Comparison

ntfy vs Instatus Updates

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

Head to head
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
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

About

Instatus Updates

Features
Read full description

Instatus on your phone, for when something breaks and you're away from your desk. BE THE FIRST TO KNOW • Pages and monitor alerts as push notifications, with a phone call when you're on call • Acknowledge, hand off or ask for cover right from the notification • See who is on call now, who is next, and your own shifts for the week RESPOND WITHOUT A LAPTOP • Report an incident or post an update in seconds, from scratch or from a template • Pick affected components and their status; your status page and subscribers update with it • Comment for your team and follow the full timeline of every incident KEEP AN EYE ON EVERYTHING • Monitors with uptime, response times and the latest checks; pause, resume or check now • Component status at a glance, grouped the way your status page shows them • Schedule maintenance, start it early or move it YOUR WAY • Choose which teams' monitors, incidents and maintenance reach your phone • Widgets and a Live Activity for open incidents • Works offline with your last data, in light or dark Sign in by scanning the code on your Instatus dashboard. An Instatus account is required.

Screenshots

ntfy2 screens
Instatus Updates4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: ntfy at fortnightly against Instatus Updates's every 5 months. ntfy also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ntfy ships an update fortnightly, Instatus Updates every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
ntfy versus Instatus Updates: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterntfyInstatus Updates
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (477 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings477 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhilipp HeckelInstatus

Bugs and 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

Instatus Updates

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ntfy

No in-app purchases

None

Instatus Updates

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ntfy free?
ntfy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Instatus Updates free?
Instatus Updates is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ntfy or Instatus Updates have ads?
Neither ntfy nor Instatus Updates shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ntfy or Instatus Updates?
ntfy ships an update fortnightly, and Instatus Updates every 5 months. Most recently, ntfy was updated on October 27, 2026 and Instatus Updates on October 29, 2026.

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