What Is the Difference Between Novu Notify and Novu Connect?

Novu Notify and Novu Connect are the two communication modes of the same platform. Novu Notify sends one-way notifications to users or agents through in-app, email, and push channels when something in your application needs attention. Novu Connect handles two-way, conversational communication with AI agents across channels like WhatsApp, Slack, SMS, and more. Use Notify when you need to alert someone; use Connect when the recipient needs to reply and resolve something through a conversation.

The core distinction: one-way alert vs. two-way conversation

The Novu homepage frames this as "One platform. Two ways to communicate." Both modes sit on the same open-source notification and agent communication infrastructure, but they solve different problems.

How Novu Notify works

Novu Notify is the notification side. According to the site, it sends "in-app, email, and push notifications for critical updates." The flow described on the homepage is:

1. Event — Something happens in your application that requires user attention.
2. Notify — The app notifies users or agents through push, email, or in-app notifications.
3. Engage — The user opens the notification and starts a conversation with the agent in their preferred channel.
4. Resolve — The agent resolves the issue through a two-way conversation.

Steps 1–2 are Notify. Steps 3–4 are Connect. That sequence is the clearest way to see how the two modes relate: Notify gets attention, Connect handles what happens next.

The Inbox component

The in-app side of Notify is the Inbox, which the site describes as giving users "one place inside your product to see and manage the updates that matter to them." Documented features include:

• Prebuilt and composable Inbox components
• Real-time notifications and unread counts
• Built-in notification preferences
• Tabs, filters, and flexible layouts
• Custom styling, localization, and snoozing

The homepage shows a React integration using the @novu/react package, with a component that renders an <Inbox />. It also lists Next.js and Remix as supported frameworks. The stated goal is that the Inbox "completely mirrors your existing UX, not an afterthought or a bolt-on."

How Novu Connect works

Novu Connect is the conversational side: "two-way AI communication across WhatsApp, Slack, and more." It is described as agent communication infrastructure — the platform is "opinionated about communication" but "unopinionated about intelligence," meaning it handles the channel and conversation layer while leaving the AI logic to you.

Connect is what you reach for when a notification alone is not enough. If a user needs to ask a follow-up question, confirm a detail, or work through a problem with an agent, that interaction belongs in Connect rather than in a one-way notification.

Which one should you use?

The choice follows from what you need the recipient to do:

• Use Novu Notify when you need to inform. Examples: a flight delay alert, an account verification reminder, a request for report access. The user reads it and acts in your product.
• Use Novu Connect when you need to converse. Examples: a user replies to a delay alert to rebook, or asks an agent a question over WhatsApp or Slack and expects an answer.
• Use both when a notification should lead into a conversation. This is the Event → Notify → Engage → Resolve flow the homepage illustrates: Notify delivers the alert, Connect carries the back-and-forth that resolves it.

Getting started

The site's stated entry point is npx novu connect, and it points to a docs section for deeper setup. The homepage claims "1.5b messages just sent out in the last month" and positions the platform as open-source infrastructure. For current plan details, see the pricing page at novu.co/pricing — the available material does not specify which features are free or gated, so check there before committing to an integration.