Alphorn vs ntfy
Multi-channel routing beyond push notifications
ntfy is an excellent self-hosted push notification tool. Alphorn builds on that concept with multi-channel routing, filtering rules, and delivery management — ntfy is even one of Alphorn's supported channels.
Why teams choose Alphorn
Multi-channel, not just push
ntfy sends push notifications to phones. Alphorn routes one webhook to Slack, Discord, Email, SMS, PagerDuty, and many more channels — including ntfy itself.
Filtering and routing logic
Route messages to different channels based on priority, tags, or payload content. ntfy delivers everything to the same topic — Alphorn lets you build routing rules.
Delivery management
Automatic retries with exponential backoff, failure notifications, and delivery tracking. ntfy is fire-and-forget — Alphorn confirms delivery.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Alphorn | ntfy |
|---|---|---|
| Notification channels | 20+ channels | Push notifications only |
| Self-hosted | Yes (PostgreSQL) | Yes (single binary) |
| Filtering rules | Priority, tags, JSON paths | Topic-based only |
| Retry logic | Exponential backoff (5 retries) | No retries |
| Failure notifications | Built in | Not available |
| Delivery tracking | Full delivery logs | Not available |
| Multi-tenant | Organizations with RBAC | Not available |
| Email, SMS, Slack | Built in | Not available |
| Setup complexity | PostgreSQL required | Single binary |
| Open source | AGPL-3.0-or-later | Apache 2.0 / GPL |
Frequently asked questions
Can I use ntfy and Alphorn together?
Absolutely. ntfy is a supported Alphorn channel. Use Alphorn for routing logic and multi-channel delivery, with ntfy as one of your push notification destinations.
When should I just use ntfy?
If you only need push notifications to your phone and don't need multi-channel routing, filtering, or retries, ntfy is simpler and lighter. It does one thing very well.
Is Alphorn harder to set up than ntfy?
Slightly — Alphorn needs PostgreSQL while ntfy is a single binary. But Alphorn's setup gets you running in minutes, and you gain multi-channel routing, filtering, and delivery management.
Ready to try Alphorn?
Free plan includes 3,000 messages/month. Self-host for free, forever.