Pushbullet is one of the best utility tools you can use to quickly and conveniently transfer files between your Android device and PC, send SMS messages from your PC, set reminders, and more. The free version of Pushbullet, however, is somewhat crippled when compared to the ‘Pro’ version, and that might some users off. Here are some features you’ll miss in Pushbullet’s free version:
- Actionable notifications
- Mirrored notifications
- Universal copy and link sharing
- 100/month restriction
- Send files up to 25 MB only and 2 GB storage space limitation
Pushbullet Pro is priced at $39.99/year or $4.99/month, which might not be affordable for some. Well, Pushbullet users will either have to pay for the “Pro” subscription or look for an alternative. If you don’t plan on paying for Pushbullet Pro, here are the best Pushbullet alternatives you can use.
Best PushBullet Alternatives in 2020
1. AirDroid
AirDroid is hands down the best PushBullet alternative. With AirDroid, you can share files, install apps, check notifications, answer & make calls, sync SMS & contacts and reply to WhatsApp messages. Additionally, it also lets you mirror your Android device’s interface to PC, which means you can control your Android smartphone or tablet right from your PC.
That being said, AirDroid has some limitations of its own. AirDroid lacks features like universal copy & paste and the ability to share links. It’s also a resource intensive tool, so you may find it a little laggy at times. AirDroid also has a Premium subscription plan that’s priced at $1.99/month or $19.99/year. It is, however, more cost-effective than Pushbullet’s paid plans.
Overall, AirDroid is one of the best alternatives of Pushbullet as it brings most of the important Pushbullet features along with some additional features of its own.
Availability: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, AirDroid Web
Download: AirDroid (Free)
2. Crono
Crono is perhaps the best Pushbullet alternatives — even better than AirDroid — if you want the best notification mirroring experience on your computer. It offers everything that Pushbullet does and in a much nicer interface. Similar to Pushbullet, you get all your notifications on your computer and you can also reply to WhatsApp messages and ‘like’ Instagram notifications. There is also support for call notification, but you can’t receive a call. At best, you can decline call notifications with instant SMS replies. Not to mention, if you dismiss a notification on your computer then Crono will declutter your smartphone notifications too.
Further, Crono supports one of the best features of Pushbullet and that is universal clipboard sharing. You can share clipboard from your smartphone to the computer with just one click. Having said all of that, the best part about Crono is that it’s completely end-to-end encrypted just like Pushbullet, and it’s natively turned on. So all the communication between your smartphone and computer is always secure and no one can intercept the data packets. And unlike Pushbullet that offers only 100 notifications per month, Crono, on the other hand, offers 2400 notification balance under the free plan. That’s amazing, right? So, if you want the best replacement for Pushbullet, just go with Crono. It has dedicated apps for macOS and Windows as well.
Availability: Android, Windows, macOS, Web
Download Crono (Free, Premium plan starts at $1/month)
3. Snapdrop
If you are looking for a Pushbullet alternative for file sharing purposes then you must check out Snapdrop. It’s the fastest and easiest way to share files across various platforms without downloading any app, creating an account, or scanning a QR code. Snapdrop is an open-source web-based platform that works across all platforms. All you need is a common WiFi access point. If your PC and smartphone are connected to the same WiFi network then simply open snapdrop.net on both devices and start sharing files. You can also share links by right-clicking on the device. The best part about Snapdrop is that it’s extremely fast, you can share multiple files in one go and there are no ads whatsoever. Not to mention, all your file transfers are encrypted using TLS protocol just like Pushbullet. To conclude, if you use Pushbullet mainly for file transfers then Snapdrop is the best alternative bar none in this list.
Availability: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Web
Visit Website (Free)
4. My Phone – Windows Companion
As the name suggests, My Phone is a Windows companion app that’s developed by Microsoft. Unlike AirDroid, My Phone is not a full-fledged device manager, at least not yet. However, Microsoft says that they’re working to add new features to the app.
For now, My Phone can be used to reply to text messages, check Skype notifications, viewing and transferring photos, etc. Yes, it is not as feature-rich as some other tools, but you can expect this app to get more updates in the future. It is also worth pointing out that this particular companion will only work with Windows and Android. So if you are an Android phone user who owns a Windows laptop, then My Phone is definitely worth checking out.
Availability: Android, Windows
Download My Phone: Windows (Free), Android (Free)
5. EasyJoin
EasyJoin is a relatively new app in the Android ecosystem, but among the geeks, it has quickly gained huge popularity. The main USP of EasyJoin is that it’s mostly free and you can do a bunch of important things that are generally available under the paid plan. In more ways than one, EasyJoin is one of the best alternatives to Pushbullet because it brings lots of new features that even Pushbullet doesn’t have. To start with, you can connect your smartphone with your computer and receive all kinds of notifications. You can also reply to messages and perform actionable operations like ‘mark as read’, ‘snooze’, etc.
