Knock vs Novu (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Novu grades higher than Knock: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Novu grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Knock
Cross-channel notification and messaging workflows for products
Novu
Open-source notification infrastructure for apps and agents
Which one is for you
Pick Knock if
- Fits if you're a product team and want one workflow to reach email, in-app and chat
- Works for apps that already have an email provider and need preferences and batching on top
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a service that sends email by itself: it needs a provider you connect
- Pricey if you outgrow free, because the next step is $250 a month
- Tight if you want the Knock branding gone, as that needs Starter or higher
- Watch out: email client previews, SAML SSO, SCIM and translations sit on dearer plans, and the HIPAA BAA is Enterprise only
Pick Novu if
- Fits if you're building an app and want one API for in-app, email and chat messages
- Makes sense if you want US or EU data residency without paying for it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a plain email sending service, because email goes through your own provider
- Tight if you stay on free: 5 workflows, 3 team members and 24-hour activity history
- Pricey if you grow, as Team starts at $250 a month and extra runs cost $1.20 per 1,000
- Watch out: self-hosting, SSO, SCIM and the HIPAA BAA are Enterprise only
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAKnockFair | 2.4GPANovuFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D$250 a month for Starter, plus $0.005 for each message past 50,000. Email sending tools start around $9, the dearest tenth begins at $68. | CPro is $30 a month for 30,000 workflow runs, with extra runs at $1.20 per 1,000. That's above the category's dearer quarter at $20 but under the dearest tenth at $68. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree plan with 10,000 messages sent a month, unlimited workflows, profiles and team members, and no card needed. One small product could stay on it. | BFree plan: 10,000 workflow runs a month, no card needed. The caps are 5 workflows, 3 team members and 24 hours of activity history. |
| Features | CCross-channel workflows, broadcasts, in-app guides, batching and preferences. Email goes through SendGrid, Postmark or SES, so it isn't a sending service on its own. | CMulti-channel workflows, an Inbox component, a code-first setup and an email editor. Email is sent through a provider you connect, so it isn't a sending service itself. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You wire it into your app and connect providers before anything sends. | CNo store rating on record. You build workflows in code and connect providers. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb dashboard with SDKs and an API, plus connections to SendGrid, Postmark, Amazon SES, Mailgun, Slack and others. | BWeb dashboard with an API, an Inbox component and connections to Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord and more. |
| Best for | product notifications on many channels | open-source notifications on many channels |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Knock and Novu. How we grade
Price against what you get
Knock starts at $250 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Novu starts at $30 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Novu starts $220 a month lower. Of the other email sending services on the chart, 15 score higher than Knock for less, and 14 score higher than Novu for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Novu is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Knock | Novu | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $250 per month, plus usage beyond 50,000 messages | $30 per month for 30,000 workflow runs |
| Free plan | Up to 10,000 messages sent, 500 guide recipients and 500 agent credits a month, with unlimited workflows, profiles, channels and team members. | 10,000 workflow runs a month, up to 5 workflows, 2 environments, 3 team members and 24-hour activity feed retention. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Knock Labs, Inc. | Novu |
| Price read from | knock.app | novu.co |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Knock
- Knock is an orchestration layer, so email delivery goes through a provider you connect; it is not a standalone sending service.
- The jump from Free to Starter is $250 a month, with messages beyond 50,000 billed at $0.005 each.
- Removing Knock branding, email client previews and priority email support need Starter or higher.
- Custom roles, SAML SSO, SCIM, translations and the HIPAA BAA are listed on Enterprise only.
Novu
- Novu orchestrates notifications; email is sent through an email provider you connect rather than a standalone sending service.
- The Free plan is capped at 5 workflows, 3 team members and 24-hour activity feed retention.
- Pro and Team prices are starting prices tied to 30,000 and 250,000 runs; overage is $1.20 per 1,000 runs.
- Self-hosting, SSO, SCIM and the HIPAA BAA are Enterprise features.
Key features
Knock
- Cross-channel workflows
- A workflow is a single type of message, such as a user invite, that can branch, delay and route across email, in-app, push, SMS and chat.
- Broadcasts and in-app guides
- Broadcasts send a one-time message to an audience on any channel. In-app guides cover banners, modals, cards and tooltips rendered with your own components.
- Batching and preferences
- Batch and digest notifications to cut frequency, and let recipients manage preferences by channel, notification and category.
- Email through your own provider
- The integrations list names email providers including SendGrid, Postmark, Amazon SES, Mailjet, Mailgun, Mailtrap and MailerSend.
- Agent and MCP access
- Workflows, templates, guides, broadcasts and audiences can be managed from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Slack, through a remote MCP server or the Knock CLI.
- Multi-tenancy
- Built-in multi-tenancy is listed on every plan, and per-customer branding and preferences on Enterprise.
Novu
- Multi-channel workflows
- Workflows deliver across email, in-app, SMS, chat and push, with delay, digest and throttle steps.
- Inbox component
- A prebuilt React Inbox component adds a notification feed with unread counts, preferences, filters and snoozing, and headless components are available.
- Code-first workflows
- The pricing page lists code-first workflows, topics and multi-tenancy support, with the feature set widening on higher plans.
- Email editor and layouts
- A block-based email editor and custom layouts come with Pro and above.
- Conversational channels
- Novu Connect is described as two-way communication with users and agents across WhatsApp, Slack and other channels.
- Data residency
- US and EU regions are on every plan. Singapore, UK, Australia, Japan, South Korea and custom regions are listed on Enterprise.
Plans
Knock
Free$0
Up to 10,000 messages sent, 500 guide recipients and 500 agent credits each month. No credit card required.
Starter$250
per month, plus additional usage
Includes 50,000 messages (then $0.005 each), 2,500 guide recipients and 2,000 agent credits. Removes Knock branding; adds email client previews.
EnterpriseCustom
Annual agreements with volume-based pricing, custom roles, SAML SSO, SCIM, enterprise SLAs, HIPAA BAA and priority support over Slack, email and calls.
Novu
Free$0
10,000 workflow runs a month across all channels, US and EU data residency, up to 5 workflows and 3 team members.
Pro$30
per month and up, for 30,000 workflow runs
20 workflows, 7-day activity feed retention, advanced email editor, removal of Novu branding, higher rate limits. Extra runs are $1.20 per 1,000.
Team$250
per month and up, for 250,000 workflow runs
Up to 10 environments, 90-day retention, unlimited team members, role-based access control and 600 requests per second for triggers. Extra runs are $1.20 per 1,000.
EnterpriseCustom
10 million or more workflow runs, HIPAA BAA, SAML/OIDC SSO, SCIM, additional data residency regions and self-hosted deployment options.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Knock or Novu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Novu is cheaper to start with: $30 a month, against $250 a month for Knock. Knock starts at $250 per month, plus usage beyond 50,000 messages, and Novu starts at $30 per month for 30,000 workflow runs.
Which has a free plan, Knock or Novu?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Knock and Novu have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.