If you’re comparing mobile engagement platforms, we know how different pricing plans, allotments, and platform-specific jargon begin to blur together. The build vs. buy discussion can become even more complicated.
We also know a large portion of your decision hinges on how a plan supports the specific goals you’re under pressure to hit, whether that’s launching fast, scaling growth, or proving ROI to your leadership (or, if you are the leadership, making sure your team has the right tools to deliver results).
Below, we’ve broken down our plans through the lens of different personas and use cases. See where you recognize yourself or your team and use this guide to navigate toward the plan that gives you the best bang for your buck.
Solo builders, indie developers & early-stage startups
Roles: solo developer, indie game maker, founder, blogger
Stage & goals: launching an MVP, testing product–market fit, building a small audience
Meet Alex, a solo developer building a weather app on weekends. He wants to test push notifications to keep users coming back, but doesn't have budget or time for enterprise-level tooling.
Why the Free Plan?
The Free Plan was designed exactly for builders like Alex—those testing ideas, launching MVPs, or hacking together side projects. It provides:
- Core messaging channels (push, in-app, SMS, email) with one active in-app message and 10,000 free email sends/month
- Unlimited mobile push subscribers and up to 10,000 web push subscribers per send
- One Journey (2 messaging steps), 6 segments, and 2 data tags—enough for simple onboarding flows or re-engagement nudges
👉 Perfect for hackathons, side projects, or testing product–market fit before you’re ready to scale.
Growth-stage startups & small to mid-sized businesses
Roles: marketing manager, growth lead, product manager
Stage & goals: scaling an app, starting lifecycle automation, improving retention
Meet Priya, a growth lead at a subscription-based fitness app. She needs to do more than send one-off blasts… she wants smarter onboarding, re-engagement, and advanced analytics to understand what's working.
Why the Growth Plan?
Growth gives you the right mix of sophistication and flexibility without a big upfront cost.
- Starts at $19/month with usage-based channel costs and no long-term contract
- 3 Journeys with branching and up to 6 steps—ideal for automated onboarding and re-engagement
- 10 segments and 10 data tags for targeting beyond “all users”
- Advanced features like Intelligent Delivery, Confirmed Deliveries, message throttling, and retargeting
- 20,000 free email sends/month, unlimited in-app impressions, and access to Live Activities (up to 100,000 push subscribers)
👉 Best for apps starting to scale user bases and needing multichannel engagement to reduce churn.
Dedicated lifecycle & marketing teams at mid-size companies
Roles: teams that want power and automation but don’t need enterprise-level customization.
Stage & goals: running complex multichannel campaigns, deeper personalization, advanced reporting
Meet Sofia, a lifecycle marketer at a subscription media company. She runs multiple campaigns at once, needs precise audience targeting, and has to demonstrate ROI through analytics.
Why the Professional Plan?
Professional is built for teams that are proactively prioritizing lifecycle marketing and want powerful automation without needing enterprise customization.
- 20 Journeys with up to 50 steps each, plus branching logic and event-based triggers
- 20 segments and 100 data tags for precise personalization
- Custom event tracking and advanced analytics to measure impact
- 24/7 prioritized support and volume-based pricing as campaigns scale
👉 Ideal for B2C apps, large media sites, or subscription-driven businesses aiming to boost LTV through automated lifecycle messaging.
Large enterprises & regulated industries
Roles: organizations that need compliance, scale, and customization — because of industry or audience size
Stage & goals: high-volume messaging, global scale, strict compliance, advanced customization
Meet Jordan, a compliance officer at a digital health app. For his team, compliance isn't optional—it's mission critical. They need enterprise-level security, custom contracts, and guaranteed reliability.
Why the Enterprise Plan?
Enterprise is built for organizations with millions of users, complex requirements, and stringent security needs.
- Fully customizable annual commitment including all Professional features
- Frequency capping, a Security & Legal package (custom contract, SOC 2 report, HIPAA-compliant BAA, SSO), SLA options
- Dedicated Customer Success Representative
- Custom allocations of MAUs, subscribers, IAM impressions, email/SMS sends, tags, segments, and Live Activities
👉 Best for large enterprises or regulated industries (fintech, healthcare, gaming) that need white-glove support.
A quick note on usage & costs
When evaluating plans, it helps to think in terms of how you’ll use OneSignal:
- Subscribers vs. MAUs: Mobile push pricing is based on monthly active users (MAUs), not subscribers; web push pricing is per subscriber
- Email sends: Free allowances grow with your plan (10k → 20k → volume-based pricing).
- Live Activities: Available starting with Growth, with higher thresholds as you scale.
Forecasting usage will help you pick the right plan today and avoid overpaying tomorrow.
Not sure where you fit?
Explore more details on our pricing page, view our full pricing plan breakdown, or contact our team and we’ll work together to meet your specific needs.
