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Knock vs Sendbird(2026)

Knock is better for teams that need all notification channels in one. Sendbird is the stronger choice if best for chat-heavy apps. Knock is freemium (from $0 (10,000 notifications/month free)) and Sendbird is freemium (from $399/month).

Full feature breakdown, pricing details, and pros & cons below.

By Bikram Nath

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Knock logo

Knock

freemium

Knock provides a notification system with multi-channel delivery (email, push, SMS, in-app) and workflow orchestration.

Starting at $0 (10,000 notifications/month free)

Visit Knock
Sendbird logo

Sendbird

freemium

Sendbird provides in-app chat, messaging, video calls, and push notification APIs for mobile and web applications.

Starting at $399/month

Visit Sendbird

How Do Knock and Sendbird Compare on Features?

FeatureKnockSendbird
Pricing modelfreemiumfreemium
Starting price$0 (10,000 notifications/month free)$399/month
Multi-channel (email, SMS, push, in-app)✓—
Notification templates✓—
Workflow builder✓—
Notification preferences✓—
Batching and digests✓—
In-app chat API—✓
Push notifications—✓
Video & voice calls—✓
Moderation tools—✓
AI chatbot—✓
UIKit components—✓

Knock Pros and Cons vs Sendbird

K

Knock

+All notification channels in one
+Workflow orchestration
+User preference management
+Free tier is generous
−Newer platform
−Not for bulk marketing email
−Smaller community
S

Sendbird

+Best for chat-heavy apps
+Prebuilt UIKit
+Video calls included
+Reliable scale
−Very expensive
−Overkill for simple notifications
−Long contracts

Should You Use Knock or Sendbird?

For most teams, Knock is the better default: it offers all notification channels in one and is freemium (from $0 (10,000 notifications/month free)). Choose Sendbird instead if best for chat-heavy apps matters more than newer platform. There is no universal winner — the right pick depends on your budget, team size, and whether you value all notification channels in one or best for chat-heavy apps more.

Choose Knock if…

  • •All notification channels in one
  • •Workflow orchestration
  • •User preference management

Choose Sendbird if…

  • •Best for chat-heavy apps
  • •Prebuilt UIKit
  • •Video calls included

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