Head to head
Airship vs Courier
As a push notification API, Courier rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 82.6 to 69.8, a 12.8-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Airship | Courier |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 69.8 | 82.6 |
Specifications
| Airship | Courier | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Enterprise mobile engagement | Multi-channel notification routing |
| Free tier | No | 10k notifications/mo |
| Pricing | Custom MAU contract | Per notification (usage-based) |
| Official SDKs | 11 languages | 12 languages |
Is Airship better than Courier?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Courier rates higher (82.6 vs 69.8). It leads on the four weighted criteria, but price is reported separately, so the best choice still depends on your budget.
Verdict in one line
Courier leads by 12.8 points (82.6 vs 69.8) and wins 3 of 4 criteria; Airship wins 1.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 74 | 85 | |
| Reliability | 88 | 78 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 72 | 80 | |
| Accessibility | 38 | 88 |
Choose Airship if… / choose Courier if…
- →reliability matters most to you (88 vs 78)
- →your use case matches its focus: enterprise mobile engagement
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (85 vs 74)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (80 vs 72)
- →accessibility matters most to you (88 vs 38)
- →you want a free tier to start (10k notifications/mo)
- →you need broad SDK coverage (12 official SDKs vs 11)
- →your use case matches its focus: multi-channel notification routing
Pricing side by side
- Model
- Custom MAU contract
- Free tier
- No
- Airship EssentialsCustom (quote)
- Airship Experience Platform (AXP) / EnterpriseCustom (quote)
- Model
- Per notification (usage-based)
- Free tier
- 10k notifications/mo
- Developer (Free)$0/mo
- Business$0.005 per send
- EnterpriseCustom
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Airship) and 2026-06-27 (Courier).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 2
React NativeFlutter
Only Airship · 9
iOS / tvOS / visionOSAndroid / Android TV / FireOS / FireTVWebCordova / PhoneGapCapacitorUnityXamarinAppcelerator TitaniumREST API
Only Courier · 10
Node.jsPythonRubyGoPHPJavaiOS (Swift)Android (Kotlin)React (courier-react)JavaScript (client-side)
Strengths and weaknesses
- +Mature, battle-tested push infrastructure at massive scale (claimed 3+ trillion messages delivered since 2009)
- +True omni-channel reach in one platform: mobile push, web push, in-app/Scenes, SMS, email, and mobile wallet
- +Strong push-notification feature depth, rated 9.3/10 on G2's push feature breakdown
- –Among the most expensive push providers; quote-only pricing with ~$35k/yr entry plus onboarding fees prices out SMBs and indie developers
- –No public/self-serve pricing, every plan requires a sales conversation
- –Inconsistent UI across channels, requiring different approaches per channel
- +Single unified API and template designer covers push, email, SMS, in-app inbox, and chat, no per-provider integrations to maintain
- +Routes to ~11 push providers (APNS, FCM, Expo, OneSignal, Airship, Pusher Beams, etc.) so teams aren't locked to one push vendor
- +Native iOS, Android, React Native, and Flutter SDKs auto-manage device tokens and delivery/click tracking
- –Per-send pricing across all channels can be costlier than a single-purpose push vendor at very high volume
- –Handlebars-based templating has a learning curve some small teams find awkward
- –Some users report platform slowness during peak usage
Airship vs Courier: questions
- Which has better documentation, Airship or Courier?
- Courier scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 85 vs 74 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Airship or Courier?
- Airship scores higher on reliability: 88 vs 78 out of 100.
- Do Airship and Courier have a free tier?
- Airship: no free tier. Courier: yes (10k notifications/mo).
- How are Airship and Courier priced?
- Airship: Custom MAU contract. Courier: Per notification (usage-based).
- Which has more official SDKs?
- Courier lists 12 official SDKs, Airship lists 11.