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 attempts) | No retries |
| Failure notifications | Built in | Not available |
| Delivery tracking | Full delivery logs | Not available |
| Multi-tenant | Projects 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.