#1 USERPILOT ALTERNATIVE
In-app messaging built for developers.
Modern engineering teams choose Knock to ship dynamic paywalls, dialogs, and nudges using their own components.
In-app component library and SDKs
Power all of your in-app messaging. Native to your product. Built for production-level performance.
Branch • Throttle • Batch
Advanced functions to deliver messages when and where your users expect them.
Preference Management
Give users control of where and when they receive messages.
Production-Ready Observability
Debug notifications with ease. Stream logs to observability tooling for live monitoring.
Cross-Channel Analytics
Stream notification data to your tools. Learn and iterate.
Developer-first messaging engine
Trigger and cancel workflows via our API. Set a schema and enforce data validation to catch errors before they reach users. Deliver messages across multiple channels.
The top reasons leaders choose Knock over UserPilot
A developer-first platform
With multiple environment support, a git-like commit system, and a management API + MCP server, Knock meets developers where they work.
Advanced orchestration
Knock is the only messaging platform with batching and throttling and a flexible preferences model. Only notify your users when they need to be.
Best-in-class observability
Knock provides an end-to-end debugger so you can understand what happened from API request to workflow run to notification sent.
Knock vs. UserPilot feature comparison
| Feature | Knock | UserPilot |
|---|---|---|
| Visual template editor | ||
| In-app messaging support | ||
| Campaign engagement analytics | ||
| Full observability (API logs, message debugging) | ||
| CLI and management API | ||
| Advanced workflow functions like batching, throttling | ||
| Git-like version control | ||
| Multi-environment support | ||
| Schema-enforced trigger validation | ||
| Native in-app messaging components | ||
| Multi-tenancy support |
Frequently asked questions
What's the main difference between Knock and UserPilot?
Knock is developer-first messaging infrastructure that provides APIs and SDKs for engineering teams to build custom notification systems. UserPilot is a digital adoption platform designed for product teams to create in-app guides and onboarding experiences without code.
Knock supports product, growth, and engineering-owned messaging driven by events, while UserPilot focuses on product adoption and user onboarding through no-code builders.
Can developers use UserPilot for transactional notifications?
While UserPilot can display in-app messages, it's primarily built for product adoption and onboarding use cases. Developers often find UserPilot's no-code approach limiting for complex notification logic, whereas Knock provides granular, programmatic control through APIs and event-driven workflows designed specifically for transactional product and customer messaging use cases.
Does Knock support in-app guides like UserPilot?
Yes, Knock provides native in-app messaging components through Guides that enable engineering teams to build custom dialogs, paywalls, and nudges using their own React components. Unlike UserPilot's pre-built templates, Knock gives you full control over the design and behavior of your in-app experiences.
In addition, features like Workflows and Broadcasts allow engineering, product, and growth teams to work collaboratively in Knock to send relevant lifecycle messaging and one-off promotional messages, just like UserPilot.
How do the analytics compare between Knock and UserPilot?
UserPilot offers product adoption analytics and user behavior tracking for onboarding flows. Knock also provides detailed engagement analytics across channels, plus end-to-end observability for delivery tracking, message debugging, and API logs that give you complete visibility into your messaging infrastructure.
Is Knock easier to set up than UserPilot?
Unlike UserPilot, Knock is purpose-built for developers, so initial setup requires some technical involvement. However, Knock's developer-first approach means you get more control and flexibility once configured, with features like infrastructure as code, version control, and programmatic management.
Can I use Knock and UserPilot together?
Yes, many companies use both platforms. It's common to see engineering teams using Knock to handle transactional messaging (alerts, updates, collaboration messages) while product teams use UserPilot to manage onboarding flows and product adoption experiences.
Is Knock cheaper than UserPilot?
Knock typically offers more cost-effective pricing for teams building holistic messaging systems. While UserPilot requires annual contracts, Knock provides transparent usage-based pricing starting at $0 for the first 10,000 notifications, making it accessible for startups and growing companies, with volume discounts for larger enterprise organizations.
Does Knock offer enterprise compliance features like UserPilot?
Both platforms offer enterprise compliance features. Knock provides SOC 2 Type 2 certification and supports GDPR/CCPA requirements. UserPilot offers similar compliance but typically requires enterprise contracts.
How long does it take to implement Knock compared to UserPilot?
Knock is designed for rapid implementation by developers, with most teams shipping notifications within hours using pre-built components. UserPilot typically requires weeks of configuration, content creation, and team training.
How long does migration from UserPilot to Knock take?
Most engineering teams migrate from UserPilot to Knock within 2-4 weeks, depending on notification complexity. Knock's developer-first approach and responsive support team help accelerate the process.