OneSignal is a push SDK for apps you build. PushTower is a push endpoint for scripts you run. Both do Live Activities — but PushTower needs no app, no SDK, and no ActivityKit code.
| Feature | PushTower | OneSignal |
|---|---|---|
| iOS Live Activities & Dynamic Island | ||
| No app / SDK to build | ||
| Simple HTTP API (no SDK) | ||
| End-to-end encryption | ||
| Self-hostable | ||
| Open source | MIT | |
| Android & web push | ||
| Email / SMS / in-app channels | ||
| Audience segmentation & A/B | ||
| Scheduling & quiet hours | ||
| Pricing | Free + from $1.99/mo | Free / usage-based |
Comparison reflects each product’s public positioning and may change as the tools evolve. Spotted something out of date? Let us know on GitHub.
OneSignal is a mature push and customer-messaging platform. You embed its SDK in your own iOS/Android/web app and send push, email, SMS, and in-app messages with segmentation, A/B testing, and automation. It does support iOS Live Activities — through its SDK and your app’s ActivityKit code.
That’s the key difference: OneSignal assumes you’re shipping an app and want to message its users. PushTower assumes you have scripts, servers, and webhooks and want alerts on your own phone — no app to build, no SDK to integrate, no ActivityKit code to write. It’s also open source, self-hostable, and end-to-end encrypted, which OneSignal is not.
For personal and devops alerts, yes. OneSignal is built for developers messaging users of an app they ship. PushTower is built for sending alerts from your own scripts and servers to your own phone — no app or SDK required.
OneSignal supports Live Activities through its SDK, so you implement ActivityKit in your app. PushTower drives Live Activities entirely over HTTP into its own app, so you write no Swift at all.
No. OneSignal is closed and cloud-only and doesn’t offer per-device end-to-end encryption. PushTower is open source (MIT), self-hostable, and E2E encrypted.
PushTower is invite-only while we onboard early users. Drop your email and we'll let you know the moment your account is ready.