Hook vs Bark
Hook vs Hookdeck Console
Hook vs
ntfyAn ntfy alternative that reads any webhook.
ntfy is an open-source pub/sub service: you publish a message to a topic and subscribed devices get it. Hook gives you an endpoint any service can call as it is, and shows the whole request as well as the notification.
Hook and ntfy, side by side.
Hook Free, Pro from $5.99 a month | ntfy Free public server, paid plans, or self-host | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ||
| Price | Free: 10 requests a month. Pro: $1.99/week, $5.99/month or $39.99/year; Lifetime $59.99 (US App Store prices) | Free on ntfy.sh without an account; paid plans add reserved topics and higher limits |
| Volume | 10,000 requests a month on Pro | Free-tier limits not listed on the pricing page |
| Receiving | ||
| Third-party webhooks | Yes: Any request from any service: point Stripe, GitHub or anything else straight at it | Partly: Accepts a raw POST, but turns JSON into a message only with templates (built in for GitHub, Grafana and Alertmanager) |
| Read the full request | Yes: Headers, query string and full body, formatted, with the raw request kept | No: Shows the message, not the request headers |
| Signed payloads | Yes: JWS/JWT bodies decoded, nested ones too (App Store notifications) | No: Not in the docs |
| Sender recognition | Yes: Stripe, GitHub, Slack, Shopify, GitLab, Linear, Vercel, Sentry, Discord and the App Store named on arrival | No: Not in the docs |
| Email in | Yes: A mail.gethook.app address per workspace | Yes: Email to ntfy-<topic>@ntfy.sh; the subject becomes the title |
| Forward to your service | Partly: Proxy to your own URL on Pro | No: Not in the docs |
| Notifications | ||
| AI-written notifications | Yes: Title and summary written from any payload, in your language; or your own template | No: Not in the docs; JSON needs a template |
| Push | Yes: iPhone push, and browser push on Pro | Partly: Android and iOS; a self-hosted server relays iOS push through ntfy.sh |
| Publish from scripts | Yes: Hook-Title, Hook-Priority, Hook-Tags, Hook-Click, actions, as headers or URL parameters | Yes: Title, priority, tags, click, actions, attachments as headers |
| Priority | Yes: Five levels, from silent (1) to urgent (5) | Yes: Five levels |
| Platform | ||
| Apps | Partly: iPhone and iPad app, plus a web app; no Android | Yes: Android, iOS and web apps |
| History | 7 days on Free; full history on Pro | Messages cached for 12 hours by default |
| Self-hosting | No: Hosted only | Yes: Yes |
| Open source | No: Closed source | Yes: Apache 2.0 / GPLv2 |
- Supported
- Limited
- Not available
ntfy details are from their public website and docs as of October 2026. Hook prices are US App Store prices.
Why people pick Hook over ntfy.
Point services at it unchanged
Stripe, GitHub or the App Store cannot reshape their payload into a message. Hook takes the request as sent and still makes a readable notification.
The request, not just a line of text
Open any notification to read headers, query string and body, with JWS payloads decoded.
Built for iPhone first
A native iOS app with five priority levels and a web inbox for the laptop, with no relay server to run.
When ntfy is the better choice.
You want to self-host, or need an open-source tool.
You need Android: Hook is iPhone, iPad and web only.
You only send short messages from your own scripts and want it free.
You need attachments or phone-call alerts.
Questions about Hook and ntfy.
Can I keep my ntfy-style curl commands?
Almost: ntfy's X-Title and X-Priority become Hook-Title and Hook-Priority, and the body is the message. Hook does not accept ntfy's header names, by design.
Does Hook have topics?
Yes. Add a topic to the endpoint path (/workspace/<key>/<topic>); each one gets its own entry in the web app, and you can mute it or set a minimum priority.
Is Hook open source or self-hostable?
No. Hook is a hosted service with an iPhone and iPad app and a web app.
More in the docs: Get started · Publishing messages
How Hook compares with other tools.
- vs
Pushover alternative
Pushover is a reliable push API: your code sends a token, a user key and a message. Hook is an endpoint other services call directly, so a webhook you don't control still becomes a notification you can read in full.
Compare - vs
webhook.site alternative with push
webhook.site is a browser tool for inspecting requests sent to a disposable URL. Hook does the inspecting too, but on a permanent endpoint that notifies your iPhone, so you don't have to keep a tab open.
Compare - vs
Pushcut alternative for webhooks
Pushcut is built around iOS Shortcuts: notifications that run automations on your phone. Hook is built around the request: any service calls your endpoint and you read exactly what it sent.
Compare