OneSignal and PushEngage both offer free-tier push notification platforms with AI features, but they differ in channel breadth and automation focus. OneSignal…
Best for OneSignal: Teams that need a single platform spanning push, SMS/RCS, email, and in-app messaging with unlimited mobile push sends even on the free plan, and that want AI to help orchestrate full campaigns rather than just draft copy.
Best for PushEngage: Ecommerce sites that want cart-abandonment and back-in-stock automation, native WordPress, WooCommerce, and Shopify Plus integrations, and an AI copywriter for notification variants, particularly WordPress-based stores given the 400K+ install plugin.
At a Glance
OneSignal
PushEngage
Primary category
Marketing
Marketing
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Freemium SaaS subscription, tiered by subscriber volume and feature set, billed monthly or annually
Starting price
Free; Growth plan from $19/month plus usage
Free plan available for up to 200 subscribers; paid plans start at $14/month (or $8/month billed annually)
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
iOS, Android
iOS, Android
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Yes
Public API
Yes
Yes
Key Differences
Founding year disclosure
OneSignal: OneSignal's founding year is not disclosed in the facts.
PushEngage: PushEngage discloses it was founded in 2015.
A disclosed founding year can factor into vendor stability assessments.
Channel breadth
OneSignal: OneSignal supports mobile push, web push, SMS/RCS, email, and in-app messaging from one platform.
PushEngage: PushEngage's named channels are web push, mobile app push, WhatsApp, and chat widgets; SMS/RCS and native in-app messaging aren't mentioned in its facts.
Teams needing a single tool for email, SMS, and push together get broader coverage from OneSignal per the facts.
Ecommerce automation depth
OneSignal: OneSignal's facts don't mention ecommerce-specific automation triggers, focusing instead on general journey automation.
PushEngage: PushEngage has explicit ecommerce automation — cart abandonment, price drop, and back-in-stock notifications — gated to its Growth plan ($60/month), plus native Shopify Plus, WooCommerce, and WordPress integrations.
Purpose-built ecommerce triggers save engineering time compared to building custom automation on a general platform.
Free tier limits
OneSignal: OneSignal's free plan allows unlimited mobile push sends but caps email at 10,000/month and web push at 10,000 subscribers per send.
PushEngage: PushEngage's free plan is capped at 200 subscribers total and 30 campaigns, a much smaller ceiling but spanning all its channels.
The shape of each free tier's limits determines which use case it actually supports at no cost.
AI feature framing
OneSignal: OneSignal's AI-assisted orchestration can draft, send, test, and optimize entire campaigns within defined brand guardrails.
PushEngage: PushEngage's AI copywriter is scoped to drafting multiple on-brand notification message variants rather than full campaign orchestration.
Full campaign orchestration automates more of the workflow than message-copy drafting alone.
Feature-by-Feature
Channels
Feature
OneSignal
PushEngage
Mobile push
Available
Available
Web push
Available
Available
Email
Available
Not documented
SMS/RCS
Available
Not documented
WhatsApp
Not documented
Available
In-app messaging
Available
Not documented
AI Features
Feature
OneSignal
PushEngage
AI campaign orchestration (draft/send/test/optimize)
Available
Not documented
AI copywriter for notification variants
Not documented
Available
Ecommerce & Automation
Feature
OneSignal
PushEngage
Cart abandonment / back-in-stock automation
Not documented
Available
Native ecommerce platform integrations
Not documented
Available
Journey/workflow automation
Available
Available
Pricing & Plans
Feature
OneSignal
PushEngage
Free plan
Available
Available
Entry paid plan price
Available
Available
Founding year disclosed
Unavailable
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
OneSignal
Free — $0/month Monthly
Growth — From $19/month + usage Monthly
Professional — Custom Annual
Enterprise — Custom Annual
PushEngage
Free — $0/month Monthly
Business — $14/month ($8/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Premium — $29/month ($15/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Growth — $60/month ($24/month billed annually) Monthly or annual
Enterprise — Custom quote Custom
Pros & Cons
OneSignal
Pros
Generous free tier with unlimited mobile push notifications makes it accessible for small apps
Delivers billions of messages daily, demonstrating proven scale and reliability
Broad SDK support across iOS, Android, web, Unity, React Native, Flutter, and Cordova
Unified multi-channel approach avoids stitching together separate push, email, and SMS tools
Backed by significant venture funding ($84.2M), supporting continued product investment
Cons
Usage-based pricing on the Growth plan can become costly as email and push volume scales
Professional and Enterprise pricing is custom and not transparently published
Advanced personalization and journey features are gated behind higher tiers
Smaller brand recognition in the enterprise segment compared to Braze or Iterable
Free plan's single active journey limit is restrictive for more complex campaigns
PushEngage
Pros
Generous free plan for small sites getting started with push notifications
No-code setup with a simple JavaScript snippet install
Supports both web and native mobile app push from one dashboard
Annual billing offers substantial discounts versus monthly pricing
Segmentation and geo-targeting available even on lower-tier plans
Cons
Pricing scales with subscriber count, which can get expensive for high-traffic sites
Key automation features like A/B testing and drip campaigns require Premium tier or above
Limited to push and chat-widget channels rather than full omnichannel messaging (email, SMS)
Smaller company size than larger competitors, which may affect long-term roadmap pace
Enterprise pricing is not published and requires a sales conversation
Free plan's 200-subscriber cap is quickly outgrown by active sites
Use Cases
Choose OneSignal: Teams that need a single platform spanning push, SMS/RCS, email, and in-app messaging with unlimited mobile push sends even on the free plan, and that want AI to help orchestrate full campaigns rather than just draft copy.
Choose PushEngage: Ecommerce sites that want cart-abandonment and back-in-stock automation, native WordPress, WooCommerce, and Shopify Plus integrations, and an AI copywriter for notification variants, particularly WordPress-based stores given the 400K+ install plugin.
Need both: Marketing teams running both a general multichannel engagement program and a dedicated ecommerce storefront may end up using OneSignal for broader lifecycle messaging and PushEngage for store-specific automation, since the facts show distinct specializations rather than full overlap.
OneSignal
Mobile app re-engagement — Mobile app developers use OneSignal push notifications to re-engage inactive users and drive app opens.
E-commerce transactional and marketing messaging — E-commerce businesses combine email, SMS, and push notifications through OneSignal for cart abandonment and promotional campaigns.
Web app onboarding and lifecycle messaging — SaaS product teams build automated onboarding journeys combining in-app messages, email, and push notifications to guide new users.
PushEngage
Ecommerce cart and browse abandonment recovery — Online retailers automatically send push reminders when a shopper abandons a cart or browses products without purchasing, aiming to recover lost sales.
Content publisher re-engagement — News sites, blogs, and media publishers use push notifications to bring readers back for new articles without depending on email lists or social media algorithms.
SaaS product updates and onboarding nudges — SaaS companies send push notifications for feature announcements, onboarding tips, and re-engagement campaigns to reduce churn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is OneSignal free?
Yes, the Free plan includes 10,000 email sends per month and unlimited mobile push sends at no cost.
Is PushEngage free?
Yes, the Free plan covers up to 200 subscribers and 30 campaigns, not just a trial.
Does OneSignal use AI?
Yes, its AI can draft, send, test, and optimize campaigns automatically based on defined brand guardrails.
Does PushEngage use AI?
Yes, its AI copywriter drafts push notification variants.
Does PushEngage support WhatsApp?
Yes, WhatsApp Business messaging is included alongside web and mobile push.
When was PushEngage founded?
PushEngage was founded in 2015; OneSignal's founding year is not disclosed in the available facts.