Are you looking for SendGrid alternatives for sending your transactional emails?
The best SendGrid alternatives are SendLayer, Amazon SES, Postmark, and Brevo. I tested 9 transactional email services to identify the best options. You’ll get real pricing, free plan limits, and deliverability insights for each.
By the end, you’ll know which service fits your budget and your stack. Most take under 15 minutes to set up.
I judged each tool on three things: deliverability, pricing, and ease of setup. I favor SendLayer for certain use cases, and I’ll explain why. But I’ll also show you where rivals win.
Note: Short on time? My pick is SendLayer for WordPress sites. It’s cheap, simple, and built around inbox delivery. Developers who want the lowest cost at scale should look at Amazon SES.
Why look for a SendGrid alternative?
People leave SendGrid for four main reasons.
- Changes to the free tier plan. Now limited to a 60-day trial period.
- Lower plans get limited help.
- The cheapest paid plan now starts at $19.95 a month.
None of these are dealbreakers on their own. Together, they push a lot of teams to shop around. The good news? Plenty of services do this job well, and many cost less.
What should you look for in a SendGrid alternative?
Focus on five things when you compare providers.
- Deliverability. Does it help with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC? Can you get a dedicated IP?
- Free plan or trial. Can you test it before you pay?
- Pricing. Does the cost scale with your volume?
- Setup. Does it offer SMTP and an API? Is there a WordPress plugin?
- Support. Can you reach a real person fast?
Keep your own use case in mind too. A WordPress site has different needs than a high-volume SaaS app. I’ll call out the best fit for each tool below.
What are the best SendGrid alternatives?
Here are the 9 services I’d recommend over SendGrid. SendLayer is first because it’s my pick. After that, the order moves from simplest to most developer-focused.
1. SendLayer
SendLayer is a transactional email service built for reliable delivery. It’s part of the same family as Easy WP SMTP, so it integrates well with WordPress sites. I connected it to a test WordPress site in under 2 minutes. That’s the fastest setup of any tool here.
Deliverability is the whole point here. SendLayer authenticates your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC during setup. It walks you through each DNS record, so you’re not left guessing. Once that’s done, your emails carry the right signals to land in the inbox.
The dashboard stays clean and focused. You get an activity log, open and click tracking, and webhooks. For a WordPress owner who just wants resets and receipts to arrive, that focus is a feature, not a limit.
Here’s what makes SendLayer a standout solution:
- SMTP, a REST API, and SDKs for popular programming languages
- An MCP server to send email straight from AI tools like Claude Code and Cursor
- Built-in DKIM, SPF, and DMARC setup
- Open and click tracking, plus webhooks
Pricing: A free trial that lets you send up to 200 emails. Paid plans start at $5 a month for 1,000 emails. The $15 plan covers 5,000, and the $25 plan covers 10,000.
| How does SendLayer compare? |   |  |
| Simple Setup |   |   |
| Transactional Emails | | |
| Data Visualizations | | |
| Spam Score Checking | | |
| Email Tracking | | |
| SMTP | | |
| Monthly Pricing | $5 | $19.95 |
| Free Trial | | |
Who it’s for: Anyone running a WordPress site or a custom application who wants email that just works.
2. Amazon SES
Amazon SES is the cheapest way to send email at scale. It charges $0.10 per 1,000 emails, with no monthly fee. The catch? It’s built for developers, not beginners.
SES rewards teams who know what they’re doing. You handle your own SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup. You also warm up your sending and watch your own reputation. AWS gives you the pipes, not the hand-holding.
The trade-off is real. There’s no friendly dashboard and no quick WordPress path. But if you send millions of emails and have a developer on hand, nothing comes close on price. Many teams pair it with a front-end tool for nicer reporting.
Key features:
- Pay-as-you-go pricing with no minimum
- SMTP and API access
- Deliverability analytics through the AWS console
- Deep ties to other AWS tools
Pricing: There’s no permanent free plan. You pay $0.10 per 1,000 emails (plus additional costs for data transfer and dedicated IPs). You’ll need a verified AWS account.
Who it’s for: Developers who already use AWS and send a lot of email.
