Novu vs Make
Open-source notification infrastructure — workflows across email, SMS, push, chat, in-app
vs. Visual workflow automation (formerly Integromat) — deeper than Zapier
Pricing tiers
Novu
Free
10K workflow runs/mo. All channels. 20 workflows, 2 environments, 3 team members, 24h retention.
Free
Self-hosted (OSS)
Open source (MIT). Run locally or on own infrastructure. No usage limits.
$0 base (usage-based)
Pro
From $30/mo. 30K+ runs, 7-day retention, branding removal, advanced email editor.
$30/mo
Team
From $250/mo. 250K+ runs, 10 envs, 90-day retention, RBAC, 600 RPS.
$250/mo
Enterprise
Custom. 10M+ runs, HIPAA BAA, SSO/OIDC, data residency (SG/UK/AU/JP/KR), self-hosted/VPC.
Custom
Make
Free
$0. 1,000 operations/month. 3,000+ apps. Basic support. Min 15-min scheduling interval.
Free
Core
$9/mo. 10,000 operations. Unlimited active scenarios. Sub-minute scheduling. API access.
$9/mo
Pro
$16/mo. 10,000 operations. Priority execution. Custom variables. Full-text log search.
$16/mo
Teams
$29/mo. Team roles. Scenario templates. Share with team.
$29/mo
Enterprise
Custom. Custom functions, 24/7 support, overage protection, advanced security.
Custom
Free-tier quotas head-to-head
Comparing free on Novu vs free on Make.
| Metric | Novu | Make |
|---|---|---|
| retention | 1 days | — |
| workflow runs monthly | 10000 runs/mo | — |
| workflows | 20 workflows | — |
Features
Novu · 15 features
- Activity Feed — Message-by-message delivery timeline.
- Chat — Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Mattermost, WhatsApp, WeChat.
- Email — SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun, AWS SES, Resend, SMTP, Plunk, Mailjet, Sparkpost, M…
- Inbox — React/Next/Vue/Angular in-app Inbox component.
- Layouts — Reusable email layouts with template nesting.
- Multi-tenancy — Per-tenant branding, templates, preferences.
- Novu Framework — Code-first workflow DSL (TypeScript) colocated with app code.
- Preferences — Per-subscriber + global notification preferences.
- Push — APNs, FCM, Expo, OneSignal, Pushpad, Pusher.
- Self-hosting — Docker Compose / Kubernetes deployment of full stack.
- SMS — Twilio, MessageBird, Plivo, Nexmo, Termii, Sendchamp, Africa's Talking, Kannel, …
- Subscribers — Subscriber profiles with channels, preferences, topics.
- Topics — Pub/sub style subscribe many users to a topic.
- Translations — i18n support for templates.
- Workflows — Code-first or visual notification workflows with steps, branches, delays.
Make · 16 features
- 3,000+ Apps — Huge integration catalog.
- Custom Apps SDK — Build your own app integrations with Apps SDK.
- Custom Functions (Ent) — Enterprise-only: define reusable functions.
- Custom Webhooks — Webhook triggers + responses.
- Data Stores — Make-native DB for cross-scenario state.
- Data Structures — Shared schemas for mapping.
- Error Handlers — Per-module error routes (rollback, resume, ignore).
- Execution Log — Per-operation input/output detail.
- Formula Editor — Rich formula language for data transformation.
- HTTP Module — Generic HTTP client — call any API.
- Iterator + Aggregator — Loop over arrays + collect results.
- Make AI Agents — Autonomous AI agents that invoke Make modules as tools.
- Router — Branch scenarios into multiple paths with conditions.
- Scenario Templates — Pre-built templates + community marketplace.
- Scheduling — Sub-minute scheduling on paid. 15-min min on Free.
- Visual Scenario Editor — Node-based canvas with curved connections.
Developer interfaces
| Kind | Novu | Make |
|---|---|---|
| CLI | Novu CLI | Make CLI (for Apps SDK) |
| SDK | go-novu, @novu/api, @novu/framework, novu-java, novu-kotlin, novu-php, novu (Python), @novu/react (Inbox), novu-ruby | Apps SDK |
| REST | Novu REST API | Make API |
| MCP | — | Make MCP |
| OTHER | Outbound Webhooks, Self-hosted (Docker) | Custom Webhooks, Make Web Editor |
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