What is Airship?
Airship is a mobile-first customer experience platform that helps brands reach app and web users with push notifications, in-app experiences, SMS, email and mobile wallet passes. The company was previously called Urban Airship and has worked in mobile messaging for more than 15 years. It is built for larger consumer brands in retail, media, finance, travel, sports and telecom that rely on their apps to drive revenue and loyalty.
Beyond sending messages, Airship covers journey orchestration, experimentation, customer data collection through surveys and preference centers, and no-code app screens called Scenes. AI agents can build experiences from a written description, flag customers likely to convert or churn, and explain dashboard results in plain language. Pricing for the full Airship Experience Platform is quoted per customer, while a self-service Essentials option targets growth teams.
Airship at a glance
How does Airship work?
- Install the SDK
Developers add the Airship SDK to iOS, Android or web projects, or use plugins for frameworks such as React Native, Flutter and Unity.
- Collect customer data
Events, opt-ins, survey answers and preference center choices build profiles you can segment and target.
- Design messages and experiences
Create push notifications, in-app Scenes, SMS, email or wallet passes with no-code tools.
- Orchestrate journeys
Link channels into triggered journeys for onboarding, upsell, churn prevention and win-back.
- Test and measure
Run experiments and review performance analytics to see what drives conversions.
Airship key features
Push notifications
Mobile and web push with targeting, personalization and rich content, the channel Airship is best known for.
Scenes and in-app experiences
Multi-screen, no-code app experiences for onboarding, offers and feedback, without waiting on an app release.
Journey orchestration
Cross-channel journeys triggered by user behavior across push, SMS, RCS, email and wallet.
Mobile wallet passes
Create Apple Wallet and Google Wallet passes for loyalty cards, coupons and tickets.
Customer data tools
In-session surveys, forms and preference centers collect first-party data and consent.
Experimentation
A/B and holdout testing to measure the real lift of messages and experiences.
AI agents
AI helps generate Scenes, recommend audiences likely to convert or lapse, and summarize results.
Why use Airship?
- It is focused on mobile apps, so push, in-app and wallet features are deep rather than bolted on.
- No-code Scenes let marketers change app experiences without new app store releases.
- Journeys connect push, SMS, email and wallet in one place.
- Wide SDK coverage includes iOS, Android, web, TV platforms and popular cross-platform frameworks.
- Enterprise security features include SOC 2 Type II, SSO and role-based access.
Who is Airship best for?
A good fit for
- Consumer brands with large mobile app audiences
- Retail, media, travel and finance companies
- Teams running onboarding and retention programs inside apps
- Enterprises that need governance and dedicated services
Less suited to
- Small businesses or bloggers that only need simple web push
- Teams that want transparent, self-serve pricing from day one
- Companies without developer resources to install an SDK
Airship pricing
| Pricing model | Contact sales |
|---|---|
| Free plan | No |
| Free trial | Not confirmed |
| Starting price | Custom quote (no public prices) |
The Airship Experience Platform is priced by custom quote and includes onboarding and strategic services. A self-service Essentials option exists for app and web experiences, but its price is not listed publicly.
Prices checked October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on the official Airship pricing page before you buy.
Airship pros and cons
Pros
- Deep mobile push, in-app and wallet capabilities
- No-code Scenes for app experiences
- Broad SDK and framework support
- Strong security and compliance credentials
Cons
- No public pricing or free plan
- Built for enterprise budgets and teams
- Requires developer work to set up the SDK
Airship integrations and platforms
Works with
Available on
Airship alternatives
See the full shortlist in Best Push Notification Software.
Airship FAQ
Is Airship free?
No. Airship does not offer a free plan, and its pricing page shows no public prices. The full Airship Experience Platform is priced by custom quote based on your goals and needs, and a self-service Essentials option is also available. Smaller teams that need free push notifications often look at tools like OneSignal or Webpushr instead.
What is Airship used for?
Airship is used by brands to engage mobile app and web users. Teams send push notifications, build in-app experiences, run SMS and email campaigns, and issue mobile wallet passes. They combine these channels into journeys for onboarding, upsell, retargeting, churn prevention and win-back, then measure results with built-in experiments and analytics.
Is Airship the same as Urban Airship?
Yes. Airship was formerly called Urban Airship. The company shortened its name and expanded from push notifications into a broader mobile-first customer experience platform. It now covers in-app Scenes, SMS, email, wallet passes, journey orchestration and AI features, while push notifications remain a core part of the product.
Airship vs Braze: what's the difference?
Both are enterprise customer engagement platforms with quote-based pricing. Airship positions itself as mobile-first, with strong push, no-code in-app Scenes and mobile wallet passes. Braze covers a wider set of channels, including WhatsApp, LINE and KakaoTalk, and leans heavily on its data platform and AI decisioning. App-centric brands often shortlist both.
Which platforms does Airship support?
Airship provides SDKs for iOS, tvOS, visionOS, Android, Fire OS and the web. It also offers plugins for React Native, Flutter, Cordova, Capacitor, Unity and .NET MAUI. This lets developers add push notifications and in-app experiences to native and cross-platform apps, as well as websites and web apps.
Sources
This overview is based on Airship's official website and documentation, checked October 2026.