Bark is the closest thing to PushTower — open-source, curl-to-iPhone push. PushTower adds Live Activities, scheduling, quiet hours, and a hosted option on top of the same simple idea.
| Feature | PushTower | Bark |
|---|---|---|
| iOS Live Activities & Dynamic Island | ||
| Native iOS app | ||
| Android app | ||
| Simple HTTP API (no SDK) | ||
| End-to-end encryption | AES (manual) | |
| Self-hostable | ||
| Hosted option (no server to run) | ||
| Open source | MIT | MIT |
| Custom notification sounds | 30+ built-in | |
| Scheduling & quiet hours | ||
| Pricing | Free + from $1.99/mo | Free / self-host |
Comparison reflects each product’s public positioning and may change as the tools evolve. Spotted something out of date? Let us know on GitHub.
Bark is an open-source iOS app and Go server that turns a `curl` request into a push notification on your iPhone. No account, no SDK — just POST to a URL. It self-hosts from a single binary and supports client-side AES encryption of payloads.
It’s minimal by design, which is also its limit: no iOS Live Activities or Dynamic Island, no scheduling or quiet hours, no managed hosted product, and the app is utilitarian rather than polished. PushTower keeps the one-line-curl simplicity but layers richer iOS features on top.
Yes, in spirit — both turn a single HTTP request into a push on your iPhone, both are open source, both self-host. PushTower adds iOS Live Activities, scheduling, quiet hours, custom sounds, and a managed hosted option.
No. Bark delivers standard notifications. PushTower can start, update, and end Live Activities and Dynamic Island content over HTTP.
Bark offers optional client-side AES encryption where you set the key manually. PushTower manages per-device end-to-end encryption keys for you in the Secure Enclave.
PushTower is invite-only while we onboard early users. Drop your email and we'll let you know the moment your account is ready.