OneSignal vs Firebase: Which Free Web Push Notification Tool Is Right For You?
With a plethora of free web push notification platforms available, Firebase and OneSignal have emerged as popular choices among businesses eager to explore this powerful communication channel. We have compared OneSignal as a Firebase alternative as a web push notification tool, to help you make an informed decision.
Getting to know Firebase and OneSignal better
Firebase Cloud Messaging: Unleashing Real-Time Engagement
Firebase Cloud Messaging is a cost-free Google Cloud service, and a delight for developers looking for a self serve product to send notifications. FCM helps in informing an audience in real-time about data available for sync. Thus effectively used for engagement & retargeting.
OneSignal: Orchestrating Seamless Omnichannel Communication
OneSignal is an omnichannel platform with Web push notifications, native app push, Email and SMS capabilities. Perfectly suited for businesses necessitating continuous multi-channel communication, making it a fit for SaaS and E-commerce businesses.
OneSignal vs Firebase- A Comprehensive Comparison of Free Push Notification Tools
Channels Supported
Channels |
OneSignal |
Firebase |
|
Channels supported |
Web push notifications, mobile push notifications, in-app messaging, email, SMS. |
Web push notifications, mobile push notifications and in-app messages. |
|
OS |
Both Android and iOS push notifications are supported. |
Both Android and iOS push notifications are supported. |
|
Rich Media Support |
Restricted support for rich media on iOS devices |
Built-in support for rich media, allowing businesses to create captivating and visually appealing notifications |
|
Notification Previews |
Notification previews, enabling users to visualize their messages accurately before sending them |
Accurate previews of notifications are unavailable |
|
Browser Compatibility |
Compatible across various browsers |
Limitations with compatibility across various browsers and has limited SDK support. |
Firebase offers mobile push notification support, but it falls short in certain areas. Accurate previews of notifications are unavailable, and support is limited for newer Huawei devices. As for OneSignal, it is important to note that the deliverability confirmation rate of OneSignal may present some uncertainty.
Ease of Use
OneSignal |
Firebase |
|
Even someone who isn't tech savvy can start using the tool |
Developer friendly. Requires a certain level of technical expertise to fully leverage its capabilities |
In short, Firebase Cloud Messaging is more suitable for developers and tech-savvy individuals. OneSignal was developer heavy in itself but now has gradually transitioned to a tool to be used by all, even for someone who isn’t a developer.
Minimum Feature Set
Segmentation |
OneSignal |
Firebase |
|
Segmentation based on |
Segmentation based on device, OS, sessions, language, user tag, location (restricted to country) and test users |
Segmentation based on device, OS, browser, language, Geo (city, continent, country, region, subcontinent) demographic, interests, user properties |
|
Preset templates |
Four preset templates for push notifications that can be made use of for publishers such as subscribed users, inactive users, active users and engaged users. |
Present templates are available such as - recently active users, 7-day inactive users, 7-day inactive purchases, based on acquisition, non purchasers, purchasers. |
|
User imports |
Yes |
Yes |
Firebase (FCM) segmentation
Segmentation on Firebase Cloud Messaging is simple and you can even filter and combine audiences and properties. One can send messages via ID, group or topic. One can import segments via a linked BigQuery account. By configuring Google Analytics, it automatically starts gathering information to help create particular segments. Analytics also builds predictive audiences based on onsite behavior.
One can even create a specific segment with custom Analytics user properties. For example, if you were to send an article on an advanced diving course, you can specifically send it to people who have done the beginner course. This can be achieved with a few lines of code.
OneSignal Segmentation
OneSignal also auto-tags your users based on the page visited or by the page they subscribed for notifications. And also based on the topics the user has shown interest in.
Automation
| Automation |
OneSignal |
Firebase |
|
Automation |
Sophisticated automated workflows |
Needs to be manually coded it as Firebase does not provide this out of the box |
|
Triggers |
Yes, triggers can be set to get best results |
Can be achieved with the help of APIs. However, it has limited API for Push |
|
Personalization |
Available |
Limited |
Firebase does not shine through when it comes to automation. OneSignal however, has sophisticated automated workflows called ‘Journey’. One can even send automated omnichannel Journeys to reach out to users on different channels at the marketable moment. There are six preset workflows that users can get started with right away, but most templates are ecommerce centric. A sequence of notifications can also be set. OneSignal also has a WordPress plugin, where notifications can automatically be sent out when an article is published.
Analytics
| Analytics |
OneSignal |
Firebase |
|
Can analyse |
Campaign analysis, retarget based on specific properties and the Average session duration can also be analyzed. |
Analytics on the audience provides data on users, engaged sessions, conversions, and user-by-device platforms |
|
Integrations |
Google Analytics, Mixpanel, Amplitude and app center |
Firebase Cloud Messaging being part of Google, it is integrated with Google Ads, AdMob, Play Store, and BigQuery |
|
A/B testing |
Yes |
Yes |
With OneSignal, one can easily do a analyse campaigns and retarget based on specific properties in professional and enterprise plans. The Average session duration is available on the professional plan.
OneSignal and Firebase Pricing
| Subscribers | 10,000 | 30,000 | 1,00,000 |
| OneSignal | - | - | - |
| Free | Free | N/A | N/A |
| Grow | 39$ | 99$ | 309$ |
| Professional | 129$ | 189$ | 399$ |
| Firebase | 0$ | 0$ | 0$ |
Why publishers switch from OneSignal To iZooto
“OneSignal had a good free plan but they had a limit of 10,000 subscribers. This was a deal breaker. With iZooto we were able to not only have unlimited subscribers but also use all their features especially monetization which meant we were getting revenue from our audience.”
-Kumaran Pillai, TheIndependent.sg
Customer Support
OneSignal |
Firebase |
|
Comprehensive documentation to assist users in understanding and utilizing its features |
Offers a lot of resources |
|
email support is typically limited to users on paid plans, restricting direct support access for free users. |
Lacks direct support channels beyond community forums |
Questions and queries are often addressed on public forums and platforms like Stack Overflow, providing a community-driven support system for Firebase.
Firebase Cloud Messaging might be free but at what cost?
Google has always been unpredictable, and Firebase being part of the Google cloud service could shut down one fine day and you won’t be able to do anything about it. Google clearly seems to have slowed down its investment in Firebase for now, and there has just been one small product update in the last year! Google’s long-term commitment to Firebase as a notification platform a bit shaky to start with.
Other than that here are a couple of points you need to take notice of-
- Firebase is definitely a developer first tool making it tricky for other to makes use of it.
- FCM does not support a few new devices such as Huawei.
- FCM on top of it is blocked in China, while OneSignal is available worldwide. If you cater to an audience in China, this is a big no.
- Data storage, image hosting, and analytics have additional costs. This is going to bite you on the back if you are a huge business who needs all thees features. So is it really free?
- There is no personal support on FMC whatsoever`. If you are new to push notifications, and wants to keep improving with constant support, this will not be the right choice.
Final verdict
Firebase is best used if you have a developer heavy team. Standalone Firebase is a good tool to have. But Firebase is not suited for team that are operating at scale and data analytics is important for you. If China is not your target audience, then Firebase is something you can consider. In this article we have compared OneSignal vs Firebase and we conclude that OneSignal stands out as the winner when compared to Firebase.
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