Google Cloud Messaging vs Urban Airship: What are the differences?

Introduction

Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) and Urban Airship are both cloud-based messaging platforms that enable app developers to send notifications to their users. However, there are several key differences between the two services.

1. Platform Compatibility: Google Cloud Messaging is exclusively designed for Android devices, whereas Urban Airship supports both Android and iOS platforms. This means that developers using GCM can only send notifications to Android users, while Urban Airship allows for cross-platform notification delivery.

2. Message Types: GCM primarily supports push notifications, which are short messages sent from a server to a mobile device. On the other hand, Urban Airship provides a broader range of messaging capabilities, including in-app messaging, automated messages, and SMS messaging. This gives developers using Urban Airship more flexibility in terms of the types of messages they can send to their users.

3. Ease of Integration: GCM is tightly integrated with other Google services, making it relatively easier for developers already using these services to integrate GCM into their apps. On the other hand, Urban Airship provides a more comprehensive set of APIs and SDKs, making it easier to integrate with various platforms and services, regardless of their origin.

4. Targeting and Personalization: Urban Airship offers more advanced targeting and personalization features compared to GCM. With Urban Airship, developers can segment their audience based on various criteria such as location, app usage, and user behavior. This allows for more personalized messaging tailored to specific user segments. GCM, on the other hand, provides limited targeting options.

5. Analytics and Reporting: Urban Airship provides detailed analytics and reporting features to track the performance of notifications and measure user engagement. Developers can gain insights into metrics such as notification opens, click-through rates, and conversion rates. In contrast, GCM's analytics capabilities are more limited, offering only basic data on notifications sent and received.

6. Add-on Services: Urban Airship offers additional services beyond messaging, such as A/B testing, predictive analytics, and revenue optimization. These services allow developers to further enhance their app's performance and optimize their messaging strategies. GCM, on the other hand, focuses solely on providing messaging capabilities and does not offer these additional services.

In Summary, the key differences between Google Cloud Messaging and Urban Airship include platform compatibility, message types, ease of integration, targeting and personalization features, analytics and reporting capabilities, and the availability of add-on services.