7 Best SendGrid Alternatives for Email Marketing (2025)

Chances are you were once interested in SendGrid for its reputation as a transactional email service provider or SMTP service provide

While it’s true that big-name brands are still putting aside leaving the platform, SendGrid has been a questionable choice for small to medium businesses (SMBs) for a while now.

Read on to learn about the best SendGrid alternatives and what they have to offer. But before we start, let’s see why people consider switching from SendGrid in the first place.

Why Consider SendGrid Alternatives?

SendGrid might look attractive for its famous clients. After all, if something like Yelp is using it, it must be good, right? 

Unfortunately, SendGrid seems to keep riding on the same wave, offering little improvements over time, prioritizing the big names, and getting rather costly. 

So, if you’re looking for SendGrid-similar services that offer more innovation and value, you’ll likely find better options elsewhere.

Let’s look at some ecommerce businesses’ reasons for leaving SendGrid in more detail:

• Expensive. The essentials plan starts from a relatively high $20 per month. What you get in return is just a drop of all features;
• Only a 3-day email log. Log retention can be used in evaluating your email performance. Just three days mean you have to hurry for unsatisfactory results or pay for a 30-day log history extra to an already costly service.
• Restrictive marketing channel diversification. If you wish to explore other high-converting marketing channels like SMS messages, push notifications, or chats, you’ll need to invest in not-so-cheap add-on features.
• Unsatisfactory customer service. Many users have reported that SendGrid’s customer support has worsened, and their phone support (on higher plans) is often unresponsive.
• Blacklisted IPs. This one is a huge no-no in the email marketing context. If shared IPs are blacklisted, most marketing messages will go straight to the spam folder.

SendGrid Alternatives Comparison Table

Now you’ve checked each email marketing platform for transactional messages and emails, it’s time to compare each of the alternatives quickly.

Here’s a quick chart that’ll help you make an informed decision about the platform you choose. 

*Users have to pay for their Mailchimp plan separately, block overage charges, plus additional charges for add-ons like dedicated emails. 

7 Best SendGrid Alternatives

If you’re searching for a SendGrid equivalent, you should consider the following tools:

• Sender
• Postmark
• Amazon SES
• Mailgun
• Mailchimp Transactional
• Brevo
• HubSpot

1. Sender – Best Alternative for Email Marketing

⭐️ Trusted by 180,000+ businesses worldwide

Sender is at the top of the list and a great SendGrid alternative, for a good reason — it’s a powerful email and SMS marketing tool with an intuitive email builder. Plus, real humans in customer support ensure you get real solutions and don’t waste time talking to a robot.

Customer experience ratings:

• Capterra: 4.7 /5.0 
• Trustpilot: 4.8 /5.0
• Shopify: 4.0 /5.0

Sender offers a powerful drag-and-drop editor with a library of responsive templates + readymade design blocks. The UI is simple to navigate even for beginners.

Plus, it has all the features needed for omnichannel campaigns: a drag-and-drop email design tool, SMS/email marketing automation builder, popup creator, and smart segmentation. You get everything needed to get you going within a day (or less).

You can easily set up automation campaigns based on smart segmentation, such as those for abandoned carts, drip campaigns, follow-ups, and cross-selling.

Sender offers full access to all the premium features, even on the free plan. So, you can scale without any hidden costs, making it a SendGrid cheaper alternative for small businesses.

Features

• Drag-and-drop email builder. Build professional email marketing campaigns without coding skills using intuitive visual editor with responsive templates and design blocks for faster campaign creation;
• Omnichannel marketing automation. Automate email and SMS sequences triggered by user behavior, nurturing leads and recovering abandoned carts without manual intervention;
• Smart segmentation. Target specific customer groups based on demographics, purchase history, and engagement patterns to boost campaign relevance and conversion rates;
• Real-time analytics dashboard. Monitor open rates, click-through rates, and campaign performance instantly with in-depth analytics to optimize future marketing efforts and maximize ROI.

