SendiventvsKnock

Workflows vs sequences

Knock positions itself as developer-first notification infrastructure with a powerful workflow engine and in-app components. It's built around workflows — visual pipelines that define how notifications flow, batch, delay, and branch. Powerful for complex notification logic.

Sendivent is built around sequences. You trigger a sequence, we route it to channels with notification templates your team manages. Less powerful, but simpler.

The price difference

Knock offers a free trial, then paid plans that (as of 2025) start around $250/month according to public listings. Sendivent has an always-on free tier and lower paid tiers.

For early-stage products, that difference matters. You might not need workflow complexity yet — and an always-free tier helps if you're still finding product-market fit.

When workflows matter

Complex notification logic benefits from Knock's approach:

• Built-in recurring digests and batching logic
• Conditional branching based on user preferences
• Sophisticated delay and scheduling

When simplicity wins

For straightforward notification needs:

• User signs up → send welcome email
• Order ships → send SMS + email
• Team invite → send Slack + email

A simpler model is faster to implement and maintain. With Sendivent, digests are "your cron job triggers a summary sequence" instead of configuring a workflow engine.

Bottom line

Knock is for teams who need sophisticated notification workflows. Sendivent is for teams who want to ship notifications quickly with a simpler sequence model.

Code Comparison

Knock (workflow-centric)

import Knock from '@knocklabs/node';
const knock = new Knock(process.env.KNOCK_API_KEY);

// Trigger a workflow (defined in Knock dashboard)
await knock.workflows.trigger('new-order', {
  recipients: [{ id: user.id }],
  data: { orderId, items }
});

// Workflows can:
// - Batch multiple events into digests
// - Branch based on conditions
// - Delay and schedule
// - Feed into in-app notification center

Powerful, but more concepts to learn and configure.

Sendivent (sequence-centric)

// Triggers the order.confirmed sequence
await sendivent
  .event('order.confirmed')
  .to({ email: user.email, phone: user.phone })
  .payload({ orderId, items })
  .send();

// Sequence → templates → channels
// No workflows to design
// Less powerful, but simpler mental model

The question: do you need Knock's workflow power, or is sequence → notification sufficient?

Don't need workflow orchestration? Create a free account and try the simpler model: trigger sequences, we deliver notifications. No workflow designer required.