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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Availability: Android, Windows
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.
Availability: Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, Web
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.
Availability: Android, Windows
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.
Download Join (Free, Full version at $1.49)
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.
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.
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.