Pros & Cons

Sender vs SendGrid

Sender offers comprehensive marketing automation features that SendGrid lacks, including SMS marketing, popup creators, and advanced segmentation tools. Unlike SendGrid’s basic transactional focus, Sender provides a complete omnichannel marketing solution with intuitive drag-and-drop builders. 

Sender also delivers superior customer support with human representatives, contrasting SendGrid’s declining support quality. For businesses seeking both email delivery reliability and comprehensive marketing capabilities, Sender clearly outperforms SendGrid’s limited feature set.

2. Postmark – Best Transactional Email API Service Provider

Postmark is a great transactional email delivery platform and is designed for SaaS email marketing platforms and tech startups. It prioritizes transactional email delivery to major email clients, ensuring exceptional performance and reliability.

Customer experience ratings:

• Capterra: 4.9 /5 
• Trustpilot: 2.3 /5
• Shopify: N/A

Postmark offers premade email templates to streamline communication. One interesting feature offered by the tool is message streams. It prevents email mixing, improving traffic management and deliverability. Plus, Postmark’s reliable SMTP relay server ensures fast delivery to popular email clients.

With detailed reporting and a 45-day log retention period, Postmark provides users with valuable insights into their email campaigns. Though Postmark maintains a separate infrastructure for transactional and bulk emails, it lacks standard campaign-building features. 

Features

• Message streams. Separate transactional and marketing emails into distinct streams to prevent mixing and boost deliverability rates for critical business communications;
• 45-day activity logs. Access detailed email delivery history for extended periods, enabling thorough performance analysis and troubleshooting without additional costs;
• Template management system. Utilize pre-built responsive email templates or create custom ones to maintain consistent branding across all transactional communications;
• Advanced delivery tracking. Monitor bounce rates, hard bounces, and delivery status in real-time to maintain sender reputation and optimize email performance.

Pros & Cons

Postmark vs SendGrid

Postmark excels in transactional email delivery with superior customer support and 45-day log retention, compared to SendGrid’s limited 3-day logs. While both platforms focus on transactional emails, Postmark’s message streams prevent email mixing and improve deliverability rates. 

Postmark offers transparent operations with no hidden complexities, whereas SendGrid often surprises users with limitations. However, Postmark lacks campaign building tools, making it purely transactional unlike SendGrid’s basic marketing features.“

“It’s a great SMTP provider that is easy to set up as well as great delivery and clean IPs. On top of that, it also has a DMARC reporting tool which I like and recommend to any beginner or non-techy person out there. Support is great and quick to reply to any issues you might have.”

— Dame from G2

3. Amazon SES – Cheapest Dedicated IP Addresses

Amazon SES, standing for Simple Email Service, caters to businesses seeking a reliable and affordable solution for service emails.

Trusted by industry giants like Reddit and Netflix, SES offers core metrics, scalability and cheapest dedicated IP addresses, making it ideal for enterprises of varying sizes. 

Customer experience ratings:

• Capterra: 4.7/5.0
• Truspilot: N/A
• Shopify: N/A

While lacking advanced features in email marketing, SES compensates with essential tools such as the Virtual Deliverability Manager for automated inbox optimization and a Mailbox Simulator for scenario testing.

Amazon SES stands out from its competitors, emphasizing simplicity and transparent pricing. It operates on a pay-as-you-go pricing model that adjusts to users’ needs, ensuring affordability.

Its authentication options, including SPF and DKIM, ensure excellent email deliverability rates, while activity and sender reputation monitoring features enable effective email performance tracking.

With its robust infrastructure and focus on reliability, Amazon SES remains a compelling choice for businesses prioritizing affordability and scalability in their email solutions.

