OneSignal

Overview

OneSignal brings mobile and web messaging into one platform, with integrations for analytics tools, customer data platforms, data warehouses and CRMs. Its mix of behavioral triggers, audience segmentation and journey automation is more suited to coordinated customer communications than to teams seeking only a basic push sender.

The company reports 1.3 trillion messages sent yearly, 1.5 billion monthly active users and 200,000 apps powered. It is headquartered in San Mateo, California.

Key features

Channels and campaign tools

Channels include mobile push, web push, email, in-app messaging, RCS, SMS and Live Activities. Behavioral triggers, a visual journey builder, A/B testing and automation workflows support campaigns that respond to audience behavior rather than relying only on one-off sends. That breadth is useful for teams coordinating several message types; it may be more platform than a push-only program needs.

SDKs cover Android, iOS, Flutter, React Native, Expo and Unity. The API provides unlimited message-delivery send access across plans, and data export and mobile analytics are supported. Web push allows up to 10,000 subscribers per send. The plan comparison gives mobile push support for organizations with up to 1,000 monthly active users, a meaningful constraint for larger mobile audiences.

Access and retention

Team permissions range from Admin and Viewer to all roles on higher plans. Security provisions include GDPR compliance, two-factor authentication and audit logs, with security and legal packages also offered. Support options on selected plans include prioritized support, jump-start onboarding and dedicated success management. Free retains subscription records active in the past 18 months; higher plans specify reporting history and message-event retention separately.

Pricing

OneSignal uses a fixed platform fee plus variable usage fees on paid plans, so the entry price is not the full cost of higher-volume messaging. Payments are in USD; some annual customers can pay locally through reseller partners. Billing is handled by Recurly with 128-bit SSL encryption, and billing information is not saved on the site.

Free

The Free plan costs $0.00 USD per month and is aimed at individuals and organizations starting out. It includes all channels, basic automation and analytics, AI and MCP, basic personalization, 3 active Journeys, 6 audience segments and 6 data tags. The plan comparison gives 10,000 email sends per month, 1,000 monthly active mobile users, and 10,000 web push subscribers per send. Separately, the Free tier allowance is stated as 20,000 free email sends per month, with $1.50 per 1,000 sends after that. Because these email allowances differ, confirm the applicable cap before budgeting. It is a generous place to begin, but the audience and workflow caps limit its fit for expanding programs.

Growth

Growth starts at $19 per month, billed month-to-month, with usage fees by channel. It targets small teams optimizing growth and adds 5 active Journeys, 20,000 free email sends per month, 10 audience segments, 10 data tags, 30+ core integrations and 90 days of reporting history. The monthly term and ability to change plans or downgrade to Free at any time without penalty keep it flexible. The tradeoff is that usage fees sit alongside the platform fee, and the allowances remain bounded.

Professional and Enterprise

Professional has custom pricing, an annual contract and custom volume-based pricing, with volume discounts available. It targets quickly growing businesses and raises limits to 20 active Journeys, 20 segments, 100 data tags and one year of reporting history, plus 60 days of message-event retention. It is the step up for teams that need more campaign capacity and longer reporting windows, but the annual commitment is less flexible than Growth.

Enterprise also uses an annual contract and custom pricing, for organizations running advanced campaigns at scale. It provides unlimited active Journeys, segments and data tags, 30+ core integrations, two years of reporting history and 90 days of message-event retention. Those expanded ceilings suit complex programs; organizations with simpler needs may not benefit enough to justify a custom annual plan.

Platforms

OneSignal supports web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. Mobile SDKs are available for Android, iOS, Flutter, React Native, Expo and Unity, giving app teams several implementation routes. Push coverage spans mobile, web and desktop; the listed platform coverage is broad, though the mobile-push audience limit still matters when choosing a plan.

Who it's for

OneSignal is a strong fit for teams that want several customer messaging channels, automated journeys, segmentation and API delivery under one roof, especially if they can start on Free and grow into usage-based billing. Mobile teams should check the 1,000 monthly active user allowance in the plan comparison, and web-push teams should account for the 10,000-subscriber-per-send cap. A narrow push use case or a need for predictable all-in pricing may point elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Broad messaging coverage combines push, email, in-app and additional channels, useful for coordinating campaigns across customer touchpoints.
• Pros: Unlimited message-delivery API send access across plans avoids a plan-level API send ceiling.
• Pros: Growth is month-to-month, and customers can downgrade to Free without penalty.
• Cons: Paid costs combine platform and usage fees, so total spend can rise with channel activity.
• Cons: Free has limited Journeys, segments and tags, and its email allowance is stated differently across plan details.
• Cons: Professional and Enterprise require annual contracts, while mobile push and web push have audience limits in the plan comparison.

Alternatives

Pushwoosh is a relevant alternative for teams seeking a freemium option: its Pay-as-you-go plan includes 1,000 MAU, 5 AI requests per day, 20,000 monthly email sends and unlimited push notifications.

EngageLab may suit buyers considering a paid marketing automation platform with a visual campaign builder and omnichannel coverage.

Reteno is worth comparing for teams that want a free plan with unlimited mobile pushes, 1,000 sends in each channel per month and unlimited segments.

CleverTap is a paid option with a 30-day free trial and a Core plan at $85.00 USD per month, with taxes applying and add-ons excluded.

Journiq is another paid option, with a Starter plan at $49.00 USD per month and stated quotas for API calls, email, SMS, push, profiles and campaigns.

Userpilot is a paid alternative with a Starter plan at $299.00 USD per month for up to 2,000 MAU, 10 segments and 3 seats.

Airship Experimentation is an alternative for teams considering app and web experiences, automation and real-time orchestration.

Batch is an enterprise alternative with a customizable plan, a dedicated account manager and connectors for other marketing technology tools.

For broader comparisons, see Mobile Marketing Automation Software, Customer Journey Orchestration Software and Push Notification Software.

Verdict

Choose OneSignal if you need cross-channel messaging with journeys, segmentation and API delivery, and can manage usage charges as volumes grow. The free entry tier and flexible Growth month-to-month billing make it approachable, but audience caps, a conflicting Free email allowance and annual custom-priced upper tiers make it a weaker fit for buyers who need simple, predictable pricing or unrestricted mobile scale.