ActivitySmith, the best Slack webhook alternative
Looking for a Slack webhook alternative for iPhone? Here's how ActivitySmith compares.
Choose ActivitySmith if you send app events, deploys, or AI agent updates to a Slack channel mainly to see them on your phone. Alerts arrive on your iPhone as Push Notifications, with Live Activities for running work and Lock Screen Widgets for key numbers.
Stay with Slack if your team triages alerts together in threads, or if the alerts start Slack workflows.
Why choose ActivitySmith over Slack
When you need real-time visibility into your backend or business, generic Push Notifications stop being enough. ActivitySmith keeps important work visible for your team while it's still happening.
Push Notifications you can act on
Send a Push Notification from any backend, script, or AI agent with one API call. Add an image, audio, or video, open a URL on tap, or long-press for actions that open a URL or call a webhook.
Live Activities
In Slack, a deploy becomes a thread of status messages. A Live Activity is one item on your Lock Screen that updates until the work is done. Use it for deploys, jobs, imports, and agent runs.
Lock Screen Widgets for your numbers
If you post daily numbers like revenue or signups to a Slack channel, show them on your iPhone Lock Screen instead. Create a metric in the web app, update it through the API, and pick a widget layout.
Remote approvals for AI agents
ActivitySmith lets AI agents pause before sensitive actions and ask for your decision on your iPhone. Approve or reject from a Push Notification or Live Activity, and the result returns to the waiting agent through MCP.
ActivitySmith and Slack Comparison
In this table we compare ActivitySmith and Slack feature by feature so you can decide which one is the right fit for your team.
| Feature |  ActivitySmith |  Slack |
|---|---|---|
| Push Notifications | Yes | Yes |
| Live Activities | Yes | No |
| Lock Screen Widgets | Yes | No |
| Rich media in notifications | Image, audio, and video | Block Kit text, fields, and images |
| Message history | Full notification history | Last 90 days on the free plan |
| Platform coverage | iPhone and iPad | iOS, Android, desktop, and web |
| Team members | Yes | Yes |
| Tags | Yes | No |
| Channels | Route to specific users and devices | Post to a channel with the right members. No device targeting. |
| Scoped API keys | Yes | OAuth scopes for Slack apps |
| Pricing model | Unlimited Push Notifications on paid plans | Priced per user |
| Free option | 7-day free trial | Free plan with 90-day message history |
| Official SDKs | Node.js, Python, Go, PHP, Ruby, CLI | Bolt for JavaScript, Python, and Java |
| MCP server | Yes | For reading and posting Slack messages |
| Remote AI agent approvals | Yes | No |
| Inbound webhooks (Railway, GitLab, GitHub, Linear...) | Yes | Through Slack apps |
What are Slack incoming webhooks?
Slack incoming webhooks let an app post messages to a Slack channel with an HTTP request. Teams often send deploys, errors, signups, and sales to dedicated channels and read them in the Slack app.
The key features of Slack webhooks
- 1. Alerts where the team already talks
Everyone in the channel sees the alert and can discuss it in a thread.
- 2. Block Kit formatting
Messages can use Block Kit for sections, fields, images, and buttons.
- 3. Large app directory
Slack apps for GitHub, GitLab, Linear, and many other tools post updates without custom code.
Why teams move alerts out of Slack
Slack works well for team discussion. Alerts that one person needs right away are easy to miss in a busy workspace.
- 1. Alerts compete with chat
Alert channels get noisy, so people mute them. Important alerts then sit in the same muted channel as low-priority ones.
- 2. 90-day history on the free plan
On the free plan, you can see and search only the last 90 days of messages, so older alerts drop out of view.
- 3. No Live Activities for running work
A deploy or agent run becomes a thread of status messages. Slack cannot keep one item on your Lock Screen that updates while the work runs.
- 4. No Lock Screen Widgets
Numbers you post, like daily revenue or signups, scroll away in the channel. You cannot keep them on your Lock Screen.
- 5. Approval buttons need a Slack app
Buttons that send a decision back to your code need a Slack app with an endpoint that you host.
If your alerts are for one person or a small team that needs them on their phones, a tool built for iPhone alerts keeps them out of chat and keeps running work visible.
What is ActivitySmith?
ActivitySmith is a tool that can be seen as an alternative to Slack. It helps you and your team keep track of what's happening in your backend on your lock screen.