Features

• Pay-as-you-go pricing. Pay only for emails actually sent with transparent per-email costs, making it extremely cost-effective for businesses with variable sending volumes;
• Virtual deliverability manager. Optimize inbox placement automatically with tools that analyze sending patterns and provide actionable recommendations to improve email deliverability;
• Mailbox simulator. Test email campaigns in simulated environments before sending to identify potential issues and optimize content for better inbox placement;
• Dedicated IP management. Access cheapest dedicated IP addresses in the market to maintain sender reputation and ensure consistent email delivery performance.

Pros & Cons

Amazon SES vs SendGrid

Amazon SES provides unmatched scalability and enterprise-grade infrastructure that SendGrid struggles to match for high-volume senders. SES offers dedicated IP management and robust delivery tracking that surpasses SendGrid’s capabilities. 

However, SES requires significant technical expertise for setup and lacks built-in marketing tools, while SendGrid provides a more user-friendly interface. For tech-savvy businesses prioritizing scalability and control, SES wins; for ease of use, SendGrid has an edge.“

“It’s a cloud-based email service that’s helpful because it’s cost-effective, reliable, and easy to use. It can help you send and receive emails at scale, and it integrates with other AWS services.”

— Chinna from G2

4. Mailgun – High Deliverability with Easy Integration

Mailgun is used as a white-labeled solution by many apps and startups. It offers a comprehensive suite of email deliverability tools, including inbox placement, verification, and transactional SMS capabilities. 

Customer experience ratings:

• Capterra: 4.3 /5.0 
• Trustpilot: 4.1/5.0
• Shopify: NA

Mailgun integrates easily with different email marketing services, which makes it easy for non-technical people (like marketers) to start their campaigns with just a click using an intuitive drag-and-drop email builder.

One key feature that sets Mailgun apart is its InboxReady toolkit. This toolkit enhances email deliverability through verification, pre-send testing, and precise inbox placement tracking. 

Despite lacking dedicated email marketing tools like other alternatives, Mailgun compensates with great deliverability rates. However, its lack of critical email marketing features makes it a good solution only for developers/marketers looking for a transactional email API.

Features

• Inbox ready deliverability toolkit. Verify emails, conduct pre-send testing, and track inbox placement to ensure maximum deliverability rates for all email campaigns;
• Easy API integration. Integrate email functionality into any application or existing marketing stack with developer-friendly APIs and comprehensive documentation;
• Transactional SMS capabilities. Expand communication channels beyond email with SMS messaging for order confirmations, alerts, and time-sensitive notifications;
• Advanced email validation. Verify email addresses in real-time to reduce bounce rates and protect sender reputation by filtering out invalid addresses.

Pros & Cons

Mailgun vs SendGrid

Mailgun surpasses SendGrid in deliverability with its comprehensive InboxReady toolkit and advanced email validation features that ensure better inbox placement. Both platforms serve developers well, but Mailgun’s API integration is more developer-friendly with extensive documentation.

Mailgun also includes transactional SMS capabilities that SendGrid lacks without add-ons. However, Mailgun requires more technical knowledge for setup and lacks built-in marketing tools, while SendGrid offers a more accessible interface for non-technical users.

“Mailgun helps me verify my email list to ensure valid email addresses. This is important for email deliverability and for ensuring my clients receive the information they need from me.”

— Jeanette from G2

5. Mailchimp Transactional – Best for Transactional Emails

Looking for services like SendGrid for your transactional email needs? Consider Mailchimp Transactional Email (formerly Mandrill). This robust alternative of SendGrid offers a user-friendly SMTP service, making sending and managing effective email campaigns easy.

Customer experience ratings:

• Capterra: 4.5 /5.0 
• Trustpilot: 2.8 /5.0
• Shopify: 4.4 /5.0

Boasting a comprehensive feature set that encompasses dynamic content, conditional rules, webhooks, click tracking, and A/B testing, Mailchimp Transactional Email caters to diverse needs for effective email communication.

It also facilitates lead generation through form and landing page builders and email segmentation features for efficient contact management. With advanced multi-step sequences available at higher-tier plans, Mailchimp Transactional Email is a versatile solution for businesses seeking a reliable platform for transactional email needs. 

