Knock review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Cross-channel notification and messaging workflows for products
Black Friday: is there a Knock sale?
Knock report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for product notifications on many channels
Knock builds a notification workflow once and delivers it by email, in-app, push, SMS and chat. Email still goes out through a provider you connect, and the step from the free plan to Starter is $250 a month.
Who Knock is for
- 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
Who Knock is not for
- 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
Why Knock gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- DValue for money$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.
- BFree plan and trialFree 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.
- CFeaturesCross-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.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You wire it into your app and connect providers before anything sends.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb dashboard with SDKs and an API, plus connections to SendGrid, Postmark, Amazon SES, Mailgun, Slack and others.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Knock's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/knock#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/knock.svg" alt="Knock: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Knock stands among email sending services
Knock's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 14 of the 50 other email sending services we grade, and level with 10.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 35 of 50) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $250 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 39 of the 41 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 15 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 email sending services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Knock’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 50, level with 7
- BFree plan and trialAbove 35 of 50, level with 13
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 50, level with 29
- CEase of useAbove 7 of 50, level with 43
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 17 of 50, level with 32
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 44 email sending services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Knock, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Knock you would be making mail servers with a good name among inbox providers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 26 of the 50 other email sending services grade higher. It costs $3,000 a year.
What you could not
- Mail servers with a good name among inbox providers.
- Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change.
What this rests on. Knock’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Knock?
Knock is messaging infrastructure for product teams. Workflows, broadcasts and in-app guides are built once and delivered across email, in-app, push, SMS and chat, with email going out through a connected provider such as SendGrid, Postmark or Amazon SES. Pricing follows messages sent rather than the number of stored users.
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Knock pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Knock has a free plan, and paid plans start at $250 per month, plus usage beyond 50,000 messages.
- Starts at
- $250 per month, plus usage beyond 50,000 messages
- 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.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Up to 10,000 messages sent, 500 guide recipients and 500 agent credits each month. No credit card required. |
| Starter | $250per 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Annual agreements with volume-based pricing, custom roles, SAML SSO, SCIM, enterprise SLAs, HIPAA BAA and priority support over Slack, email and calls. |
Read from knock.app on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Knock before you buy.
Works with
- SendGrid
- Postmark
- Amazon SES
- Mailjet
- Mailgun
- Mailtrap
- MailerSend
- Slack
Knock alternatives
- Knock vs Courier
Free plan
- Knock vs Novu
Free plan · from $30/mo
- Knock vs Twilio SendGrid
Free trial · from $19.95/mo
- Knock vs Postmark
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Knock vs Resend
Free plan · from $20/mo
Common questions
Does Knock have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Knock is listed for Web.
Does Knock have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Knock is listed for Web.
Is Knock open source?
Knock is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Knock have an API?
Yes. Knock offers a public API, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.