head to head · open source
Ntfy vs Inbox Zero
Ntfy has 34,282 GitHub stars, 1,605 forks, 393 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Inbox Zero has 12,238 stars, 1,536 forks, 209 open issues and last shipped yesterday. Ntfy leads on adoption by 180% (34,282 vs 12,238 stars). Ntfy is written in Go under Apache-2.0; Inbox Zero is written in TypeScript under a custom or non-standard licence. Ntfy has attracted 5% as many forks as stars, Inbox Zero 13%. Inbox Zero was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| Ntfy | Inbox Zero | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 34K | ★ 12K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Custom / other |
| Written in | Go | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-15 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.6K | ⑂ 1.5K |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick Ntfy if
- You weight community size — 34K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick Inbox Zero if
- You want the Inbox Zero feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Custom / other license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and Inbox Zero fits your workflow better
About Ntfy
ntfy is an HTTP based publish subscribe notification service that delivers push notifications to phones and desktops via simple REST API calls. It operates in the open source notification ecosystem, providing a lightweight alternative to proprietary push notification infrastructure. Users publish messages to topics via standard HTTP methods, and subscribers receive them instantly on registered devices.
About Inbox Zero
Inbox Zero is an open source AI email assistant written in TypeScript and placed in the email productivity ecosystem. It is a web application built with Next.js, shadcn/ui, Prisma, and related tools. The project describes itself as a 24/7 assistant that organizes email, drafts replies, manages calendar context, and handles attachments.
read the full Inbox Zero overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is Ntfy or Inbox Zero more popular?
Ntfy has 34,282 GitHub stars and Inbox Zero has 12,238. Ntfy has the larger community by that measure.
Are Ntfy and Inbox Zero free?
Both are open source. Ntfy is licensed under Apache-2.0, and Inbox Zero has no licence declared in this registry. Both are free to self-host.
What is the difference between Ntfy and Inbox Zero?
Ntfy is written in Go and Inbox Zero in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, Ntfy or Inbox Zero?
Choose Ntfy if you want the larger community (34,282 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose Inbox Zero if its feature set, stack or Custom / other licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.