do I need push opt-in to send in-app messages?
No, in-app messages can reach a person who is active inside your app, even without a push opt-in. OneSignal states this in its billing notes, because its monthly active user count includes active users who have not opted in to push. Push still needs an opt-in, so use in-app messages for onboarding.
Which tool is best for enterprise teams?
Braze, Iterable, Airship, and MoEngage are the enterprise options here, and all four are quote only. Braze offers four editions and Action Credits, Iterable offers Embedded Messaging and Nova AI, Airship offers Message Center and Scenes, and MoEngage offers a wide channel set with a one-year minimum. Get quotes at the same audience size.
Sources
- https://onesignal.com/
- https://onesignal.com/pricing
- https://www.pushwoosh.com/
- https://www.pushwoosh.com/pricing/
- https://clevertap.com/
- https://clevertap.com/pricing/
- https://customer.io/
- https://customer.io/pricing/
- https://www.braze.com/
- https://www.braze.com/pricing
- https://iterable.com/
- https://iterable.com/pricing
- https://www.airship.com/
- https://www.airship.com/pricing/
- https://www.moengage.com/
- https://www.moengage.com/plans-and-pricing/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.