Comparison

ntfy vs OpenWebUI

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

OpenWebUI

This client app connects to your personal Open WebUI server for AI model interaction. Enjoy real-time chat, image generation, and voice commands, all while keeping your data private on your own server. Customize themes and manage chats with various actions.

Highlights
  • Real-time AI chat responses
  • Multiple AI model support
  • Image generation
  • Voice mode for interaction
  • Notes and knowledge base (RAG)
  • Chat management and export
  • Customizable themes
Features
Read full description

OpenWebUI Client is a native app for your own Open WebUI server — chat with your AI models with the fluidity of a real app, keeping everything on your server and under your control. FEATURES • Chat with your models, with real-time (streaming) responses • Multiple providers and models configured in your Open WebUI • Image generation • Notes and knowledge base (RAG) • Voice mode: speak and hear the responses • Chat actions: pin, archive, rename, clone, share, and export • Themes and customization • Attachments: send photos and files • 34 app languages, auto-detected from your device PRIVACY The app talks only to the Open WebUI server you specify. Nothing goes through third parties — your data stays on your server. REQUIREMENTS You need access to an Open WebUI server. On first launch, enter the server address and sign in with your account. This is an independent client, not affiliated with the Open WebUI project.

Screenshots

ntfy2 screens
OpenWebUI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ntfy at Free against OpenWebUI's $2.99. ntfy also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (79% vs 50%). OpenWebUI's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). On 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

ntfy is free to download; OpenWebUI costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ntfy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ntfy has 469 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 79% of ntfy's written reviews are positive against 50% of OpenWebUI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ntfy ships an update fortnightly, OpenWebUI every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
ntfy versus OpenWebUI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterntfyOpenWebUI
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating4.8 (469 ratings) — better3.8 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews78.9% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings469 — better4
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size3 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPhilipp HeckelJoao Victor Zao

Customer experience

ntfy

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

OpenWebUI

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

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

OpenWebUI

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ntfy

No in-app purchases

None

OpenWebUI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ntfy free?
ntfy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OpenWebUI free?
OpenWebUI costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ntfy or OpenWebUI?
ntfy is rated higher. ntfy averages 4.8 out of 5 from 469 ratings, while OpenWebUI averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.
Do ntfy or OpenWebUI have ads?
Neither ntfy nor OpenWebUI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ntfy or OpenWebUI?
ntfy ships an update fortnightly, and OpenWebUI every 6 days. Most recently, ntfy was updated on October 21, 2026 and OpenWebUI on October 20, 2026.

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