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Communication · head to head

LINE WORKS vs Novu

LINE WORKS logo

LINE WORKS

Communication

Business chat built on the LINE interface, aimed at Japanese firms whose staff and customers already use LINE

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Novu logo

Novu

Communication

Open-source notification infrastructure for multi-channel messaging

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: LINE WORKS the external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.; Novu free plan activity feed retention is limited to 24 hours, restricting how far back teams can debug delivery issues.
  • They diverge on capability: LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Novu covers Multi-channel workflows.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which LINE WORKS and Novu actually diverge.

Attributes where LINE WORKS and Novu differ
AttributeLINE WORKSNovu
Pricing modelPer user per monthfreemium
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, Windows, macOSweb, api

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 LINE WORKS

  • External LINE messaging
  • Chat and channels
  • Voice and video calls
  • Shared address book
  • Calendar and bulletin board
  • Drive
  • Business email
  • Admin controls

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.

LINE WORKS

  • A Japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over LINE rather than emailnot Novu
  • A clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on LINE but under corporate retention and auditnot Novu
  • A Japanese SME under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tiernot Novu
  • The Japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standardnot Novu

Novu

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

Where each one falls short

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

LINE WORKS

  • The external LINE bridge, which is the main reason to choose it, only matters where LINE has consumer penetration, so buyers outside Japan, Taiwan and Thailand are paying for a feature they cannot use.
  • The free tier caps total storage at 5GB across the whole organisation, not per user, so a team sharing photos or documents exhausts it within weeks and is pushed onto a paid plan.
  • Business email is only on the Advanced plan at 800 yen per user, so an organisation wanting both chat and mail pays nearly double the Standard rate for every seat including staff who only chat.
  • Developer documentation, support and the integration catalogue are strongest in Japanese, which makes it awkward to administer from a non-Japanese IT function.
  • It has no serious developer or engineering workflow story, so organisations that also run Slack or Teams for technical teams end up maintaining two chat systems and two directories.

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

LINE WORKS

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 30 users
    • 5GB total storage
    • Chat, calls, calendar and address book
  • Standard$450/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1TB shared storage
    • Annual contract price, 540 yen monthly
  • Advanced$800/month
    • Everything in Standard
    • Business email
    • 100TB shared storage

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 LINE WORKS if

  • You need external line messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want chat and channels.
LINE WORKS 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 LINE WORKS or Novu better?
Neither clearly leads. LINE WORKS starts at Free and Novu at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, LINE WORKS or Novu?
LINE WORKS starts at Free and Novu at Free.
Does LINE WORKS or Novu run on more platforms?
LINE WORKS runs on Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS. Novu runs on web, api.
Can I use LINE WORKS for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is LINE WORKS best used for?
LINE WORKS is most often used for a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email, a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit, a japanese sme under 30 staff that wants managed business chat at no licence cost on the free tier, the japanese subsidiary of a foreign group that needs a local tool for front-line staff alongside the group standard. Of those, a japanese retail or service chain whose customers expect to book and enquire over line rather than email and a clinic, dealership or estate agency that needs customer conversations on line but under corporate retention and audit are not what Novu is typically brought in for.
What can LINE WORKS do that Novu cannot?
LINE WORKS covers External LINE messaging, Chat and channels, Voice and video calls, Shared address book. Novu covers Multi-channel workflows, Advanced email editor, Activity feed, Multi-environment support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

LINE WORKS: Can LINE WORKS really message ordinary LINE users?

Yes. That is its core differentiator and the reason Japanese customer-facing businesses buy it.

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
LINE WORKS: Is there a free plan?

Yes, up to 30 users with 5GB of total organisation storage.

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
LINE WORKS: Does the Standard plan include email?

No. Business email is Advanced only, at 800 yen per user per month on an annual contract.

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
LINE WORKS: Is it worth buying outside Japan?

Generally no. Without the consumer LINE bridge it competes poorly against Slack, Teams or Lark on features and ecosystem.

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