Email, in-app, SMS, chat and push all come from one workflow editor. Novu is notification infrastructure for email, in-app, SMS, chat and push, with a workflow editor and an embeddable inbox component. Its pricing page lists a Free plan at $0 with 10,000 workflow runs a month, all five channels, US and EU data residency, up to 20 workflows, 2 environments, 24-hour activity feed retention and up to 3 team members, and says no credit card is required. Pro starts at $30 a month with 30,000 runs and extra runs at $1.20 per 1,000. G2 describes the core as MIT-licensed with 38,600+ GitHub stars and shows 4.6 from 22 reviews. Reddit threads about self-hosting split between people who found the stack ran well and commenters who say you pay for supported hosting when revenue depends on it.
Free tier quotas
Price
$0 a month, no credit card required (Novu's pricing page)
Workflow runs
10,000 a month
Channels
Email, in-app, SMS, chat and push
Data residency
US and EU
Workflows
Up to 20
Environments
2 (dev and prod)
Activity feed retention
24 hours
Team members
Up to 3
Self-hosting
MIT-licensed core can be self-hosted with Docker Compose per G2; the pricing page lists self-hosted deployment under Enterprise
Last sniffed Oct 2, 2026. Always confirm on the official pricing page.
👍 Good boy
+Free covers all five channels (email, in-app, SMS, chat, push) with 10,000 workflow runs a month, and the pricing page says no credit card is needed.
+The core is MIT-licensed with 38,600+ GitHub stars, according to G2, so you can inspect the code and are not locked to the cloud product.
+US and EU data residency are both on the free plan, which matters for teams with European users.
+G2 shows 4.6 from 22 reviews, a small but positive sample.
+A poster in a r/selfhosted thread comparing self-hosted and cloud wrote that the whole stack ran quite well, and another r/selfhosted post says the main difference from Apprise is the workflow editor.
+Paid overage is published: extra workflow runs are $1.20 per 1,000 on Pro and Team.
👎 Watch out
−Free activity feed retention is 24 hours and the plan caps you at 3 team members, 20 workflows and 2 environments.
−Removing Novu branding and the advanced email editor are Pro features ($30 a month and up).
−Self-hosting is described two ways. G2 says the MIT core can be self-hosted at no cost with full feature parity, while the pricing page lists self-hosted deployment among Enterprise options, so check what your use needs.
−A r/selfhosted commenter argued you pay for what is stable and fully supported when your business revenue depends on it, rather than hosting it cheaply yourself.
−Jumping from Free to Pro is $30 a month for 30,000 runs, and Team starts at $250 a month, so mid-size volume costs add up quickly.
−I could not read what counts as a workflow run, because the pricing FAQ answers were collapsed on the page I read.
The catch
A free workflow run count is the limit that matters most. The Free plan gives 10,000 workflow runs a month and keeps your activity feed for only 24 hours, so you cannot look back at last week's sends.
The open-source story needs a close read. G2's product text says the MIT-licensed core can be self-hosted through Docker Compose with full feature parity. Novu's pricing page lists self-hosted deployment under Enterprise, so confirm in the docs which features you get when you self-host.
The no-card statement is Novu's own. I did not confirm commercial-use terms for the free plan. The pricing FAQ answers were collapsed in the version I read.
What’s included
✓Workflow editor
✓Email, in-app, SMS, chat and push channels
✓Inbox component for in-app notifications
✓US and EU data residency
✓Environments for dev and prod
✓MIT-licensed open-source core
✓Self-hosting via Docker Compose
✓Digest, delay and throttle steps (limits vary by plan)
Free tier value
Generosity
A
Estimated value
10,000 notification workflow runs a month across five channels
Feature parity
Pro (from $30 a month) has 30,000+ runs, 7-day activity retention and Novu branding removal.
Screenshots
HomepagePricing page
Paid plans
Pro, from $30 a month
30,000+ workflow runs, 7-day activity feed retention, Novu branding removal, advanced email editor, higher rate limits. Extra runs are $1.20 per 1,000.
Team, from $250 a month
250,000+ runs, up to 10 environments, 90-day retention, unlimited team members, more workflows, RBAC and 600 RPS triggers.
Enterprise, custom
10M+ runs, HIPAA BAA, SSO (SAML or OIDC), SCIM, advanced data residency regions, a private Slack or Teams channel and self-hosted deployment options.
Common questions
How many notifications can I send on the free plan?
10,000 workflow runs a month, across email, in-app, SMS, chat and push.
Do I need a credit card?
Novu's pricing page says no credit card is required.
Can I self-host Novu?
G2 describes an MIT-licensed core that can be self-hosted with Docker Compose. The pricing page lists self-hosted deployment under Enterprise, so read the docs for your case.
What does it cost beyond Free?
Pro starts at $30 a month for 30,000 runs, Team at $250 for 250,000 runs, and extra runs are $1.20 per 1,000.
How is Novu rated?
G2 shows 4.6 from 22 reviews.
Change history
Checked October 22, 2026
Pricing page read; FAQ answers were collapsed. G2 summary from a search excerpt and the product page. Reddit threads read as excerpts (one older). Commercial terms not checked.
