Knock vs Courier
Code-first workflow engine versus visual-journey notification platform.
What matters for SaaS product teams
A SaaS product sends on behalf of its customers, so the deciding factors are tenant isolation, whether suppressions can be scoped rather than global, and whether support can answer why one specific account did not receive one specific email. Lifecycle automation and transactional sending usually need to coexist.
| Priority | Knock | Courier |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-tenant | Yes | Yes |
| Event stream | Yes | Yes |
| Suppressions API | Yes | Yes |
| Operating since | 2021 | 2019 |
| Scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| Best published rate per 1,000 | Tiers not published in comparable form | Tiers not published in comparable form |
| Deliverability | Inherits the deliverability of the provider you BYO (Postmark, SendGrid, Resend). | Inherits providers you connect. |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| Starts at | $249/mo (Starter) | $95/mo (Business) |
For a multi-tenant SaaS product running trial expiry notices, dunning, onboarding sequences, and per-tenant transactional mail, Courier takes every priority that separates them here (operating track record), while Knock matches it on the rest. On entry price, Knock offers $249/mo (Starter) against $95/mo (Business) from Courier. That ordering reflects this audience. Weigh the same table differently and the answer changes.
Side by side
| Feature | Knock | Courier |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-tenant | Yes | Yes |
| Deliverability | Inherits the deliverability of the provider you BYO (Postmark, SendGrid, Resend). | Inherits providers you connect. |
| Webhooks | Yes | Yes |
| Starts at | $249/mo (Starter) | $95/mo (Business) |
| Tagline | Notification infrastructure with workflow engine. | Notification infrastructure with visual journeys. |
| Free tier | 10,000 notifications/mo | 10,000 sends/mo |
| Pricing model | volume | volume |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP | No | No |
| SDKs | node, python, go, ruby, php, elixir, java, dotnet | node, python, go, ruby, php, java |
| Templates | rich | rich |
| React Email | Yes | No |
| Inbound | No | No |
| Idempotency | Yes | No |
| Dedicated IP | No | No |
| DX score | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Best for | Teams that need multi-channel product notifications with preferences. | Teams that need both product notifications and marketing-style journeys. |
Knock
- ›Strong workflow engine
- ›In-app feed component
- ›Deep SDK coverage
- ›Idempotency keys
- ›Pricier than running your own; entry plan is steep
- ›Bring your own delivery provider
Courier
- ›Visual journey editor
- ›Native Slack/Teams routing
- ›Drop-in inbox component
- ›Less code-first than Knock
- ›Pricing climbs with volume