ntfy is a great notification service. Send a simple HTTP request, get a push on your phone. It is open source and self-hostable, which is exactly why self-hosters love it.
To use it for free, you have two options. Self-host it, which means running a server, Docker, updates, and being comfortable with config. Or use the hosted ntfy.sh for free, where topics act as passwords and there are no real guarantees. The reliable hosted tiers on ntfy.sh are paid, from around six dollars a month up.
If you want the same flow, hosted and free, without running anything, Hook.Notifier gives you that.
The same simple send
ntfy is curl -d "message" ntfy.sh/your-topic. Hook.Notifier is one request to your personal URL:
curl "https://hooknotifier.com/{IDENTIFIER}/{KEY}?object=Backup&body=Backup%20finished"
Same idea, same result. The difference is there is nothing for you to host.
How they compare
| ntfy (self-hosted) | ntfy.sh (hosted) | Hook.Notifier | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send from a request | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Native phone push | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| You run the server | Yes | No | No |
| Setup needed | Docker, config | None | None |
| Free tier | Free, but you host it | Free but limited | Free |
| Reliable hosted tier | n/a | Paid, from ~$6/mo | Free |
| Priorities | Yes | Yes | Yes, 4 levels, high and critical bypass quiet hours |
| Action buttons | Yes | Yes | Yes, up to 3, in the inbox and the app |
| Scheduled delivery | Yes (X-Delay) | Yes | Yes, delay or exact time, up to 3 days |
| Markdown | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Update a sent notification | No | No | Yes, PUT by id |
| Payload templates | Yes, server-side | Yes, server-side | Yes, per hook, in the UI |
| Notification inbox | Basic | Basic | Yes, read/unread and full-text search |
For a while, feature depth was the honest reason to pick ntfy: it had priorities, action buttons, delayed delivery and markdown when we did not. That gap is closed. Hook.Notifier now has all of them, hosted and free. And a few things go the other way: updating a sent notification in place by its id (ntfy does not have this, it is a long-open request), payload templates you configure per hook in the UI rather than in server config, an inbox with read state and full-text search, and outgoing webhooks that relay every notification to Slack or any URL you choose.
ntfy's real strength has not changed, and it is a big one: it is open source and yours to run. If self-hosting is the point, ntfy is excellent. If you just want the result, Hook.Notifier hands you a URL and gets out of the way.
Get your URL
Your Hook.Notifier URL is https://hooknotifier.com/{IDENTIFIER}/{KEY}. Create a free account to get yours. Nothing to install.
Moving over
Anywhere you posted to your ntfy topic, post to your Hook.Notifier URL instead. The shape is the same: a title, a message, optional tags. Your scripts barely change.
Want the full walkthrough? Read how to send yourself a native push notification.