But when compared to better options on this list, it lacks the user-friendliness and seamlessness a marketing team expects while looking for a SendGrid alternative.

Features

• Dynamic content with merge tags. Personalize emails automatically by inserting recipient-specific information like names, order details, and custom data to boost engagement rates;
• Conditional rules and webhooks. Trigger automated emails based on user actions or data conditions to send timely, relevant transactional messages without manual intervention;
• A/B testing capabilities. Test different subject lines, content variations, and send times to identify what resonates best with your audience for improved performance;
• Click tracking and analytics. Monitor recipient engagement with detailed click-through data and behavior insights to optimize future email campaigns and user experience.

Pros & Cons

Mailchimp Transactional vs SendGrid

Mailchimp Transactional offers superior integration with the broader Mailchimp ecosystem, providing seamless access to marketing automation features that SendGrid lacks. Both platforms handle transactional emails effectively, but Mailchimp includes advanced A/B testing and dynamic content capabilities. 

However, Mailchimp requires separate management for transactional emails and has limited customization options compared to SendGrid’s flexibility. SendGrid offers more straightforward transactional email management, while Mailchimp excels when combined marketing and transactional needs exist.

“Mailchimp Transactional Email (Mandrill) is well suited for basic automated emails that a business needs to send to their clients when their clients purchase a product or service, appointment/reservation reminders, etc. I would not use it for any sort of one-off email or really any sort of marketing purposes at all.”

— Brandon from TrustRadius

6. Brevo – Unified Marketing and Transactional Platform

Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, is a compelling SendGrid European alternative to traditional email marketing services. It boasts extensive customer relationship management (CRM) features tailored for businesses.

Customer experience ratings:

• Capterra: 4.6 /5.0 
• Trustpilot: 4.4 /5.0
• Shopify: 4.8 /5.0

Unlike services like Sendgrid, Brevo keeps unlimited logs, ensuring access to the complete history of emails sent to each recipient. It also offers marketing and transactional emails via its email marketing API and SMTP relay beyond basic email delivery services. 

From contact management tools to customizable newsletter signup forms, a sales CRM, and email segmentation, Brevo has many useful features. Its intuitive workflow builder empowers users to set up automated sequences for welcome emails, streamlining communication workflows and enhancing customer engagement.

Features

• Unlimited email logs. Store complete email history without time restrictions, providing comprehensive data for performance analysis and compliance reporting without additional fees;
• Built-in CRM integration. Manage customer relationships directly within the platform, tracking interactions and automating follow-ups to boost sales conversion rates;
• Marketing and transactional APIs. Handle both promotional campaigns and automated transactional emails from a single platform, simplifying technical implementation and management;
• Automated workflow builder. Create complex email sequences triggered by user behavior, purchase patterns, or time-based conditions using visual drag-and-drop interface.

Pros & Cons

Brevo vs SendGrid

Brevo provides unlimited email logs compared to SendGrid’s restrictive 3-day retention, offering better long-term analytics and compliance tracking. Brevo’s built-in CRM integration eliminates the need for separate tools, while SendGrid focuses primarily on email delivery. 

Brevo also offers more comprehensive marketing automation features with better segmentation capabilities. However, Brevo has daily sending limits on free plans and charges extra for premium features, whereas SendGrid provides more consistent sending capabilities across all plans.

“I’ve had an amazing experience with Brevo! I love the automations, the stats, and the notifications it provides. The double opt-in feature is my favorite, and I use it a lot for easy email subscriptions.”

— Kudakwashe from Capterra

7. HubSpot – Comprehensive Email Marketing Automation

HubSpot offers one of the most extensive ranges of features, which is interesting for any size business looking to diversify its email marketing efforts. However, their SendGrid cost comparison shows similar pricing, making it unaffordable for many small business owners.

