Alphorn vs Courier
Lightweight routing without the complexity
Courier is a notification orchestration platform with a visual designer. Alphorn takes a simpler approach (webhook in, notification out) with self-hosting and open-source transparency.
Why teams choose Alphorn
Simple by design
No visual workflow designer, no design-heavy template builder, no subscriber management. Alphorn focuses on reliable delivery from webhook to channel with filtering and retries.
Self-host with a single database
Courier is cloud-only. Alphorn self-hosts with just PostgreSQL. One database, full control.
Pay for messages, not complexity
Courier's pricing scales with notifications and channels. Alphorn charges per message with clear limits and a generous free tier.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Alphorn | Courier |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted option | Yes (self-hosted) | No (cloud only) |
| Open source | AGPL-3.0-or-later | Closed source |
| Integration method | HTTP webhook (no SDK) | SDK + API |
| Notification channels | 20+ channels | 15+ channels |
| Filtering / routing | Rule-based (priority, tags, paths) | Visual workflow designer |
| Templates | Field mapping templates + source presets | Built-in visual designer |
| Retry logic | Built in (exponential backoff) | Built in |
| Multi-tenant | Projects with RBAC | Tenants |
| Setup complexity | Single command | Cloud signup + SDK install |
| Data ownership | Your infrastructure | Courier's cloud |
Frequently asked questions
When should I choose Courier over Alphorn?
Courier is better if you need a visual template designer, subscriber preference management, or complex multi-step notification workflows with branching logic.
Can I migrate from Courier to Alphorn?
Yes. Replace Courier SDK calls with HTTP POST requests to Alphorn. If you use Courier templates, move the formatting into your payloads or map fields with Alphorn webhook templates.
Does Alphorn support notification templates?
Yes, for mapping payloads. Webhook templates pick the title, message, tags, and priority from any JSON body (e.g. {issue.title}), and source presets cover GitHub, Grafana, Alertmanager, Sentry, and Stripe. There is no visual designer: each channel handles its own formatting (Block Kit in Slack, HTML in email).
Ready to try Alphorn?
Free plan includes 3,000 messages/month. Self-host for free, forever.