What is the difference between ntfy and PagerDeck?
ntfy is an open source service you host yourself or use at ntfy.sh. Senders publish messages to topics and set the priority themselves. PagerDeck is a hosted service: the sender suggests an urgency, and your rule chain decides by source, tags, text, time of day and weekday, with deduplication, repetition until acknowledged, and escalation.
Side by side
The ntfy column summarizes the project's public documentation. Check details with the project. Prices are on the pricing page.
| Aspect | ntfy | PagerDeck |
|---|---|---|
| Operation | Self-host or use ntfy.sh | Hosted at Hetzner in Nuremberg |
| Source code | Open source | Proprietary |
| Who decides how loud an alert is | The sender, priority 1 to 5 per message | The receiver, via a rule chain |
| Incidents | Messages in topics | Incidents with dedup_key, acknowledge and resolve |
| Repetition and escalation | No escalation chains | Repetition until acknowledged, escalation to a device or email |
| Android | Yes, also via F-Droid | No |
| Access | Topic name, on your own servers with users and tokens | Ingest key per source, stored as SHA-256 |
When ntfy is the better choice
- You want to run the service yourself and not hand data to a vendor.
- You need Android or UnifiedPush.
- You send yourself messages from a few of your own scripts, and the sender should set the priority.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I switch without rewriting my scripts?
- Almost. ntfy accepts plain text in the body, PagerDeck expects JSON with title. The change is usually one line of curl. See the webhook guide.
- Can I self-host PagerDeck?
- No. PagerDeck only runs hosted at Hetzner in Nuremberg. If you want to self-host, ntfy is the better fit.
- Does PagerDeck have topics like ntfy?
- The closest concept is the source. Each sending system gets its own source with its own key, its own history and its own rules.
- How loud can PagerDeck get on the iPhone?
- The critical level breaks through Focus and the silent switch if you allow critical alerts for the app. Without permission, it visibly falls back to high for that device.
Read next
- PagerDeck or Pushover
Both put a push notification on your phone. The difference is who decides how loud it is.
- Homelab alerts in one place, with rules for the night
Uptime Kuma, Home Assistant, NAS and backups report to PagerDeck. You decide once what wakes you at night.
- Push notifications via webhook and curl
One HTTP request with JSON. No SDK, no library, and the all-clear does not cost you an alert.
- Pricing
Pro, Business or Team. Choose the plan for your alerts and pick a subscription or the limited lifetime deal.
Try both in parallel
Send the same script to both services and compare. 14 days, no payment method needed.
Last reviewed: October 2026. PagerDeck, a product of Gonzi Tech UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Product and company names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners. PagerDeck is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by them. Details in the imprint.