Further, you can receive and initiate calls on your PC with EasyJoin integration and dedicated Windows app, but this feature is only available under the paid plan. Other than that, you can send files from one device to another, create alarms, access universal clipboard and control the volume of other devices. All of these features are freely available and you don’t need to pay a dime. But we are not done yet. All voice calls, messages, notifications, and file transfers are end-to-end encrypted by default. Considering all the points, EasyJoin seems a solid alternative to Pushbullet and you should definitely give it a shot.
Availability: Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, Web
Download EasyJoin (Free, Pro version available at a one-time charge of $15)
6. MightyText
MightyText is one of the best PushBullet alternatives that you can use. Similar to Pushbullet, Mighty Text syncs your text messages and you can reply to your messages right from your PC. It also mirrors your notifications and lets you make calls, rings your phone, lets you uninstall an app, sends photos & videos, check battery status, etc., all right from the MightyText app.
Mighty Text’s free version has a limit of 500 text messages a month, which is 5 times than what Pushbullet’s free version offers. Mighty Text also has a paid version, which lets you schedule messages, removes the limit on messages, removes ads, lets you sync 100 GBs of photos & videos and more. The Pro version of MightyText is priced at $9.99/ month or $79.99/year. Mighty Text should work well if you are okay with its 500/month limit of messages in the free version but if you are not, you can check out some other alternatives.
Availability: Android, Windows
Download MightyText: Android (Free), Windows (Free)
7. Join
Join is a capable alternative to Pushbullet, but it does not have the best user interface. So if you want a reliable app and do not care about the UI/UX then I would highly recommend you to go with Join. It’s super clean, there are no ads or tracking and it’s extremely fast in alerting the user with smartphone notifications. It lets you share files, links, and location to multiple devices. It also mirrors your notifications, messages and you can reply to messages and perform other actionable tasks right from your computer. Also, if you are a Tasker user, you are going to appreciate the deep Tasker integration in the app. Apart from that, you can also share your clipboard with multiple devices. Not to mention, Join is fully end-to-end encrypted if you choose to set a password, just like Pushbullet. So to put it straight, if you have some expertise on Android then go with Join.
Availability: Android, Windows, Web
Download Join (Free, Full version at $1.49)
8. KDE Connect
If you are a Linux user then KDE Connect is a much better proposition than Pushbullet. It’s completely free and open-source and you can use it to integrate your smartphone with your computer seamlessly. You can send files, URLs, control media playback, send remote input and of course, access notifications including third-party ones. Further, you can reply to messages as well which is awesome. In terms of call support, well, you can get a notification, but you can’t receive the call. But the best feature of KDE connect is that if you are playing a song on your laptop, you can change the track, stop the song and mute the playback right from your smartphone. And just like Pushbullet, KDE Connect is also end-to-end encrypted so that is great. All I would say is, KDE Connect is a powerful tool on Linux and you should definitely use it in place of Pushbullet.
Availability: Linux
Download KDE Connect (Free)
9. Bridge
Bridge is another alternative that has a very similar approach to Pushbullet. It does not have all of the features like file sharing and call support, but you get notifications, reply to messages and also access to clipboard from other devices. Unlike extensions, it has a web-based portal where all the notifications are kept for your perusal. If you are using Bridge on multiple devices then notifications from all devices are collated here. And best of all, if you respond to a notification, it gets cleared from your smartphone too. Since Bridge has a web-based portal, it’s important that the security remains top-notch. And for that reason, Bridge is fully compliant with end-to-end encryption so that is pretty good. The reason I am recommending Bridge is that it’s quite affordable in comparison to Pusbullet. You just need to pay a one-time fee of $3.99 and you will get a lifetime subscription of the app. So go ahead and give a shot at Bridge.
Availability: Android, Web
Download Bridge (Free Trial for 7 days, Full version available at a one-time fee of $3.99)
10. Pushover
While Pushbullet is generally known for notification support on computers and link sharing, there is the other side of this app which deals with IFTTT and other automation apps. And for this, Pushbullet offers free access token to use its APIs, but with certain restrictions under the free plan. So, if you are looking for an alternative to Pushbullet for token access on the cloud then Pushover is the best in this list. You can integrate its service on IFTTT, Tasker and use the Pushover user key to control your PC using Google Assistant and much more. But that is not all. The best part about Pushover is that it only costs a one-time fee of $4.99, in comparison to Pushbullet’s yearly $39.99 subscription fee. So what are you waiting for? Just go ahead and use Pushover for all your automation needs without any restrictions and at a fraction of the cost.
Availability: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, Web
Download Pushover (Free Trial for 7 days, one-time $4.99 charge for unlimited usage)
These Are the Best Pushbullet Alternatives to Use
Pushbullet is a great app but if you cannot afford its pro version, there are several capable apps that you can use to replace it. Granted not all these alternatives are as feature-rich as Pushbullet, they are good enough for most users. And while most of them are paid, they offer a respectable free plan which is far better than what Pushbullet offers. So, check them out and let us know your experience in the comments below.
Abubakar Mohammed