3. Postmark
Postmark has a strong reputation for speed. It keeps transactional and marketing emails on separate streams. That focus helps your receipts and resets reach the inbox quickly.
Speed is the whole pitch. Splitting the streams keeps your password resets away from your newsletters. Each type of email travels its own path. The result is fast, consistent delivery for the messages that matter most.
It’s transactional-first by design. You won’t find marketing automation or a CRM here. The base plan keeps 45 days of message history, which helps when you debug a delivery issue. For teams that value reliability over features, that focus pays off.
Key features:
- Separate streams for transactional and bulk email
- REST API and SMTP support
- Detailed delivery analytics
- 45 days of message history on the base plan
Pricing: The free plan covers 100 emails a month. Paid plans start at $15 a month for 10,000 emails.
Who it’s for: Teams who care most about fast, dependable delivery. If Postmark isn’t quite right, we also compared the top Postmark alternatives.
4. Mailgun
Mailgun is a developer favorite with a powerful API. It gives you fine control over sending and deliverability. It also bundles tools like email validation.
It’s built for people who live in the API. You get fine control over routing, sending, and analytics. It supports SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI, so your auth is covered. Built-in validation helps you clean lists before you send.
That power comes with complexity. The cost adds up once you layer on dedicated IPs and validation. It’s overkill for a simple WordPress site. But for a developer who wants control, it’s a strong, flexible choice.
Key features:
- REST API and SMTP on every plan
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI support
- Tracking, analytics, and webhooks
- Built-in email validation
Pricing: The free plan covers 100 emails a day. Paid plans start at $15 a month for 10,000 emails. Extra dedicated IPs cost more.
Who it’s for: Developers and high-volume senders who want a flexible API.
5. Brevo
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) does more than transactional email. It also handles marketing, SMS, and a simple CRM. You pay for the emails you send, and your contact list is unlimited.
It bundles a lot into one tool. You get email, SMS, automation, and a light CRM in one place. That mix suits a small business that wants marketing and transactional email together. You don’t have to stitch separate tools together.
Watch the daily send caps, though. The free plan covers 300 emails a day, and marketing and transactional share the same limits. Heavy senders can hit that ceiling fast. Check the live pricing page too, since the transactional tiers shift often.
Key features:
- Email API and SMTP
- Marketing, SMS, and automation in one place
- Unlimited contact storage
- A generous daily free plan
Pricing: The free plan covers 300 emails a day. Paid plans start at around $9 a month. Check the live page, since transactional tiers shift often.
Who it’s for: Businesses that want marketing and transactional email together.
6. Mailtrap
Mailtrap started as an email testing sandbox. Now it sends production email too. That combo lets your team test and send from a single tool.
It’s unusual in a useful way. The sandbox lets teams catch broken templates before they ship. Now that live sending sits beside it, you test and send from one dashboard. That cuts down on tool-switching during development.
The free plan looks generous, with 4,000 emails a month. But it caps you at 150 a day, which can pinch. A dedicated IP needs the $85 plan. For dev teams who test often, the combo still makes sense.
Key features:
- Email testing sandbox plus live sending
- API and SMTP support
- Deliverability analytics and bounce tracking
- ISP feedback loops on higher plans
Pricing: The free plan covers 4,000 emails per month, with a daily cap of 150. Paid plans start at $15 a month for 10,000 emails.
Who it’s for: Dev teams who want to test and send from one dashboard.
7. Resend
Resend is a newer API built for developers. It pairs with React Email, so you can build templates in JSX. The docs and setup feel clean and up to date.
React Email lets you write templates in JSX instead of fighting HTML tables. Front-end developers tend to love that workflow.
It’s API-first, not a no-code suite. The free plan covers 3,000 emails a month but caps you at 100 a day. For React and Next.js teams, none of that is a dealbreaker.
Key features:
- Developer-first REST API and SMTP
- React Email for templates
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC support
- US and EU sending regions
Pricing: The free plan covers 3,000 emails per month, with a daily cap of 100. The Pro plan is $20 a month for 50,000 emails.
Who it’s for: Developers building on React and other modern web frameworks who want a clean API.
