PusharooWhat are web push notifications?
Short, clickable alerts your website sends straight to a visitor’s screen — on desktop, Android and iPhone — even when your site isn’t open. No app, no email address, one tap to opt in.
- A web push notification is a message from a website that appears like an app notification.
- Visitors opt in with one tap. You never need their name, email or phone number.
- It arrives even when the site is closed — through the browser’s own push network.
- Works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Samsung Internet; on iPhone from the Home Screen (iOS 16.4+).
The short definition
A web push notification is a small message — a title, a line of text, an icon, an optional image and a link — that a website delivers to a browser that has agreed to receive it. It pops up in the same place as notifications from apps: the corner of a desktop screen, the Android notification shade, or the iPhone lock screen.
The important part is who carries it. Your website doesn’t need to be open. The browser vendor (Google, Mozilla, Apple or Microsoft) runs a push network that wakes a tiny script on the visitor’s device — a service worker — which then shows the notification.
Where they show up
- Windows and macOS — the system notification area, in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Brave and Safari (macOS 13+).
- Android — the notification shade and lock screen, exactly like an app’s, in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Samsung Internet.
- iPhone and iPad — the lock screen and Notification Center, but only for sites the visitor has added to the Home Screen (iOS/iPadOS 16.4 or later). Read the iPhone guide for the details.
See the full browser support table.
How they work, in one picture
You add two things to your site once: a file named sw.js at your root and one script tag. From then on, the browser and the push network do the heavy lifting. The setup guide walks through it in about five minutes.
Web push vs. email, SMS and app push
| Web push | SMS | App push | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What the visitor gives you | One tap | Email address | Phone number | Installs your app |
| Arrives on | Desktop + phone screen | Inbox | Messages app | Phone screen |
| Need to build an app? | No | No | No | Yes |
| Per-message cost | None from browsers | Usually per send | Per text | None from OS |
| Best for | Timely nudges, offers, new content | Long-form, receipts | Urgent, transactional | Heavy app users |
Web push doesn’t replace email — it complements it. It’s the fastest way to reach someone who liked your site enough to say “yes, tell me”, without asking them for any personal data.
When to use them (and when not to)
- A sale, coupon or back-in-stock alert with a deadline.
- A new article, video, episode or product drop.
- A welcome series for new subscribers (see automations).
- Re-engaging people who haven’t visited in a while (see segments).
Skip push for anything a visitor wouldn’t thank you for: daily filler, messages without a link worth tapping, or alerts at 3 a.m. their time. A good rule: if you wouldn’t text it to a friend, don’t push it.
What it costs
Browsers don’t charge to deliver push messages, which is why Pusharoo can be free for life with no limits — no subscriber cap, no campaign cap, no “Powered by” badge. Many hosted tools price by subscriber count instead; we compare them honestly in push notification pricing.
Questions
Do visitors need to install anything?
No. Web push uses the browser they already have. On iPhone and iPad they add your site to the Home Screen first, which takes two taps.
Do I need their email address?
No. A subscription is an anonymous, encrypted address for one browser. Pusharoo stores that address plus browser type, language and timezone — no names, emails or cookies.
Can people unsubscribe?
Yes, any time, from the browser’s site settings or from an unsubscribe button you add with the Pusharoo JavaScript API. Dead and unsubscribed addresses are cleaned out automatically.
Is web push the same as a pop-up?
No. A pop-up only exists while someone is on your page. A push notification reaches them later, after they have left.
Keep reading
How web push works, step by step
Push API, service workers, VAPID keys and encryption — the full technical path of a notification.
Browser push notifications: who supports what
Support table for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Samsung Internet — desktop, Android and iPhone.
Web push on iPhone and iPad, explained honestly
The Home Screen rule, the manifest you need, and how to guide iPhone visitors without friction.
Choosing a push notification service for your website
A no-nonsense checklist: caps, badges, gated features, ownership, iPhone, setup effort.
More in Basics: Push notifications: what the term actually means · Web push vs. email: which to use, and when · Push notifications vs. SMS text messages · Web push vs. mobile app push notifications · All guides
Free for life. No limits.
Unlimited subscribers, campaigns and automations. No badges. About five minutes to install.