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Communication · head to head

Disciple vs Novu

Disciple logo

Disciple

Communication

White-label community apps published under your own brand on iOS, Android and web

From
£599/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Novu logo

Novu

Communication

Open-source notification infrastructure for multi-channel messaging

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Novu has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Disciple the entry plan starts at £599 a month, so a community with a few hundred members pays more per head than almost any percentage-fee alternative, and the flat fee only wins above a revenue threshold you should calculate before signing.; Novu free plan activity feed retention is limited to 24 hours, restricting how far back teams can debug delivery issues.
  • They diverge on capability: Disciple covers Native branded apps, Novu covers Multi-channel workflows.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Disciple and Novu actually diverge.

Attributes where Disciple and Novu differ
AttributeDiscipleNovu
Starting price£599/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month, flat fee with no transaction chargefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Androidweb, api

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Communication).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Disciple

  • Native branded apps
  • Web community
  • Groups and feeds
  • Courses
  • Live streaming and video
  • Subscriptions and payments
  • Multi-tier membership
  • Push notifications and analytics

Only in Novu

  • Multi-channel workflows
  • Advanced email editor
  • Activity feed
  • Multi-environment support
  • Role-based access control
  • Self-hosting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Disciple

  • A membership body moving several thousand paying members off Facebook Groups into an app that carries its own name in the App Storenot Novu
  • A fitness or coaching business selling subscriptions where a percentage-based platform fee would cost more each month than a flat licencenot Novu
  • A sports club or faith organisation that wants push notifications to reach members directly rather than competing with a social feed algorithmnot Novu
  • A brand running a customer community that must live on its own domain and its own app listing for reasons of ownership or sponsorshipnot Novu

Novu

  • Building multi-channel notification workflows for a SaaS productnot Disciple
  • Self-hosting notification infrastructure for data controlnot Disciple
  • Managing separate notification environments for staging and productionnot Disciple
  • Tracking notification delivery history and activitynot Disciple

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Disciple

  • The entry plan starts at £599 a month, so a community with a few hundred members pays more per head than almost any percentage-fee alternative, and the flat fee only wins above a revenue threshold you should calculate before signing.
  • Video is metered at 10,000 minutes on the entry plan and 20,000 on Pro, so a community that leans on live streaming will hit overage or a plan upgrade rather than the unlimited storage the marketing implies.
  • Owning your own App Store listing means owning App Store review, rejections and the annual developer account, and a policy change at Apple becomes your problem rather than the platform vendor's.
  • Apple and Google still take their cut of in-app purchases regardless of Disciple charging no transaction fee, so the zero percent claim applies to Disciple's share only and not to the total cost of collecting money in-app.
  • Pricing is in sterling, which introduces exchange rate exposure and, for some buyers, VAT handling that a US-billed competitor would not create.

Novu

  • Free plan activity feed retention is limited to 24 hours, restricting how far back teams can debug delivery issues.
  • Overage on Pro and Team plans is billed at $1.20 per 1,000 additional workflow runs, which can add up at scale.
  • HIPAA BAA compliance and dedicated SSO are Enterprise-only and require custom pricing.

Pricing, plan by plan

Disciple

£599/month
  • Branded App$599/month
    • Branded iOS, Android and web apps
    • 5 admin seats
    • 10 groups
  • Branded App Pro$999/month
    • Unlimited admin seats and groups under fair use
    • Unlimited monetised courses
    • 20,000 video minutes
  • Organisation$3400/month
    • From £3,400 per month
    • Custom feature development
    • API access and custom integrations

Novu

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 10,000 workflow runs/month
    • All channels included
    • Up to 20 workflows
  • Pro$30/month
    • 30,000+ workflow runs/month
    • Advanced email editor
    • Remove Novu branding
  • Team$250/month
    • 250,000+ workflow runs/month
    • Up to 10 environments
    • 90-day activity feed retention

Which should you pick?

Choose Disciple if

  • You need native branded apps.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want web community.
Disciple review

Choose Novu if

  • You need multi-channel workflows.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want advanced email editor.
Novu review

Questions people ask

Is Disciple or Novu better?
Neither clearly leads. Disciple starts at £599/month and Novu at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Disciple or Novu?
Novu has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at £599/month for Disciple and Free for Novu.
Does Disciple or Novu run on more platforms?
Disciple runs on Web, iOS, Android. Novu runs on web, api.
Can I use Novu for free?
Yes. Novu has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Disciple starts at £599/month.
What is Disciple best used for?
Disciple is most often used for a membership body moving several thousand paying members off facebook groups into an app that carries its own name in the app store, a fitness or coaching business selling subscriptions where a percentage-based platform fee would cost more each month than a flat licence, a sports club or faith organisation that wants push notifications to reach members directly rather than competing with a social feed algorithm, a brand running a customer community that must live on its own domain and its own app listing for reasons of ownership or sponsorship. Of those, a membership body moving several thousand paying members off facebook groups into an app that carries its own name in the app store and a fitness or coaching business selling subscriptions where a percentage-based platform fee would cost more each month than a flat licence are not what Novu is typically brought in for.
What can Disciple do that Novu cannot?
Disciple covers Native branded apps, Web community, Groups and feeds, Courses. Novu covers Multi-channel workflows, Advanced email editor, Activity feed, Multi-environment support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Disciple: How much does Disciple cost?

Branded App is £599 a month, Branded App Pro is £999 a month, and the Organisation tier starts at £3,400 a month. Annual billing gives two months free.

Novu: What does Novu cost?

Novu offers a Free plan for 10,000 workflow runs per month, Pro from $30/month for 30,000+ runs, Team from $250/month for 250,000+ runs, and custom Enterprise pricing for 10M+ runs.

Source
Disciple: Does Disciple take a cut of member payments?

No. All plans are 0% transaction fees on Disciple's side. Apple and Google still take their standard in-app purchase commission, which is separate.

Novu: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the Free plan includes 10,000 workflow runs per month, all messaging channels, up to 20 workflows, 2 environments, and up to 3 team members.

Source
Disciple: Is the app published under my brand?

Yes. iOS and Android apps go into the stores under your own name and branding, not as a section within a shared platform app.

Novu: How is usage metered?

Billing is based on the number of workflow runs per month rather than per user or per message, with overage on paid plans charged at $1.20 per 1,000 additional runs.

Source
Disciple: Is there a member limit?

Plans advertise unlimited members subject to fair use. The real limits are admin seats, groups, courses and video minutes, which differ by plan.

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