Pick Novu if
product teams who will stay on Free $0 (10k workflow runs, 20 workflows, no card) while they drop in Inbox, then buy Pro at $30/month when they need 30k runs, 7-day retention, and the email editor.
Read the Novu pageNovu vs Polar
Our take
Pick Novu if product teams who will stay on Free $0 (10k workflow runs, 20 workflows, no card) while they drop in Inbox, then buy Pro at $30/month when they need 30k runs, 7-day retention, and the email editor. Pick Polar if indie / small product teams who will stay on Starter Free $0 (5% + 50¢, no Polar monthly fee) while they sell a first SKU, then buy Pro at $20/month when sales pass the ~$1,379/month breakeven
Novu
notification inbox + workflow desk
Best for
Novu Workflow runs you start at $0 / 10k
Polar Selling software you start on Starter at $0 (5% + 50¢)
Free plan
Novu $0 · /month. No card. 10,000 workflow runs/mo. All channels (email, in-app, SMS, chat, push). US + EU residency. Up to 20 workflows. 2 environments (Dev + Prod). Activity feed 24 hours. Up to 3 team members
Polar $0 · /month. 5% + 50¢ per transaction. Standard support. New orgs on or after 27 May 2026 start here
Lowest paid
Novu Pro $30/mo
Polar Payouts $2/mo
Next step up
Novu
Polar Extras $15
Coding agent
Novu Novu Connect
Polar
Watch out
Novu Free keeps the activity feed for 24 hours
Polar Starter is 5% + 50¢
Last checked
Novu 2026-10-22 · novu.co/pricing
Polar 2026-10-22 · polar.sh/resources/pricing
Which one, then?
Pick Polar if
indie / small product teams who will stay on Starter Free $0 (5% + 50¢, no Polar monthly fee) while they sell a first SKU, then buy Pro at $20/month when sales pass the ~$1,379/month breakeven and they want 3.8% + 40¢.
Read the Polar page