Hasura
Novu
| Feature | Hasura | Novu |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $99/mo | Free / from $0.0025/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | backend-developers, startups, api-developers, full-stack-teams | saas-developers, product-teams, startups, notification-heavy-apps |
| Founded | 2017 | 2021 |
| Graphql Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Rest Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Real Time | ✓ | ✗ |
| Authorization | ✓ | ✗ |
| Event Triggers | ✓ | ✗ |
| Remote Schemas | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Channel Notifications | ✗ | ✓ |
| Notification Center | ✗ | ✓ |
| Subscriber Preferences | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflow Editor | ✗ | ✓ |
| Digest | ✗ | ✓ |
| Templates | ✗ | ✓ |
| Self Hostable | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Hasura Pros
- Instant APIs
- Real-time subscriptions
- Great developer experience
- Performance
✗ Hasura Cons
- PostgreSQL-focused
- Complex authorization
- Pricing changes
✓ Novu Pros
- Single API for all notification channels
- Open-source with self-hosting option
- Built-in notification center UI component
- Subscriber preference management included
✗ Novu Cons
- Complex setup for advanced use cases
- Documentation has gaps for edge cases
- Self-hosted version requires maintenance
The Verdict
Hasura is built for backend developers and startups, with a focus on graphql-api and rest-api. Novu targets saas developers and product teams and leads with multi-channel-notifications and notification-center.
On pricing, Novu is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0.0025/mo compared to $99/mo for Hasura. That $98.9975/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Novu offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Hasura takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for startups — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.