Reliable push, with every webhook call on record.
Pushover has been delivering push reliably for over a decade, its API is as simple as they come, and since 2026 it receives webhooks too. Pocket Alert covers the same ground and adds what sits around it: a log of every webhook call with its payload and rendered result, scheduled delivery, action buttons on the notification, and history that lives on the account instead of on each device.
What Pushover does not cover
Pushover does one job well. These are the jobs it leaves to you.
No action buttons
A notification carries one supplementary URL. There is no button to call a restart endpoint or copy an ID from the lock screen.
Nothing to debug with
Webhooks show only the last payload received. When an alert never arrives, there is no record of earlier calls, their headers, or why one failed.
History is per device
Messages live on each device separately and are not viewable on the website, so history depends on the phone in your hand.
No scheduling
A message sends the moment you call the API. Delivering it at 9am tomorrow means running your own cron.
Pocket Alert vs Pushover, feature by feature
Same delivery job, different amount of plumbing left over.
| Feature | Pocket Alert | Pushover |
|---|---|---|
| Where you use it | ||
| iOS app | ||
| Android app | ||
| Web dashboard | Devices, keys, apps, webhooks | Account, apps, groups; plus a desktop client |
| Chrome extension | Send a link or note to your phone | |
| Command-line tool | Official binary for Linux, macOS, Windows | Community scripts only |
| MCP server for AI agents | 10 tools | |
| Sending alerts | ||
| Send via HTTP API | ||
| Inbound webhook URL per source | One URL per service | Webhook receivers since February 2026 |
| Payload mapping into the message | %field.path% into title, body and buttons | {{field}} selectors for title, body, URL, image |
| Scheduled delivery | Up to 30 days, listable and cancellable | |
| Priority levels | Five, silent to critical | Five, -2…2, emergency retries until acknowledged |
| Critical alerts that override Do Not Disturb | On paid plans | iOS Critical Alerts, Android DND override |
| Action buttons on the notification | Up to 3: open, HTTP request, copy | One supplementary URL, no buttons |
| Attachments | Images | Images up to 5 MB |
| Grouping by source | Applications, filtered in the app | Applications and delivery groups |
| Email delivery | E-mail gateway to your devices | |
| SMS or phone-call delivery | ||
| Records and debugging | ||
| Message history | Account-wide, synced to app and web | Per device, not on the website |
| Webhook call log | Headers, payload, rendered message, result | Last payload only |
| History retention | Messages until you delete them; webhook calls 7–365 days by plan | Whatever the device kept |
| Delivery statistics | Per application and per device | Monthly message counter |
| Account and data | ||
| Content encryption | At rest with a per-account key, secrets redacted | In transit; storage not documented |
| Two-factor authentication | TOTP with recovery codes | |
| Open source or self-hosted | ||
Pushover data from pushover.net, its API documentation and blog, checked October 2026.
What you’ll pay
| Pocket Alert | Pushover | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 50 messages a day, no card | 30-day trial, then a purchase per platform |
| Entry paid plan | $6/month — 1,000 messages a day, 5 webhooks | $4.99 once per platform, after a 30-day trial |
| Highest tier | $25/month — unlimited messages, 365-day history | Pushover for Teams, $5 per user / month |
Pocket Alert pricing as of October 2026. Pushover figures from pushover.net/pricing. See full pricing.
Coming from Pushover
Install and get a key
Install the app, sign in, and copy your API key from the dashboard.
Swap the endpoint
Point your existing script at the Pocket Alert endpoint. Same POST, same title and message fields.
Replace the bridges
For each Pushover webhook or third-party bridge, create a Pocket Alert webhook and map the payload with %field.path%.
Set the levels
Set a default level per webhook so routine events stay quiet and the ones that matter break through.
curl https://api.pushover.net/1/messages.json \
--form-string 'token=YOUR_APP_TOKEN' \
--form-string 'user=YOUR_USER_KEY' \
--form-string 'title=Deploy finished' \
--form-string 'message=main is live' \
--form-string 'priority=1'curl https://api.pocketalert.app/v1/messages \
-H 'Token: YOUR_API_KEY' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{
"title": "Deploy finished",
"message": "main is live",
"level": "high"
}'Questions, answered
Since February 2026 Pushover has webhook receivers too, with selectors that pull JSON fields into the title, body, URL and image. What Pocket Alert adds around them: a log of every incoming call with its headers, payload and rendered message (Pushover shows the last payload), scheduled delivery up to 30 days out, up to three action buttons on the notification, and history kept on the account instead of on each device.
Pushover stores messages on each device separately, and they are not viewable from the website. Pocket Alert keeps message history on the account, so it is the same list on your phone and in the dashboard, with delivery statistics next to it.
Add send_at with an exact time or delay with a duration to any message. It is stored encrypted until the delivery time, up to 30 days out, and you can list or cancel anything still pending. Pushover has no scheduling — messages send when you make the request.
Pushover is $4.99 once per platform after a 30-day trial, with a 10,000 messages per month allowance; Pushover for Teams is $5 per user per month. Pocket Alert is a subscription: free for 50 messages a day, $6/mo for 1,000 a day, $25/mo for unlimited. For one person sending a handful of alerts, Pushover costs less over time. The subscription buys the call log, the history and the scheduling.
Send your first alert in five minutes.
Point a service at a webhook URL, map the fields, and see every call that arrives.