Email and notifications · Comparison
Push vs email vs SMS vs WhatsApp
The four main ways an app reaches people. They differ in cost, reach and how quickly people notice, so most products mix them by message type.
4 options · 7 questions side by side · updated
| Compare | Push | SMS | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reaches | People with your app or site who allowed it | Anyone with an email address | Any mobile number | WhatsApp users who opted in |
| Cost per message | Free | Fractions of a cent | About ₹0.16 to ₹0.25 in India | About ₹0.115 to ₹0.86 in India |
| Permission | A system prompt the user accepts | Consent for marketing, not for receipts | Consent for promotions; DLT in India | Opt-in, plus approved templates |
| Speed | Seconds, when the device is online | Seconds to minutes | Seconds, varying by operator | Seconds, when the phone is online |
| Rich content | Title, text, image and buttons | Full HTML and attachments | Plain text only | Images, documents, buttons and replies |
| Best for | Live updates and reminders | Receipts, resets and long content | Login codes and critical alerts | Order updates and support chats |
| Watch out for | People switch it off if overused | Spam filters and DNS records | Cost, DLT rules and SIM-swap risk | Template approval and changing prices |
How to choose between Push, Email, SMS and WhatsApp
- Use push for timely updates to people who have the app, since it costs nothing per message.
- Use email for receipts, password resets and anything long or worth keeping.
- Use SMS for login codes and critical alerts that must reach any phone, and budget for every message.
- Use WhatsApp for order updates and support chats in markets such as India, where it is widely used.
The options
- PushShort alerts an app or website can show on a phone or computer even when it is not open, such as a new message, a delivery update or a reminder.
- EmailAutomatic emails sent to one person because of something they did, such as signing up, resetting a password, paying or asking for a login link.
- SMSA service that lets your server send text messages to phone numbers through the mobile networks, used for login codes, alerts and delivery updates.
- WhatsAppMeta's platform for businesses to send and receive WhatsApp messages from their own systems, such as order updates, login codes and support chats.
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