Side by side
Axel vs Kiosk
Both stand on webhook management software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb
Axel provides webhook intake, routing, searchable event history, and replay, with a free plan and usage-based Pro pricing. Teams considering self-hosting should note that its public source release is still in preparation.
Visit Axel Free plan Open source AndroidExtensioniPhone+5
Choose Kiosk if you want a free, open-source PDF reader with search, multiple display modes, and extension-based annotation tools. It also offers offline use and a self-hosted web option. Consider the Android alpha status, unsupported Firefox and Safari extension use, and macOS launch warning when choosing a platform.
Visit KioskThe facts
| Axel | Kiosk | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Yes |
| Runs on | API, Self-hosted, Web | Android, Extension, iPhone, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Pro: $20 a month | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | axelapp.ai | github.com |
| On webhook management software | #5 of 29 | #1 of 29 |
Axel: what it does well
- Stores accepted payloads before returning HTTP 202.
- Routes can filter, transform, and fan out events.
- Dashboard and CLI can replay retained events.
- Free plan includes 10,000 accepted events monthly.
- Destination pushes and retries are included in Pro billing.
What to know first
- Free plan has a 10,000-event monthly limit.
- Default raw payload and event-trace retention is 30 days.
- Self-hosting source release is still being prepared.
- Delivery is at least once, so receivers should deduplicate.
Kiosk: what it does well
- Free and open source under the MIT License.
- Search, highlighted results, thumbnails, smooth zoom, and three display modes.
- Chrome extension includes text and drawing annotation tools.
- Project says PDFs stay on-device, without telemetry or cloud processing.
- Android and extension releases support offline use.
What to know first
- Android release is an early alpha.
- Firefox and Safari are not supported by the extension.
- macOS app is not notarized and may trigger a Gatekeeper warning.