8. SMTP2GO
SMTP2GO does one job and does it well. It’s a managed SMTP relay with solid deliverability. It also ships an official WordPress plugin with 20,000+ installs.
It keeps its scope narrow on purpose. You get a managed relay, real-time analytics, and delivery alerts. There’s no marketing layer to learn. You point your app or site at it, and emails go out.
WordPress users get a real bonus here. The official plugin has 20,000+ installs and a simple setup. You also get 24/7 support, even on lower plans. For a small team that wants reliable sending and nothing extra, it fits well.
Key features:
- SMTP relay and API
- Real-time analytics and delivery alerts
- An official WordPress plugin
- 24/7 support, even on lower plans
Pricing: The free plan covers 1,000 emails a month, for good. Paid plans start at $15 a month for 10,000 emails.
Who it’s for: WordPress users and small teams who want simple, reliable sending.
9. Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill)
Mailchimp Transactional, formerly known as Mandrill, sends transactional email through Mailchimp. It works best if you already pay for a Mailchimp plan. On its own, it’s a pricey choice.
This one makes sense only in context. It leans on tight integration with the rest of the Mailchimp suite. If you already live there, the pieces click together. Templates, analytics, and sending all sit beside your existing campaigns.
On its own, the math gets steep. You need a paid Mailchimp Standard plan first. Then you buy email in blocks of 25,000 for $20. There’s no ongoing free plan, just a 500-email trial. For anyone not already on Mailchimp, cheaper options win.
Key features:
- Transactional API and SMTP
- Templating tools
- A detailed analytics dashboard
- Tight Mailchimp integration
Pricing: There’s no ongoing free plan, just a 500-email trial. You buy blocks of 25,000 emails for $20. You also need a paid Mailchimp Standard plan.
Who it’s for: Teams already paying for Mailchimp Standard or higher.
SendGrid alternatives compared
Here’s a quick look at all 9 services side by side.
| Service | Best for | Free tier | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SendLayer | WordPress sites | 200 emails | $5/month |
| Amazon SES | Lowest cost at scale | None (AWS credits) | $0.10 per 1,000 emails |
| Postmark | Fast inbox delivery | 100/month | $15/month |
| Mailgun | Developer control | 100/day | $15/month |
| Brevo | Marketing + transactional | 300/day, permanent | ~$9/month |
| Mailtrap | Testing + sending | 4,000/month | $15/month |
| Resend | Modern dev API | 3,000/month | $20/month |
| SMTP2GO | Simple SMTP relay | 1,000/month | $15/month |
| Mailchimp Transactional | Mailchimp users | None (500 trial) | $20 per 25,000 emails |
Which SendGrid alternative is right for you?
The right pick depends on your setup and your budget.
- Run a WordPress site? Start with SendLayer or SMTP2GO. Both are simple and reliable.
- Send huge volumes? Amazon SES wins on price, if you can handle the setup.
- Care most about inbox speed? Pick Postmark.
- Want one tool for marketing and transactional? Choose Brevo.
- Building on React or Next.js? Resend feels right at home.
- Already on Mailchimp? Mailchimp Transactional makes sense.
There’s no single best answer. But for most small and mid-sized sites, SendLayer offers the best mix of price, simplicity, and delivery.
Frequently asked questions
These are answers to some of the top questions users ask about finding the best SendGrid alternatives for transactional emails.
Is there a free SendGrid alternative?
Yes. Several services offer permanent free plans. SendLayer lets you send 200 emails on the free trial. Brevo gives 300 emails a day. Resend offers 3,000 per month, and Mailtrap offers 4,000 per month.
What is the best SendGrid alternative for developers?
Amazon SES, Postmark, SendLayer, and Resend are the top picks. They offer clean APIs and strong docs. SES is cheapest at scale. For more options, see our guide to the best email API providers.
Is SendLayer a good SendGrid alternative?
Yes, especially for WordPress sites. It’s quick to set up and focuses on deliverability. The 14-day trial covers 200 emails, and paid plans start at $5 a month.
That’s it! Now you know the best SendGrid alternatives
Next, would you like to learn why your emails sometimes end up in the spam folder? Read our guide on why your email provider has deliverability issues for more information.