Firebase Cloud Messaging vs OneSignal

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Firebase Cloud Messaging

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377
+ 1
18
OneSignal

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+ 1
127
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Firebase Cloud Messaging vs OneSignal: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) and OneSignal are two popular services for sending push notifications to web and mobile apps. While they may seem similar at first glance, there are key differences that developers should consider when choosing between the two options.

  1. Integration and Setup: Firebase Cloud Messaging is tightly integrated with other Firebase services, making it a seamless choice for developers already using the Firebase platform. On the other hand, OneSignal is a standalone service that can be integrated with a variety of platforms and does not require using other specific services.

  2. Targeting and Segmentation: OneSignal provides more advanced targeting and segmentation options compared to Firebase Cloud Messaging. Developers using OneSignal can send notifications based on user behavior, demographics, location, and more, allowing for more personalized and targeted messaging.

  3. Rich Media Support: OneSignal offers built-in support for sending rich media notifications, including images, videos, and custom interactive buttons. Firebase Cloud Messaging also supports sending images and other rich media, but developers may need to handle the presentation of these elements themselves.

  4. Analytics and Insights: OneSignal provides detailed analytics and insights on notification delivery, opens, and engagement rates, allowing developers to track the performance of their push campaigns. While Firebase Cloud Messaging also offers some analytics capabilities, OneSignal's reporting features are often more robust and user-friendly.

  5. Cross-Platform Support: OneSignal supports a wide range of platforms, including iOS, Android, Web, Windows, Unity, and more, making it a versatile choice for developers working on multiple platforms. Firebase Cloud Messaging primarily focuses on Android and iOS platforms, with limited support for web and other platforms.

  6. Customization and Branding: OneSignal offers more flexibility in terms of customizing the appearance and behavior of notifications, allowing developers to align notifications with their app's branding and user experience. Firebase Cloud Messaging also provides some customization options, but OneSignal's offerings are typically more robust.

In Summary, Firebase Cloud Messaging and OneSignal differ in integration, targeting capabilities, rich media support, analytics, platform support, and customization options, giving developers a range of factors to consider when choosing a push notification service.

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Pros of Firebase Cloud Messaging
Pros of OneSignal
  • 18
    Free
  • 28
    Free of cost
  • 22
    More parametrable
  • 17
    Simple and Easy To Use. Well Documented :)
  • 13
    Device to device
  • 12
    Simple
  • 9
    Many Platforms
  • 9
    Great support
  • 8
    Free
  • 4
    Flexibility in working with web, android and iOS
  • 4
    Phonegap / Cordova / Ionic starters
  • 1
    Good

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Cons of Firebase Cloud Messaging
Cons of OneSignal
  • 8
    Lack of BI tools
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    What is Firebase Cloud Messaging?

    It is a cross-platform messaging solution that lets you reliably deliver messages at no cost. You can notify a client app that new email or other data is available to sync. You can send notification messages to drive user re-engagement and retention. For use cases such as instant messaging, a message can transfer a payload of up to 4KB to a client app.

    What is OneSignal?

    OneSignal is a high volume push notification service for websites and mobile applications. OneSignal supports all major native and mobile platforms by providing dedicated SDKs for each platform, a RESTful server API, and a dashboard.

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    What companies use Firebase Cloud Messaging?
    What companies use OneSignal?
    See which teams inside your own company are using Firebase Cloud Messaging or OneSignal.
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    What tools integrate with Firebase Cloud Messaging?
    What tools integrate with OneSignal?

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    Blog Posts

    Nov 20 2019 at 3:38AM

    OneSignal

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    What are some alternatives to Firebase Cloud Messaging and OneSignal?
    Google Cloud Messaging
    Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) is a free service that enables developers to send messages between servers and client apps. This includes downstream messages from servers to client apps, and upstream messages from client apps to servers.
    Firebase
    Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.
    Amazon SNS
    Amazon Simple Notification Service makes it simple and cost-effective to push to mobile devices such as iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, and internet connected smart devices, as well as pushing to other distributed services. Besides pushing cloud notifications directly to mobile devices, SNS can also deliver notifications by SMS text message or email, to Simple Queue Service (SQS) queues, or to any HTTP endpoint.
    Kafka
    Kafka is a distributed, partitioned, replicated commit log service. It provides the functionality of a messaging system, but with a unique design.
    SignalR
    SignalR allows bi-directional communication between server and client. Servers can now push content to connected clients instantly as it becomes available. SignalR supports Web Sockets, and falls back to other compatible techniques for older browsers. SignalR includes APIs for connection management (for instance, connect and disconnect events), grouping connections, and authorization.
    See all alternatives