# Customer.io alternatives Customer.io bills by profile and starts at $100/mo. If you're mobile-first, want a different pricing model, or prefer notifications built in code, these options are worth comparing. Canonical URL: https://tappd.io/alternatives/customer-io Last updated: 2026-11-05 Vendor facts last checked: 2026-11-05 Tappd publishes this page and is one of the options listed. See [how we compare tools](https://tappd.io/how-we-compare). ## Why compare Customer.io alternatives - **Billing follows profiles**: Customer.io charges on your maximum number of identified people and objects, with $0.009 per additional profile on Essentials. That can differ a lot from your active user count. - **A jump between plans**: Essentials starts at $100/mo and Premium at $1,000/mo billed yearly, so it's worth checking which features you'd need on each. - **Different teams, different starting points**: A mobile-first team may want push and in-app at the center of its tool, and an engineering team may prefer workflows defined close to code. ## Customer.io alternatives ### Tappd Best for: mobile-first teams that want push and in-app without profile or MAU fees Journeys run on live profiles across push, in-app, and email. There's no per-profile charge, and cost follows email volume instead. The tradeoff: Tappd was founded in 2026, so it has a younger ecosystem and fewer third-party tutorials than established tools. WhatsApp and other messengers aren't available. Customer.io's data tooling goes further if your program depends on objects and data pipelines. - Pricing: $0/mo with 3,000 emails a month included, then $1.50 per 1,000. Push and in-app are included with no per-MAU fee. SMS is an optional add-on at $15 per 1,000. - Channels: mobilePush, webPush, inApp, email, sms - Flows: Journeys, with event triggers, waits, branches, and exit criteria. ### Iterable Best for: larger marketing teams at consumer brands Iterable offers cross-channel journeys for global brands, with native WhatsApp. The tradeoff: Prices and plans aren't published, so you can't compare cost upfront. - Pricing: Prices and plans aren't published. The pricing page routes you to a demo. - Channels: mobilePush, inApp, email, sms, whatsapp - Flows: Journeys, with paths across email, SMS, push, and in-app. ### Braze Best for: large teams running engagement across many channels Braze adds messengers such as KakaoTalk and LINE, with editions from early-stage teams to large enterprises. The tradeoff: Prices aren't published, and pricing combines MAU with pooled Action Credits. - Pricing: Prices aren't published. Pricing scales with MAU plus pooled Action Credits across channels. Braze has no free plan and advertises a free 14-day trial. - Channels: mobilePush, webPush, inApp, email, sms, whatsapp - Flows: Canvas, for designing and automating customer journeys. ### Knock Best for: engineering teams shipping product notifications from code Knock gives developers workflows, an in-app feed, and guides, sending through the email and SMS providers you connect. The tradeoff: It's a jump from Free to $250/mo, and you need separate provider accounts for email and SMS. - Pricing: Free covers up to 10,000 messages a month. Starter is $250/mo with 50,000 messages, then $0.005 each. - Channels: mobilePush, inApp, email, sms, whatsapp - Flows: Workflows, defined in Knock and triggered from your code. Email and SMS send through a provider you connect. ### Klaviyo Best for: ecommerce and other B2C brands Klaviyo combines email, SMS, mobile push, and flows, and has a free plan for 250 active profiles. The tradeoff: It's aimed at B2C brands, and it doesn't offer web push. - Pricing: Free covers 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month. Email starts at $20/mo for 251 to 500 active profiles, and Email + SMS at $35/mo. Pricing follows active profiles, and mobile push is unlimited on every plan. - Channels: mobilePush, inApp, email, sms, whatsapp - Flows: Flows, for automated multi-step messaging. ### OneSignal Best for: teams moving to a push-first model OneSignal has a free tier and low entry price, with Journeys across push, in-app, email, and SMS. The tradeoff: Billing moves to MAU, including devices that haven't opted in, and active Journeys are capped on Free and Growth. - Pricing: Free covers mobile push and in-app under 1,000 MAU, and 10,000 emails a month. Growth starts at $19/mo plus $0.012 per MAU, $0.004 per web push subscriber, and $1.50 per 1,000 emails after 20,000. - Channels: mobilePush, webPush, inApp, email, sms - Flows: Journeys, triggered by behavior, delays, or attributes. Free includes 3 active Journeys; custom events start on Growth. ## Which one fits your team - Push and in-app are your main channels: Tappd or OneSignal - Developers own notifications: Knock - You're an ecommerce brand: Klaviyo - You're a large consumer brand with a big team: Iterable or Braze ## When to stay with Customer.io - Email leads your lifecycle program, and you use Customer.io's data tools and object model. - You raised under $10M and qualify for its free startup year. - Your profile count stays close to your active user count, so per-profile billing is predictable. ## Before you switch 1. Compare your billed profile count with your actual active users. 2. Export people, objects, and suppression lists, and note what depends on objects. 3. Map your event names so existing tracking keeps working. 4. Warm up any new email sending domain before moving large sends. ## FAQ ### How much does Customer.io cost? Essentials starts at $100/mo, billed monthly, for 5,000 profiles and 1 million emails. Additional profiles are $0.009 each, and Premium starts at $1,000/mo billed yearly. ### Does Customer.io have a free plan? No free plan is listed. It offers a trial, plus a free year through its Startup Program for early-stage companies that raised under $10M. ### What's a good Customer.io alternative for mobile apps? If push and in-app are your main channels, compare Tappd and OneSignal. Tappd has no per-MAU fee, while OneSignal has a larger ecosystem and bills per MAU on Growth. ## Sources - [Customer.io pricing](https://customer.io/pricing) - [Customer.io Journeys](https://customer.io/journeys) - [Iterable pricing](https://iterable.com/pricing/) - [Iterable Journeys](https://iterable.com/product/journeys/) - [Braze pricing](https://www.braze.com/pricing) - [Braze journey orchestration](https://www.braze.com/product/journey-orchestration) - [Knock pricing](https://knock.app/pricing) - [Klaviyo pricing](https://www.klaviyo.com/pricing) - [OneSignal pricing](https://onesignal.com/pricing) - [OneSignal billing FAQ](https://documentation.onesignal.com/docs/en/billing-faq) - [OneSignal free plan changes](https://onesignal.com/blog/whats-changing-on-onesignals-free-plan/) - [OneSignal Journeys docs](https://documentation.onesignal.com/docs/en/journeys-overview) --- [All alternatives](https://tappd.io/alternatives) ยท [Get started](https://app.tappd.io/register)