Head to head
Expo Push vs OneSignal
As a push notification API, OneSignal rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 86.4 to 79, a 7.4-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Expo Push | OneSignal |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 79.0 | 86.4 |
Specifications
| Expo Push | OneSignal | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Free push for React Native | Self-serve push + omnichannel engagement |
| Free tier | Free (600 notif/sec/project) | Unlimited mobile push + 10k web subs |
| Pricing | Free (transport) | MAU-based ($0.012/MAU) |
| Official SDKs | 9 languages | 12 languages |
Is Expo Push better than OneSignal?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, OneSignal rates higher (86.4 vs 79). 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
OneSignal leads by 7.4 points (86.4 vs 79) and wins 4 of 4 criteria.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 80 | 84 | |
| Reliability | 78 | 85 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 70 | 86 | |
| Accessibility | 90 | 92 |
Choose Expo Push if… / choose OneSignal if…
- →your use case matches its focus: free push for react native
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (84 vs 80)
- →reliability matters most to you (85 vs 78)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (86 vs 70)
- →accessibility matters most to you (92 vs 90)
- →you need broad SDK coverage (12 official SDKs vs 9)
- →your use case matches its focus: self-serve push + omnichannel engagement
Pricing side by side
- Model
- Free (transport)
- Free tier
- Free (600 notif/sec/project)
- Push notification serviceFree
- Free (EAS platform)$0/month
- Production (EAS)$99/month
- Enterprise (EAS)$999/month
- Model
- MAU-based ($0.012/MAU)
- Free tier
- Unlimited mobile push + 10k web subs
- Free$0/mo
- GrowthFrom $19/mo + usage
- ProfessionalCustom (annual)
- EnterpriseCustom (annual)
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Expo Push) and 2026-06-27 (OneSignal).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 0
None
Only Expo Push · 9
Node.js (official, expo-server-sdk-node)Python (community, expo-server-sdk-python)PHP (community)Ruby (community)Rust (community)Go / Golang (community)Elixir (community)Java (community)REST HTTP API (direct, any language)
Only OneSignal · 12
iOS (Swift/Objective-C)Android (Kotlin/Java)React NativeFlutterExpoUnityCordova / Ionic CordovaCapacitor / Ionic Capacitor.NET MAUIHuaweiAmazonFlutterFlow
Strengths and weaknesses
- +Push notification service is completely free with no per-message charges
- +Single unified API abstracts away both APNs and FCM, cutting cross-platform integration work
- +Tight integration with the React Native / Expo / EAS toolchain
- –No SLA and no uptime guarantee for the push service
- –Hard rate limit of 600 notifications/second per project constrains large-scale blasts
- –At-least-once best-effort delivery means notifications can be duplicated or dropped
- +Genuinely generous free tier: unlimited mobile push sends and subscribers, enough segmentation to run real campaigns without paying
- +Very broad SDK coverage (iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Expo, Unity, Cordova/Ionic, Capacitor, .NET MAUI, Huawei, Amazon, FlutterFlow)
- +Clean, readable REST API and documentation; reviewers cite ~20-minute first integration
- –Support is the most common complaint, slow, templated, or doc-link responses, especially on free/lower tiers
- –Per-MAU pricing 'scales weirdly' and can get expensive as audience grows even without more sends
- –Analytics are shallower than dedicated marketing suites; attribution gets murky across concurrent campaigns
Expo Push vs OneSignal: questions
- Which has better documentation, Expo Push or OneSignal?
- OneSignal scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 84 vs 80 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Expo Push or OneSignal?
- OneSignal scores higher on reliability: 85 vs 78 out of 100.
- Do Expo Push and OneSignal have a free tier?
- Expo Push: yes (Free (600 notif/sec/project)). OneSignal: yes (Unlimited mobile push + 10k web subs).
- How are Expo Push and OneSignal priced?
- Expo Push: Free (transport). OneSignal: MAU-based ($0.012/MAU).
- Which has more official SDKs?
- OneSignal lists 12 official SDKs, Expo Push lists 9.