HonkIO vs OneSignal for push notifications

• HonkIO stores push credentials, device tokens, content and logs in Canada. OneSignal says its primary data centers are in the European Union.
• HonkIO bills in Canadian dollars, $0.0005 CAD per push a device accepts ($0.50 per 1,000), from a prepaid balance. OneSignal takes payment in US dollars.
• Unlike Firebase Cloud Messaging on its own, which delivers to apps and browsers but not to phone numbers, HonkIO can send a text in the same call when no device accepts the push, under every SMS rule: consent, opt-outs and sending limits.
• HonkIO can encrypt each push to a key the device makes, so Apple and Google receive a placeholder instead of your title and body.

The OneSignal column comes from OneSignal's public pages, checked in November 2026. HonkIO prices are in Canadian dollars, before taxes.

See HonkIO pricing

Processing outside Canada: a push goes through Apple's, Google's or the browser's push service, in the United States and other countries. The privacy policy lists each one.

Where HonkIO stores and processes data

How HonkIO checks consent

• Stored in Canada: push credentials, device tokens, content and logs.
• Content Apple and Google cannot read: for a device that registered its own key, they receive a placeholder and an encrypted envelope.
• Billed in Canadian dollars: $0.0005 CAD per accepted push ($0.50 per 1,000) from a prepaid balance.

Upload your APNs key and Firebase service account to a HonkIO push app, register each device token from your backend under your own user ID, and send with POST /v1/push to that user. No mobile SDK is required: your app gets its token from Apple or Google as usual, and the optional Swift and Android packages add per-device encryption.

Read the push quickstart

What does HonkIO push cost?

$0.0005 CAD per push a device accepts ($0.50 per 1,000), from a prepaid balance, before taxes. A device that rejects the push is not charged, test pushes are free, and a fallback text bills as an SMS at $0.03 CAD per segment.

Does OneSignal store data in Canada?

OneSignal says its primary data centers are in the European Union, as of November 2026. HonkIO stores push credentials, device tokens, content and logs in Canada.

Do I still need Firebase Cloud Messaging?

For Android, yes: HonkIO sends Android pushes through Firebase Cloud Messaging with the service account you upload, and iOS pushes straight to Apple with your APNs key. On top of that, HonkIO keeps tokens, content and logs in Canada, can send a text when no device accepts the push, and can encrypt the content to each device's key. Firebase Cloud Messaging delivers to apps and browsers, not to phone numbers, as of November 2026.

Is it end-to-end encrypted?

No. For a device that registered a key, Apple and Google cannot read the content, and a device can read only its own pushes. But HonkIO encrypts the content, so it sees it. It is confidentiality from Apple and Google, not end-to-end encryption.

Where can the fallback text go?

HonkIO is built for Canada: a fallback text goes to Canadian numbers, from your local or toll-free number, and short codes are not offered.

• Push notifications

  Push to iOS, Android and browsers from one API, with optional encrypted content and an SMS fallback in one call.

• Notify

  One call reaches a user by push, SMS or email, in your order, and stops at the first channel that delivers.

• HonkIO vs Knock

  HonkIO and Knock compared for notifications to people in Canada: where data is stored, who sends the push, text and email, consent on each channel, and Courier.

• SMS API

  Send and receive SMS with Canadian local and toll-free numbers, with CASL consent and STOP replies enforced in the API.