Push API benchmarks

Real-time performance, reliability, and uptime benchmarks for top push notification providers, powered by proprietary data from millions of notifications sent through Knock.

Share:

Performance at a glance

Sort and filter push notification providers by API response time (how fast each provider's API accepts a request), error rate, and growth.

Aug 15, 2026 – Nov 13, 2026
Updated daily · Last updated
ProviderMessage volumeMedian response timeError rateGrowth
Apple Push (APNS)
Apple Push (APNS)
100M–500M
62ms
0.00%
3rd
Expo
Expo
25M–100M
72ms
0.02%
2nd
Firebase FCM
Firebase FCM
25M–100M
103ms
0.02%
1st
OneSignal
OneSignal
<1M
209ms
0.00%
4th

Compare providers

Pick any two providers for a head-to-head comparison of performance, reliability, and pricing.

vs
ProviderVolumeMedian response timeError rateGrowth
Apple Push (APNS)Apple Push (APNS)
100M–500M
62ms
0.00%
3rd →
Firebase FCMFirebase FCM
25M–100M
103ms
0.02%
1st ↑

Best push providers by use case

Use caseProviderPerformanceVolume
Fastest push notification serviceApple Push (APNS)62ms median100M–500M
High volume at scaleApple Push (APNS), Expo, Firebase FCM62ms median, 72ms median, 103ms median100M–500M, 25M–100M
Fastest-growing adoptionFirebase FCMGrowth rank 1 of 425M–100M

Based on millions of notifications sent through Knock from Aug 15, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026, updated daily. Only providers with enough volume for high-confidence metrics are eligible for a pick. Apple Push (APNS) and OneSignal are tied for the lowest error rate (0.00%), so the table doesn't name a most reliable push notification service.

Using more than one provider

Knock sits above your push notification providers as an orchestration layer. With one workflow API, 25+ provider integrations, per-user preferences, and a single log and debugger from API request to delivery, you can:

  • Choose the right provider per platform. Use Apple Push for iOS, Firebase Cloud Messaging for Android and web, and a cross-platform provider when one API should cover every device.
  • Switch providers without rewriting application code. Change routing rules in the Knock dashboard while your app continues calling the same API.
  • Run failover and load balancing. Automatically retry failed sends through a backup provider or distribute load across multiple APIs.
  • Migrate providers gradually. Route a percentage of traffic to a new provider, monitor the results, and roll back if needed.

Our methodology

How we collect, measure, and present the data behind these benchmarks.

All metrics reflect a trailing 90-day window. Point-in-time load tests don't capture the variability of a production system handling thousands to millions of requests daily, so we use a longer window to surface the effects of system congestion and public incidents without penalizing providers that are actively improving.

Volume represents the total number of sampled push API requests routed through Knock during the period. Because Knock is an orchestration layer, we cannot influence the sending patterns of our customers, so volume varies by provider. To normalize for this, we group providers into volume bands that indicate how statistically confident we are in the observed metrics. Providers with low volume are flagged so you can weigh the results accordingly.

Response time is measured as the elapsed time from when Knock sends an API request to when the provider returns a response indicating notification acceptance. This measures API acceptance latency rather than end-to-end delivery speed, since push delivery confirmation varies by platform. We compute percentiles (p50, p90, p95, p99) using exact quantile functions. The measurement includes HTTP connection pooling time and network latency, applied consistently across all providers.

Error rate is the ratio of requests that received a 5xx status code to total requests for the period. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so a single request can produce multiple error entries if each retry also fails. We believe this accurately represents the provider's availability during those periods.

In Knock, a connection to a provider API is modeled as a channel. Growth rank reflects how many new channels were created for each provider during the 90-day window. To detect directional trends, we split the window into two 45-day halves and compare them, producing the trend indicators (up, down, or stable) shown alongside each rank.

Frequently asked questions

Based on real-world data from 100M–500M notifications sent through Knock from August 15th to November 13th, Apple Push (APNS) has the lowest median API response time at 62ms (p50). The top three by response time are Apple Push (APNS) (62ms), Expo (72ms), Firebase FCM (103ms).

Apple Push (APNS) and OneSignal are tied for the lowest error rate at 0.00% for 5xx responses and timeouts among providers with high-confidence volume, so no single provider leads on reliability. Knock automatically retries failed requests across all providers.

By volume on the Knock platform, Apple Push (APNS) leads with 100M–500M notifications from August 15th to November 13th. The top three by volume are Apple Push (APNS) (100M–500M), Expo (25M–100M), Firebase FCM (25M–100M).

Firebase FCM currently ranks 1st in growth among 4 providers tracked on the Knock platform. The top three fastest-growing providers are Firebase FCM, Expo, Apple Push (APNS).

Yes. Knock enables you to integrate any combination of push notification providers into a single notification workflow. You can route between providers, run migrations, or use different providers for different platforms, all without changing your application code.

Browse other API benchmarks

Compare real-time performance for providers on other channels, measured the same way across requests sent through Knock.

Email API benchmarks

Compare response time, reliability, and pricing across 10 providers.

Fastest providers
  • 1SendGrid
    14ms
  • 2Postmark
    59ms
  • 3Resend
    70ms
And 7 more

SMS API benchmarks

Compare response time, reliability, and pricing across 7 providers.

Fastest providers
  • 1Amazon SNS
    81ms
  • 2Twilio
    121ms
  • 3MessageBird
    250ms
And 4 more
MessageMediaTelnyxWhatsAppAfrica's Talking