Head to head
Firebase Cloud Messaging vs Knock
As a push notification API, Firebase Cloud Messaging rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 85.6 to 83.6, a 2-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Firebase Cloud Messaging | Knock |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 85.6 | 83.6 |
Specifications
| Firebase Cloud Messaging | Knock | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Free cross-platform push transport | Notification infra + in-app inbox |
| Free tier | Unlimited (free) | 10k messages/mo |
| Pricing | Free (transport) | Per message (MAU/message tiers) |
| Official SDKs | 11 languages | 12 languages |
Is Firebase Cloud Messaging better than Knock?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Firebase Cloud Messaging rates higher (85.6 vs 83.6). 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
Firebase Cloud Messaging leads by 2 points (85.6 vs 83.6) and wins 2 of 4 criteria; Knock wins 2.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion | Winner | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 82 | 90 | |
| Reliability | 92 | 80 | |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 88 | 76 | |
| Accessibility | 80 | 88 |
Choose Firebase Cloud Messaging if… / choose Knock if…
- →reliability matters most to you (92 vs 80)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (88 vs 76)
- →your use case matches its focus: free cross-platform push transport
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (90 vs 82)
- →accessibility matters most to you (88 vs 80)
- →you need broad SDK coverage (12 official SDKs vs 11)
- →your use case matches its focus: notification infra + in-app inbox
Pricing side by side
- Model
- Free (transport)
- Free tier
- Unlimited (free)
- Spark (free)$0
- Blaze (pay-as-you-go)$0 for FCM
- Model
- Per message (MAU/message tiers)
- Free tier
- 10k messages/mo
- Developer$0/month
- Starter$250/month
- EnterpriseContact sales
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Firebase Cloud Messaging) and 2026-06-27 (Knock).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 2
Android (Kotlin/Java)iOS (Swift/Objective-C)
Only Firebase Cloud Messaging · 9
Web (JavaScript)FlutterUnityC++Admin SDK: Node.jsAdmin SDK: JavaAdmin SDK: PythonAdmin SDK: GoAdmin SDK: C#
Only Knock · 10
Node.js / TypeScriptPythonRubyGoJavaC# / .NETElixirPHPReactReact Native
Strengths and weaknesses
- +Completely free with no per-message charge and no message-count limit, even at large scale
- +Native, default push channel for Android via Google Play Services plus broad iOS and web support
- +Three flexible targeting modes: individual token, device group, and topic subscription with boolean conditions
- –No published SLA or delivery-latency guarantee; delivery is explicitly best-effort
- –Reported delayed or dropped notifications, especially on iOS and battery-optimized/Doze Android devices
- –Console and notification dashboard are limited, with no built-in segmentation or lifecycle/journey tooling
- +Single API orchestrates email, push, SMS, in-app feed, and chat channels so teams stop building bespoke notification pipelines
- +Visual workflow builder with batching, delays, branching, and channel fallbacks out of the box
- +Production-ready front-end components (React, React Native, iOS, Android, Flutter, Expo) for real-time in-app feeds, badge counts, toasts, and preference centers
- –Steep price jump from free to the $250/month Starter plan can be hard to justify for small workloads
- –Key enterprise features (per-customer branding, i18n, SCIM, SAML, HIPAA/BAA, data-warehouse analytics) are locked behind Contact-sales Enterprise pricing
- –Reviewers note the lack of a declarative / Terraform-style way to define workflows as code
Firebase Cloud Messaging vs Knock: questions
- Which has better documentation, Firebase Cloud Messaging or Knock?
- Knock scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 90 vs 82 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Firebase Cloud Messaging or Knock?
- Firebase Cloud Messaging scores higher on reliability: 92 vs 80 out of 100.
- Do Firebase Cloud Messaging and Knock have a free tier?
- Firebase Cloud Messaging: yes (Unlimited (free)). Knock: yes (10k messages/mo).
- How are Firebase Cloud Messaging and Knock priced?
- Firebase Cloud Messaging: Free (transport). Knock: Per message (MAU/message tiers).
- Which has more official SDKs?
- Knock lists 12 official SDKs, Firebase Cloud Messaging lists 11.