Does Amazon SNS have a free tier?

Yes. Amazon SNS includes 1 million mobile push notifications free every month, and this free allowance renews monthly rather than expiring after the first year. Deliveries to other AWS services such as SQS, Lambda, and Firehose are also free.

What programming languages can I use to send Firebase Cloud Messaging notifications from a server?

The Firebase Admin SDK supports Node.js, Java, Python, Go, and C#/.NET for sending FCM messages from a server. You can also call the FCM HTTP v1 REST API directly from any language. On the client side, FCM provides SDKs for Swift/Objective-C, Kotlin/Java, JavaScript, Dart (Flutter), C++, and Unity.

Can I use AWS SNS and Firebase FCM together?

Yes. Many teams route different message types through different providers or fail over between them. Courier lets you send through both behind a single API and switch providers without changing your code.

AWS SNS vs Firebase FCM

Two push notification providers, compared on price, features and ratings, so you can pick fast.

AWS SNS wins developer experience and supportFirebase FCM wins platform coverage and features

Updated October 2026

At a glanceAWS SNSFirebase FCM

Entry priceFreeFree

Free tierYesYes

G2 rating4.24.5

Trustpilot1.83.4

THE VERDICT

AWS SNS wins on developer experience and support. Firebase FCM wins on platform coverage and features.

AWS SNS starts at Free versus Firebase FCM's Free. Firebase FCM rates higher with developers (4.5 vs 4.2 on G2). Pick based on volume and team, and the scorecard below breaks down where each one leads.

Which should you choose?

Pick AWS SNS

✓If you have a large contact base, Amazon SNS is a great option for sending notifications and messages.

Set up AWS SNS with Courier →

Pick Firebase FCM

✓If you're a developer looking to send multiple messages reliably and save money, FCM is perfect for you.

Set up Firebase FCM with Courier →

Feature by feature

Winner cells are tinted, green where AWS SNS leads, violet where Firebase FCM does.

capability

AWS SNS

Firebase FCM

Pricing

Starting paid plan

$0/mo

Free tier

1M mobile push/mo free (permanent)

Unlimited (free)

Pricing model

Usage-based (AWS)

Free

Platforms

iOS

Yes

Android

Yes

Web push

Yes

Desktop

Yes

Capabilities

Segmentation

Yes

In-app messaging

Yes

Journeys / automation

A/B testing

Yes

Geofencing

Rich media

Yes

Developer experience

Official SDKs

AWS SDKs (Node.js, Python, Java, .NET, Go, Ruby, PHP, C++, Rust, Kotlin, Swift)

iOS, Android, Web, Flutter, Unity, C++; Admin SDK: Node, Java, Python, Go, C#

REST API

Yes

Event webhooks

Yes

Compliance

SOC 2

Yes

HIPAA

BAA

GDPR

Yes

Support

Support channels

AWS Support (free Basic; paid tiers add email/chat/phone)

Docs & community (paid via GCP support)

24/7 support

Yes

FAQ

Common questions

AWS SNS starts at Free versus Firebase FCM's Free. Compare your expected monthly volume against the per-message rates above.

Keep comparing

Related comparisons

Airship vs AWS SNSPush→AWS SNS vs Apple Push NotificationPush→AWS SNS vs BeamerPush→AWS SNS vs ExpoPush→AWS SNS vs MagicBellPush→AWS SNS vs OneSignal PushPush→

Why not both?

Use both behind one API.

Route AWS SNS, Firebase FCM, or both, and switch providers without changing your code. Courier sits in front of every channel.

Start building free Read the docs

Pricing, plans and feature availability as of October 2026 and may change. Ratings are aggregated from public review platforms. Firebase FCM is a Google product.