Novu review (2026): is the free plan enough?
Open-source notification infrastructure for apps and agents
Black Friday: is there a Novu sale?
Novu report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for open-source notifications on many channels
Novu sends in-app, email, push, SMS and chat messages from one API, and the free plan covers 10,000 workflow runs a month. Email still goes through a provider you connect, and the free plan stops at 5 workflows.
Who Novu is for
- 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
Who Novu is not for
- 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
Why Novu gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyPro 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.
- BFree plan and trialFree plan: 10,000 workflow runs a month, no card needed. The caps are 5 workflows, 3 team members and 24 hours of activity history.
- CFeaturesMulti-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.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You build workflows in code and connect providers.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb dashboard with an API, an Inbox component and connections to Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord and more.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Novu'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/novu#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/novu.svg" alt="Novu: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Novu stands among email sending services
Novu's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 25 of the 50 other email sending services we grade, and level with 8.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 35 of 50) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $30 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 31 of the 41 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 14 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. Novu’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 8 of 50, level with 16
- 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 Novu, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Novu 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.
It costs $360 a year. Novu is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself.
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. Novu’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 Novu?
Novu is open-source notification infrastructure that sends in-app, email, push, SMS and chat messages from one API, with a prebuilt Inbox component for in-product notifications. Plans are priced by workflow runs per month rather than by recipient. Self-hosted deployment is listed as an Enterprise option.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
Novu pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Novu has a free plan, and paid plans start at $30 per month for 30,000 workflow runs.
- Starts at
- $30 per month for 30,000 workflow runs
- Free plan
- 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
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | $30per 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 | $250per 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | 10 million or more workflow runs, HIPAA BAA, SAML/OIDC SSO, SCIM, additional data residency regions and self-hosted deployment options. |
Read from novu.co on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Novu before you buy.
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Common questions
Does Novu have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Novu is listed for Web.
Does Novu have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Novu is listed for Web.
Is Novu open source?
Yes. Novu is open source, according to its own site.
Does Novu have an API?
Yes. Novu 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.