# Novu vs Courier: The best Courier alternative for end-to-end notifications > Compare Novu and Courier notification infrastructure platforms. See how Novu's open-source approach, developer experience, and pricing compare to Courier. Canonical: https://novu.co/comparison/courier/ Markdown: https://novu.co/comparison/courier.md All your notification infrastructure needs, workflows, routing, preferences, and in one platform, open source and built for builders and teams. Primary action: [Start for Free]() Secondary action: [Jump to Comparison](<#comparison>) Free up to 10k events / month. No credit card required ## Open Notification Infrastructure Courier works well when teams are getting started with notifications. But as your product grow, its split architecture becomes harder to manage. Why teams switch to Novu: - One unified workflow model - Open source and self-hostable - Built to scale with your product Call to action: [Get Started]() ## The frustrations that bring teams to Novu If you're on Courier and evaluating alternatives, you've probably run into at least one of these. ### Split Notification Architecture Courier is cloud-only at every tier. If you need regional data residency or want to run your own infrastructure, there's simply no path to self-hosting today. ### No Path to Self-Hosting Courier is cloud-only at every tier. If you need regional data residency or want to run your own infrastructure, there's still no path to self-hosting. ### Features Locked Behind Plans Courier is cloud-only at every tier. If you need regional data residency or want to run your own infrastructure, there's currently no path to self-hosting. Call to action: [Switch to Novu]() ## The Novu difference Built for developer teams who need notification infrastructure that scales without drama. ### Everything you need in one An in-app notification inbox wrapped in a single . Use the drop-in component or go headless and build your own UI. ### Every step in one place Build your workflow visually in the Novu dashboard or define it in code with Novu Framework. Content, routing, delays. ### Self-host or use our cloud Run Novu on your own infrastructure with Docker Compose. Move between cloud and self-host anytime with the same codebase. ### Data residency from day one Novu Cloud offers US and EU data residency on the free tier, with additional global regions and self hosted option on Enterprise. ### Everything you need In-app inbox, real-time delivery, and user preferences. Digest logic, multi-tenant support, and localization. All included with Novu. ### What users see in minutes Real-time delivery, unread counts, snooze controls, and preferences. Styled out of the box and customizable with the appearance prop. Call to action: [Explore Novu]() ## Add notifications with just a few lines of code Trigger workflows, add an in-app inbox, and manage user notification preferences — all using simple components and minimal setup. ### Trigger notifications from your backend Send notifications across email, SMS, push, and in-app channels with a single API call. ### Add an in-app notification inbox Drop in a pre-built component or go headless and build your own notification center UI. ### Let users control their notifications Give subscribers full control over their notification preferences with a built-in preferences component. ## Novu vs Courier Comparison A detailed look at infrastructure, workflows, and platform flexibility. ### Open source - Novu: Open source with community-backed distributions. - Alternative: Proprietary platform - What this means: Reduces vendor lock-in and gives you full control. ### Cloud or Self-hosted - Novu: Switch between Novu Cloud and self-hosted anytime. - Alternative: Cloud only - What this means: Deploy in cloud or self-host when needed. ### Workflow mode - Novu: Novu unifies notifications, routing, and orchestration. - Alternative: Separate layer for content and a different layer for orchestration. - What this means: One workflow per use case makes debugging easier. ### Code-first workflows - Novu: Define workflows and add notifications in code. - Alternative: GUI only - What this means: For engineering teams treating notification logic as product logic. ### Data residency - Novu: Free: US + EU. Enterprise adds SG, UK, AU, JP, KR, VPC, On-Prem. - Alternative: EU datacenter available at Enterprise tier only. - What this means: Courier: US/EU only. Novu: global + On-Prem. ### Multi-tenant support - Novu: Available on both free and paid plans. - Alternative: Enterprise tier only. - What this means: Novu enables tenant context earlier. ### User preferences - Novu: Included in standard plans, configurable from Inbox. - Alternative: Enterprise tier only. - What this means: Users control notifications from day one with Novu. ### Pricing at scale - Novu: Usage-based, event-counted - Alternative: $0.005 per send (~$500/mo at 100k sends) - What this means: Predictable costs that don't spike as your notification volume grows ## Migrate from Courier to Novu Bring your workflows, templates, and notification logic to Novu with a more flexible, open infrastructure. Reduce vendor lock-in and gain full control with self-hosting and developer-first workflows. Call to action: [Migration Guide]() ## Don’t just take our word for it... ### Guillermo Rauch (@rauchg) > So excited about the rise of the notifications infrastructure space (+ open source 🔥) Source: https://x.com/novuhq/status/1563693241098244097 ### Pontus Abrahamsson (@aeswibon) > That's awesome! Real-time notifications can really boost user engagement. Love that @novuhq supports multiple frameworks & customization options. Definitely giving the repo a star to show support! 🌟#OpenSource #SoftwareDevelopment Source: https://x.com/aeswibon/status/1696467646429147200 ### Fabian B. (@madebyfabian) > Haha yeah I'm so happy my notification logic isn't inside the database anymore. Love Novu!🚀 Source: https://x.com/madebyfabian/status/1603010122451746816 ### Nikki Siapno (@NikkiSiapno) > Novu make notification management much easier. They're doing a great job with the service they offer. Source: https://x.com/NikkiSiapno/status/1696509202993426884 ### Lukas Boehler (@lukasboehler) > Todos for today: #ship a @GleapSDK update that utilizes @novuhq for amazing notifications 🎉 Source: https://x.com/lukasboehler/status/1696793039841144916 ### Csaba Kissi (@csaba_kissi) > The best solution for notifications. Source: https://x.com/csaba_kissi/status/1696056864373416109 ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Novu really free to use? A workflow run is one execution of a workflow. Triggering a workflow to a single subscriber counts as 1 run; triggering to a [topic]() with 100 subscribers counts as 100 runs after fan-out. ### How long does it take to migrate from Courier to Novu? A workflow run is one execution of a workflow. Triggering a workflow to a single subscriber counts as 1 run; triggering to a [topic]() with 100 subscribers counts as 100 runs after fan-out. ### Can I self-hos Novu if I need full data control? A workflow run is one execution of a workflow. Triggering a workflow to a single subscriber counts as 1 run; triggering to a [topic]() with 100 subscribers counts as 100 runs after fan-out. ### Does Novu support multi-tenant architectures for B2B SaaS products? A workflow run is one execution of a workflow. Triggering a workflow to a single subscriber counts as 1 run; triggering to a [topic]() with 100 subscribers counts as 100 runs after fan-out. ### What is Novu Framework and do I have to use it? A workflow run is one execution of a workflow. Triggering a workflow to a single subscriber counts as 1 run; triggering to a [topic]() with 100 subscribers counts as 100 runs after fan-out. ## Switch to Novu Adding notification infrastructure into your application shouldn’t be complicated. Free for 10K workflow runs/month - [Start Free]() - [Talk To Sales]()