Which channels does Novu support for notifications and agent communication?

Updated

Novu supports two broad categories of channels: notification channels for reaching users (in-app Inbox, email, SMS, push, and chat) and two-way conversation channels for agent communication (WhatsApp Business, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Telegram, and more). The channel you pick depends on whether you're sending a one-way update or enabling a back-and-forth exchange — Novu Notify handles the former, Novu Connect handles the latter, and both run through a single API.

Notification channels (Novu Notify)

These are the channels for pushing updates, alerts, and critical information to users. Novu's site lists the following:

  • In-app Inbox — a place inside your product where users see and manage updates, with real-time notifications, unread counts, built-in preferences, tabs, filters, and custom styling.
  • Email
  • SMS
  • Push
  • Chat

The Inbox is the most product-native option: it mirrors your existing UX rather than feeling bolted on, and Novu provides prebuilt, composable components. The site shows a React example:

import React from 'react';
import { Inbox } from '@novu/react';

export function NotificationInbox() {
  return <Inbox />;
}

The site also names Next.js and Remix as supported frameworks for this integration.

Conversation channels (Novu Connect)

These channels support two-way AI communication — the user can reply, and the agent can respond and resolve the issue:

  • WhatsApp Business
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Telegram

Full channel list

The site's channel display also includes iMessage, Discord, Linear, Zoom, and Google Chat alongside the channels above.

Category Channels Direction
Notification (Novu Notify) In-app Inbox, Email, SMS, Push, Chat One-way
Conversation (Novu Connect) WhatsApp Business, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Telegram Two-way
Also listed iMessage, Discord, Linear, Zoom, Google Chat —

How the two modes work together

Novu describes a single flow across both modes:

  1. Event — something happens in your application that requires user attention (the site's example: a flight delay notification).
  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 across WhatsApp, Slack, SMS, and more.

So a notification can start on one channel and the conversation can continue on another — the platform is designed to connect across all of them with one API.

What to check before choosing a channel

  • One-way vs. two-way: if you only need to inform users, Notify channels are enough. If users need to reply and get a resolution, you need a Connect channel.
  • Where your users already are: Novu's positioning is meeting users on "the channels they already use," so match the channel to your audience rather than defaulting to one.
  • In-app vs. external: the Inbox keeps everything inside your product; email, SMS, push, and messaging apps reach users outside it.

For current channel availability, pricing, and setup specifics, check the Novu docs and pricing page directly, since the site is the authoritative source for what's supported today.