DevNotify vs Gitify: which GitHub notification app should you use?

Updated August 2026 · 5 min read

Both DevNotify and Gitify put your GitHub notifications somewhere faster than the github.com notifications inbox. They solve the same problem — so the honest answer is: for many developers, Gitify is good enough, and it's free. This page lays out where they differ so you can decide.

The short version

Where Gitify wins

• It's free. If $19 feels like too much for a notification app, that's a completely reasonable take.
• Cross-platform. It runs on Windows and Linux too. If you work across operating systems, it's the only option of the two.
• Mature and open source. Years of development, a large user base, and code you can audit yourself.

Where DevNotify wins

• Lighter on your battery and RAM. Tauri apps use the macOS system WebKit instead of shipping an entire Chromium browser. On an all-day menu bar app, that difference adds up.
• Strictly local. Your token never leaves your Mac and there is no telemetry of any kind — not even anonymous usage stats.
• A paid product with a support channel. If something breaks, you report it to the developer directly and get an answer — not an issue queue.

When to choose which

Choose Gitify if: you want free, you use Windows or Linux as well as macOS, or you prefer open-source tooling on principle. It is a solid app.

Choose DevNotify if: you live on a MacBook all day, care about memory and battery, want strictly zero data leaving your machine, and don't mind paying once for a supported tool.

More reading: all GitHub notification options for macOS compared · minimal GitHub token scopes explained