Expo vs OneSignal
Compare Expo and OneSignal based on observed push API performance and features
Live performance comparison
Real-world performance data from notifications sent through Knock
| Provider | Notification volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100M–500M | 2nd of 5 ↓ | 0 | 1 |
| 1M–10M | 5th of 5 → | 8 | 18 |
From April 13th to July 12th, Knock routed 100M–500M notifications through Expo and 1M–10M through OneSignal. Expo reported 1 status page update over the last 90 days, while OneSignal reported 18.
Response time
Response time measures how long each provider takes to accept a push API request from Knock, including connection overhead and any automatic retries. Lower values mean faster notification hand-off.
The chart above shows each provider's daily median response time (p50) from April 13th to July 12th. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: Expo averaged 43ms compared to 209ms for OneSignal. Expo's highest daily p50 was 68ms; OneSignal's was 392ms. Expo is 166ms faster at the median, which can add up at high volumes.
The 90th percentile (p90) captures the slowest 10% of requests, revealing how each provider handles moderate stress. Averaged across all days, Expo has a p90 of 73ms compared to 320ms for OneSignal. The highest daily p90 was 159ms for Expo and 996ms for OneSignal. Expo handles these slower requests 247ms faster, suggesting more consistent performance across the board.
The 99th percentile (p99) represents the long tail — the slowest 1% of requests. Averaged across all days, Expo reached 218ms at p99 while OneSignal reached 1139ms. The highest daily p99 was 5215ms for Expo and 4136ms for OneSignal, indicating the worst-case response time during spikes or provider-side congestion. Expo shows a tighter tail, which may matter for time-sensitive push notifications like real-time alerts where even rare delays can impact user experience.
Error rate
Error rate tracks the ratio of 5xx responses and timeouts to total push API requests. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
| Provider | Avg. daily error rate | Highest daily rate | Peak error date | Zero-error days | Days above 0.01% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.03% | 2.21% | May 23 | 51 | 13 |
| 0.04% | 5.85% | Apr 13 | 81 | 6 |
Averaged across the date range, Expo shows a 0.03% daily error rate compared to 0.04% for OneSignal. The highest single-day error rate was 2.21% for Expo and 5.85% for OneSignal. Both providers show similar reliability levels, with error rates well within acceptable thresholds. Knock automatically retries failed requests to both providers, minimizing the impact of transient errors on end-user delivery.
About these metrics: Data represents notifications sent through Knock during the specified period. Response time measures time from Knock to provider acceptance. Error rate includes only provider 5xx responses and timeouts.
Recent Expo incidents
Recent status page incidents for Expo
Started May 14, 2026 — Resolved May 14, 2026
This Incident has been resolved and services are operating normally again.
Recent OneSignal incidents
Recent status page incidents for OneSignal
Started Jul 6, 2026 — Resolved Jul 6, 2026
Status: Resolved The issue has been resolved. All impacted systems are now operating normally. Affected components Integrations (Operational)
Started Jul 1, 2026 — Resolved Jul 1, 2026
Status: Resolved The issue has been resolved. All impacted systems are now operating normally. Affected components Journeys (Operational)
Started Jun 26, 2026 — Resolved Jun 26, 2026
Status: Complete Maintenance has been completed. Affected components Analytics & Reporting (Operational)
Started Jun 25, 2026 — Resolved Jun 25, 2026
Status: Resolved The issue has been resolved. All impacted systems are now operating normally. The analytic lag is totally processed. Affected components Analytics & Reporting (Operational)
Started Jun 23, 2026 — Resolved Jun 23, 2026
Status: Complete All maintenance tasks are complete. Services should be back to normal. Affected components Dashboard / UI (Operational) APIs & SDK Endpoints (Operational) Journeys (Operational)
Pros and cons
Expo
OneSignal
Pros
- Simplifies push for React Native apps by abstracting away APNS and FCM complexity
- Free push notification delivery with no per-message costs
- Receipt tracking enables monitoring delivery success and debugging failures
- No need to manage platform-specific credentials or certificates
Pros
- Generous free tier with unlimited mobile push makes it accessible for small teams and hobby projects
- Visual editor and prebuilt UI enable non-technical teammates to compose, target, and schedule campaigns
- Broad channel coverage including push, email, SMS, and in-app messages from a single platform
- Fast to get started with SDKs, guided setup, and strong documentation
Cons
- Tied to the Expo ecosystem; apps ejected from Expo lose some push conveniences
- Platform features beyond push (EAS Build, EAS Update) require a paid plan at scale
- Adds a proxy layer between your app and APNS/FCM, which can increase latency
Cons
- Workflow builder is tuned for marketing campaigns and lacks granular, event-driven control for transactional product messaging
- Subscription and tag-based preferences model is less flexible than a user-and-channel preference model for complex cross-channel logic
- Separated environments for development, staging, and production aren't first-class, which can complicate team workflows
- End-to-end observability and message-level debugging is more limited than dedicated notification infrastructure platforms
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Expo and OneSignal?
Expo provides a unified push notification API for React Native apps, abstracting away APNS and FCM complexity with free delivery and built-in receipt tracking. OneSignal is a cross-platform push notification service with built-in segmentation, A/B testing, analytics, and intelligent delivery optimization. Expo is best suited for react native and expo apps, while OneSignal is geared toward cross-platform push with built-in analytics.
Which is cheaper, Expo or OneSignal?
Expo push notifications are free with no per-message cost. The broader Expo platform has paid tiers: Production at $99/month and Enterprise at $999/month, which include EAS Build, EAS Update, and priority support. Push notification delivery itself has no additional cost at any tier. OneSignal offers a free tier for up to 10,000 subscribers. Growth plans start at $9/month with additional subscribers and features. Professional plans start at $99/month with advanced analytics, in-app messaging, and journeys. Enterprise pricing is custom. The best value depends on your sending volume and target platforms.
Which is faster, Expo or OneSignal?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Expo has a median push API response time (p50) of 43ms compared to 209ms for OneSignal.
Which is more reliable, Expo or OneSignal?
From April 13th to July 12th, Expo showed an error rate of 0.03% while OneSignal showed 0.04%. Both rates are within acceptable thresholds for production push notification delivery, and Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize the impact of transient errors.
Which is more popular, Expo or OneSignal?
On the Knock platform, Expo handled 100M–500M notifications from April 13th to July 12th compared to 1M–10M for OneSignal. Expo is currently seeing declining volume, while OneSignal volume has remained stable.
Can I use both Expo and OneSignal together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple push notification providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Expo and OneSignal side by side, route traffic between them, or migrate from one to the other without changing your application code.
What are the main pros and cons of Expo vs OneSignal?
Expo strengths include simplifies push for react native apps by abstracting away apns and fcm complexity and free push notification delivery with no per-message costs. OneSignal strengths include generous free tier with unlimited mobile push makes it accessible for small teams and hobby projects and visual editor and prebuilt ui enable non-technical teammates to compose, target, and schedule campaigns. On the other hand, Expo drawbacks include tied to the expo ecosystem; apps ejected from expo lose some push conveniences, while OneSignal drawbacks include workflow builder is tuned for marketing campaigns and lacks granular, event-driven control for transactional product messaging.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Expo, OneSignal, or any combination of push notification providers into a single notification workflow. Manage templates, orchestrate cross-channel delivery, and switch providers without changing your code.