Comparison

Hermes vs ntfy

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Hermes

This app forwards notifications from your Mac to your iPhone using a cloud-based service. It offers an easy-to-use API and a dedicated email address for integration into automated workflows. Customize forwarding rules to filter notifications and ensure only important alerts reach your device.

Highlights
  • Mac to iPhone notification forwarding
  • Cloud-based service
  • Easy-to-use API
  • Dedicated email address for integration
  • Customizable forwarding rules
  • Smart filtering per app
Features
Read full description

Hermes was a Greek deity who served as a messenger of the gods using his winged sandles to move freely between the worlds of the mortals and the devine. The Hermes app, on the other hand, is a service that uses the cloud to move notifications from the world of your Mac to that of your iPhone. Hermes offers an easy to use API, and a user specific e-mail address that makes it easy to integrate Hermes into whatever automated workflow you might be using. You don't have to worry about notifications over burdening you with Hermes's forwarding rules. Only forward notifications from the apps you want, and even set up smart rules per app so only the important stuff gets through. Hermes Terms Of Service: https://funk-isoft.com/tos-hermes.html Hermes Privacy Policy: https://funk-isoft.com/privacy.html

About

ntfy

This app allows you to send push notifications to your phone from scripts or other applications using simple HTTP requests. It acts as a client for a free, open-source pub-sub service, enabling you to receive alerts and updates directly on your device.

Highlights
  • Send notifications via REST API
  • Subscribe to topics
  • Publish messages via HTTP
  • Integrates with Bash/PowerShell
  • Free and open source client
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Send push notifications to your phone from any Bash or PowerShell script, or from your own app using PUT/POST requests, e.g. via curl on Linux or Invoke-WebRequest. ntfy is a client for https://ntfy.sh, a free and open source HTTP-based pub-sub service. You can subscribe to topics in this app, and then publish messages via a simple HTTP API. Uses: * Notify yourself when a long-running process is done * Ping your phone when a backup has failed * Alerts when someone logs into your server Example: $ curl -d "Your backup is done" ntfy.sh/mytopic Find more examples and usage instructions here: https://ntfy.sh/docs

Screenshots

Hermes4 screens
ntfy2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ntfy at 4.7 against Hermes's 3.0. ntfy also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 3) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 11 months). Hermes's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Hermes sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.49 per month. ntfy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ntfy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ntfy has 477 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Hermes's written reviews are positive against 79% of ntfy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hermes ships an update every 11 months, ntfy fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Hermes versus ntfy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHermesntfy
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (4 ratings)4.7 (477 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews78.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings4477 — better
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
Best chart rank—#209 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFunk-iSoft LLCPhilipp Heckel

Customer experience

Hermes

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

ntfy

All ratings469 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral1.7%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews175 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral5.7%
Negative15.4%

Bugs and requests

Hermes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

ntfy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Notifications not working on iOS
  • Broken click URLs in notifications
  • Compatibility issues with iOS notification summarizing

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to change notification sounds
  • Support for Apple Watch
  • Customizable topic names/aliases
  • Improved iOS notification handling
  • All topics view and read/unread indicators

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Hermes

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription$0.491 Month
  • Semi-Annual Subscription$2.496 Months
  • Annual Subscription$3.991 Year
None

ntfy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hermes free?
Hermes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ntfy free?
ntfy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hermes or ntfy?
ntfy is rated higher. Hermes averages 3.0 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while ntfy averages 4.7 from 477 ratings.
Do Hermes or ntfy have ads?
Neither Hermes nor ntfy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hermes or ntfy?
Hermes ships an update every 11 months, and ntfy fortnightly. Most recently, Hermes was updated on October 15, 2026 and ntfy on October 27, 2026.

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