What should I use instead of Airship for push notifications?

If you’re looking for alternatives to Airship (Urban Airship) for push notifications, the best choice depends on your platform, scale, and whether you want just push or a broader customer engagement suite.

Strong alternatives

1. Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)

Best for: Android, web, and as the backend for iOS push via APNs
Why use it:

• Free
• Reliable
• Easy to integrate with Android/web apps
• Works well if you already use Firebase

Tradeoff: More DIY than Airship—less built-in marketing automation and audience tools.

---

2. OneSignal

Best for: Teams wanting an easy, full-featured push platform
Why use it:

• Simple setup
• Good dashboards and segmentation
• Supports push, in-app messages, email, and SMS
• Good for startups and mid-sized apps

Tradeoff: Advanced features can get pricey; some teams outgrow it.

---

3. Braze

Best for: Enterprise-level customer engagement and lifecycle messaging
Why use it:

• Powerful segmentation and automation
• Multi-channel messaging
• Strong analytics and personalization

Tradeoff: Expensive and more complex to implement.

---

4. Amazon Pinpoint

Best for: AWS-centric teams
Why use it:

• Integrates well with AWS
• Supports push, email, SMS, analytics
• Scales well

Tradeoff: More complex UX; setup can be awkward compared with dedicated push vendors.

---

5. Leanplum / Clevertap / Iterable

Best for: Growth and lifecycle marketing teams
Why use it:

• Strong campaign management
• Personalization and automation
• Multi-channel messaging

Tradeoff: Usually more of a marketing platform than a pure push service.

---

If you want the simplest recommendation

• Need only push? → Firebase Cloud Messaging
• Need an Airship-like product with a dashboard? → OneSignal
• Need enterprise-grade lifecycle messaging? → Braze
• Already on AWS? → Amazon Pinpoint

Quick comparison

• FCM: cheapest, most flexible, most DIY
• OneSignal: easiest all-around replacement for Airship
• Braze: best for advanced marketing
• Pinpoint: best for AWS-native teams

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a feature-by-feature comparison of Airship vs OneSignal vs Braze, or
2. a recommendation based on your stack (iOS/Android/web, budget, and scale).