Customer experience ratings:

• Capterra: 4.5 /5.0 
• Trustpilot: 2.2 /5.0
• Shopify: 1.0 /5.0

Unlike SendGrid, which mainly specializes in transactional email delivery service and API functionality, HubSpot is a trusted all-in-one marketing platform. 

It offers a comprehensive suite of marketing tools beyond email marketing, including CRM, lead generation, social media management, content management, and analytics. This integrated approach allows for a seamless marketing experience and better coordination of your marketing efforts.

With HubSpot, you can trust to have your marketing emails fully optimized as they offer robust capabilities such as advanced automation with visual workflow builder, powerful contact management tools, and dynamic content possibilities.

Features

• All-in-one marketing platform. Integrate CRM, email marketing, social media management, and analytics tools to eliminate multiple software subscriptions and data silos;
• Advanced automation workflows. Build sophisticated marketing sequences with branching logic, lead scoring, and multi-channel touchpoints using visual workflow builder for maximum engagement;
• Dynamic content personalization. Customize email content automatically based on recipient properties, behavior history, and lifecycle stage to increase relevance and conversions;
• Comprehensive analytics suite. Track email performance alongside website traffic, social media engagement, and sales data for complete marketing attribution and ROI analysis.

Pros & Cons

Hubspot vs SendGrid

HubSpot delivers a comprehensive all-in-one marketing platform with CRM, social media management, and advanced analytics that far exceed SendGrid’s basic email capabilities. HubSpot’s automation workflows and personalization features are significantly more sophisticated than SendGrid’s limited marketing tools. 

However, HubSpot requires a steeper learning curve and more complex setup than SendGrid’s straightforward approach. SendGrid offers simpler, more focused email delivery, while HubSpot provides enterprise-level marketing automation for comprehensive campaigns.

“Overall I have a great experience with Hubspot Marketing. I do a mixture of operations and marketing duties during my day and my experience in the marketing module has helped me in areas of operations as well. The social content scheduling aspect of it has been seamless!”

— Allie from Capterra 

SendGrid Competitors Price Comparison Table

Free SendGrid Alternatives: Free Plans and Limits

SendGrid Alternatives FAQs

Are there any downsides to using SendGrid?

Yes, SendGrid has several downsides including expensive pricing starting at $20/month, restrictive 3-day email logs, limited marketing channel options requiring costly add-ons, declining customer support quality, and potential blacklisted IP issues that send emails to spam. Many businesses find better value and features with alternatives to SendGrid like Sender, which offers comprehensive marketing tools at more affordable rates.

Best SendGrid alternatives for developers?

For developers, Amazon SES offers the most cost-effective solution with pay-as-you-go pricing and robust APIs. Mailgun provides excellent deliverability tools and easy integration options. However, Sender combines developer-friendly features with comprehensive marketing capabilities, making it ideal for development teams who want both technical flexibility and powerful marketing automation without switching between multiple platforms. Many developers appreciate Sender’s priority support and email volume scalability.

Best SendGrid alternatives for marketers?

Sender stands out as the top choice for marketers, offering intuitive drag-and-drop email builders, omnichannel automation, smart segmentation, and comprehensive analytics. Unlike SendGrid’s limited marketing features, Sender provides everything marketers need including SMS campaigns, popup creators, and advanced automation workflows. The platform’s user-friendly interface requires no technical expertise while delivering professional results at competitive pricing. Features like bulk sending, password resets, additional emails, and paid plans with flexible SendGrid free plan alternatives make Sender the complete solution.

You may also find these articles worthy of your attention:

• Use Our Email Marketing Price Calculator to Compare Providers
• Email Newsletter Software: 10 Providers You Should Consider
• 7 Best Hubspot Alternatives with Free Competitors Included

About author

Emily Austin

Author

Sender

Emily is a content manager who has dipped her toes in almost all fields of marketing, including email marketing, PR, social media, and ecommerce. She loves perfecting digital content, ensuring everything is polished and ready to go live.

Writer - Vesta Oldenburg