01
Self-host if you want
Run your own ntfy server. Notifications travel through your hardware, your network, your control.
All integrations
Open-source push · privacy-friendly
Phone push, without an account.
ntfy is the open-source notification service. Free, simple, self-hostable. Send Getwello check-ins to your phone, your watch, your Pi, with topic-based delivery and proper priority levels. The privacy-conscious choice for personal push.
Coordinator-only. Included in the £4.99 plan. Same day to set up.
ntfy.sh
mum-checkins
Mum missed her check-in
10:42
missedurgent
Mum has checked in
Mon 08:09
Mood: fine
check-in
Mum has checked in
Sun 07:52
Mood: great
check-in
Why ntfy fits
Open source, no account, self-hostable.
02
Free, no signup
Public ntfy.sh instance is free. Pick a topic, subscribe, you're live. No email confirmation, no plan to pick.
03
Priority levels for missed days
Max priority bypasses Do Not Disturb on Android. The watch buzzes when it matters, stays quiet when it doesn't.
04
Open source
Audit the code, contribute, run your own fork. Same model as the Getwello MCP server.
POST https://ntfy.sh/mum-checkins-a8f3z
Headers:
Title: Mum has just checked in
Priority: 3
Tags: white_check_mark,check-in
Click: https://getwello.co.uk/app
Body: Mood: fine, 08:14 BSTThe topic, the priority, the action
A POST per event, no SDK, no SaaS.
Publishing to ntfy is one HTTP POST per notification. No SDK, no client library, no SaaS account. The lowest-overhead way to get a notification onto a phone, with priority, tags and click-through actions.
- POST to ntfy.sh/mum-checkins-<random> from anywhere.
- Priority 5 (max) for missed days, 3 for daily check-ins.
- Tags become emoji prefixes for fast visual triage.
- Click action opens Getwello directly.
How to set it up
The high level. Full walkthrough in the help guide.
- 01Step 1 of 4
Install the ntfy app on your phone.
Free from the App Store or Play Store. Subscribe to a topic name only you and the family know (e.g. mum-checkins-<random>).
- 02Step 2 of 4
Pick public ntfy.sh or self-host.
ntfy.sh is the easiest start. Self-host on a Pi or VPS for full control: docker run ntfy/ntfy serve.
- 03Step 3 of 4
Pick a relay route.
Direct webhook works if our payload shape matches ntfy's headers. Most setups use a tiny Cloudflare Worker or Zapier flow to translate.
- 04Step 4 of 4
Create the Getwello webhook subscription.
Settings → Developer API → Webhooks. URL is the ntfy topic URL or your relay. Tick the events you want. Test; the phone should buzz within a second.
Frequently asked questions
How is ntfy different from Pushover?
ntfy is open source and self-hostable; Pushover is a paid commercial service. ntfy is free if you use the public instance, costs nothing if you self-host. Pushover has more polish, ntfy has more privacy.
Do I need an account?
Not on the public ntfy.sh instance. You pick a hard-to-guess topic name and subscribe via the app. Anyone who knows the topic can publish to it, so make it unguessable.
Can I self-host ntfy?
Yes, it's a single Go binary or a Docker image. Run it on a Raspberry Pi, a VPS, a NAS, anywhere. Total control, no third party.
Does it support priority and tags?
Yes, both. Max priority bypasses Do Not Disturb on Android. Tags become emoji prefixes (warning, check-in, calendar). Useful for visual triage.
How does iOS notification delivery work?
iOS uses Apple's push service; the ntfy.sh app supports it. Self-hosted instances need to relay through the public instance for iOS push (documented in their guide).
Other integrations
Pair this with another.
Some families wire two or three at the same time. The webhook fans out, the API keys stay the same.
- PushoverCommercial alternative.
- Home AssistantCall ntfy from HA automations.
- n8nSelf-hosted relay.
- TelegramBot alternative.
See every integration or jump to the Developer API overview.
Connect Getwello to ntfy.
Today.
Mint your first API key in two minutes. Coordinator-only. Included in the £4.99 family plan.