The key features of ActivitySmith
- 1. Push Notifications
ActivitySmith can also send Push Notifications to your devices with a simple API call. You can add image, audio, and video to the notification payload.
- 2. Live Activities for long-running work
Slack can notify you when work starts or ends. ActivitySmith can keep that work visible in real time while it is running on your lock screen with Live Activities. find out more about ActivitySmith Live Activities here.
- 3. Lock Screen Widgets
ActivitySmith can show SaaS metrics directly on your iPhone Lock Screen. Create a metric in the web app, update it through the API, and choose from multiple widget layouts. read about ActivitySmith Lock Screen Widgets here.
- 4. Actions
Both Push Notifications and Live Activities can have actions. Open a URL from the notification, or expose long-press actions and Live Activity buttons that open a URL or trigger a webhook.
- 5. MCP server for AI agents
Connect Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Grok, and other MCP clients through OAuth. Agents can send Push Notifications, show real-time updates with Live Activities, send remote approvals, update the App Icon Badge, and update values shown in your Lock Screen widgets. Connect the ActivitySmith MCP server.
- 6. Remote approvals for AI agents
Let an AI agent pause before a sensitive action and send the decision to your iPhone as a Push Notification or Live Activity. Approve or reject it, and ActivitySmith returns the result to the waiting agent through MCP without a custom webhook endpoint. See how remote approvals for AI agents work.
- 7. Route updates to the right users and devices
Use channels to target Push Notifications and Live Activities to the people who should see them, then use tags to organize notification history by workflow, release, customer, or environment.
- 8. Official SDKs and integrations
Use official SDKs for Node.js, Python, Go, PHP, Ruby, and CLI, plus integrations like GitHub Action, Zapier, and the ActivitySmith skill. That makes it easier to wire notifications into the systems your team already runs.
- 9. Inbound webhooks for third-party services
Connect Railway, GitLab, GitHub, Linear, and more with a generated endpoint - no middleware or custom code. Map payload fields directly into Push Notifications or Live Activities, then route events to the right team channel. See all integrations.
- 10. Predictable paid usage
Every paid plan includes unlimited Push Notifications and Live Activity updates. When operational traffic grows, you do not have to keep doing quota math before sending more signal through the system.
Key takeaways
Both ActivitySmith and Slack deliver push notifications to your devices. The choice between the two will depend on your specific needs. Here are key takeaways from this comparison that may help you make a final choice.
Slack
Slack webhooks put alerts where your team talks, but they compete with chat, the free plan hides messages after 90 days, and Slack doesn't support Live Activities or Lock Screen Widgets.
ActivitySmith
ActivitySmith is the stronger choice when you want alerts from your code, scripts, and AI agents on your iPhone, with Push Notifications, Live Activities, Lock Screen Widgets, and remote approvals for AI agents.
If you are searching for a Slack alternative, try ActivitySmith for free.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better for alerts, ActivitySmith or Slack webhooks?
ActivitySmith is the better choice if you want alerts from your code on your iPhone as Push Notifications, Live Activities, and Lock Screen Widgets. Slack is a better fit if your team discusses each alert together in threads.
How do I move my alerts from Slack to ActivitySmith?
Replace each request to your Slack webhook URL with an ActivitySmith Push Notification call. Use an official SDK, the CLI, or an HTTP request. Map the message text to the title and message. For work that posts several status messages, use one Live Activity. If a tool can only send Slack-style webhooks, point it at an ActivitySmith generic inbound webhook, which accepts Slack-style payloads.
Can I use Slack and ActivitySmith together?
Yes. Keep team discussion in Slack, and send the alerts that need your attention to ActivitySmith.
Can Slack show Live Activities?
No. ActivitySmith supports Live Activities, so you can track the progress of any long-running processes on your lock screen.
Can I try ActivitySmith for free?
Yes. ActivitySmith has a 7-day free trial with no credit card required. You can send Push Notifications, run Live Activities, connect a workflow, and see if it fits before moving to a paid plan.
What does an ActivitySmith subscription include?
Every paid plan includes unlimited Push Notifications and Live Activity updates, paired iOS devices, team members, channels, tags, and all official SDKs and integrations. Plans scale by team size and start with a 7-day free trial with no credit card required.
Hear from your AI agents, scripts, and backend on your iPhone
Start with 7 days free, no credit card required. Send your first Push Notification in a few minutes, from your code or over MCP.
