Top 6 SendGrid alternatives

Sinch Mailgun

Best overall SendGrid alternative for developers who need performance, flexibility, and support.

Sinch Mailgun stands out as a top choice for developers and engineering teams that want full control over transactional email performance. It offers strong inbox placement, detailed analytics, and support for both SMTP and APIs. You can also separate transactional from marketing traffic, manage dedicated IPs, and tap into analytics that help you optimize delivery.

Where Mailgun excels is its built-in email validation API. This feature allows you to validate addresses before sending, improving deliverability and reducing bounce rates. It’s perfect for product-led teams who want to build a clean, automated pipeline from sign-up to inbox.

Stand-out features:

• Built-in deliverability monitoring tools with real-time analytics

• Granular control over sending IPs, templates, and validation workflow

Amazon SES

Most cost-effective solution for high-volume senders who are comfortable in AWS.

Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) is a highly reliable and scalable option built for developers who don’t mind getting their hands dirty in the AWS console. It offers excellent deliverability and rock-bottom pricing but comes with a tradeoff: limited reporting and no built-in email validation tools.

While SES is great for sending transactional emails at scale, you’ll need to manage email list hygiene separately and monitor your deliverability using external tools. The integration process can be complex, so it’s best suited for teams already familiar with AWS.

Stand-out features:

• Deep integration with AWS tools for infrastructure and scalability

• Usage-based pricing with extremely low cost per email

SparkPost

A data-rich platform with tools that help predict and improve deliverability.

SparkPost leverages one of the largest datasets in commercial email, powering deliverability intelligence that can optimize your campaigns in real time. Their Signals dashboard helps diagnose and solve inbox placement issues quickly.

SparkPost’s Recipient Validation tool proactively catches invalid or risky email addresses, which helps protect your sender reputation. It’s also developer-friendly, offering a rich API with support for webhooks, templates, and granular controls.

Stand-out features:

• Predictive analytics via Signals dashboard

• Recipient validation tied to historical email delivery data

Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

A versatile email platform that combines transactional and marketing features.

Brevo provides both marketing automation and transactional email, all in one platform. With a dedicated SMTP relay and a solid email API, it’s a great pick for teams looking for simplicity and feature consolidation. You can trigger transactional messages through webhooks or API calls, and use their interface for list segmentation and automation.

One limitation is the lack of an integrated email validation feature. However, Brevo makes up for it with double opt-in flows and list hygiene tools that reduce bounce risk. It’s especially popular among EU-based businesses for its compliance and usability.

Stand-out features:

• All-in-one messaging platform for email, SMS, and CRM

• Drag-and-drop automation workflows for transactional and marketing journeys

Mailjet

A well-rounded solution with strong deliverability and built-in validation for marketers.

Mailjet provides both transactional and marketing email capabilities, with an intuitive interface and comprehensive API access. Its Email Validation feature lets you clean your list before sending directly through the dashboard or via API.

It’s especially appealing for teams that are more marketing oriented with fewer dev resources that want a single platform for both campaign management and transactional messaging. With collaborative editing tools and a real-time template editor.

Stand-out features:

• Real-time collaboration in email editing

• Integrated validation and marketing features under one dashboard

Postmark

Fast, focused, and reliable: Perfect for transactional email focus.

Postmark is laser-focused on transactional email, and it shows in their consistently high inbox placement rates and lightning-fast delivery. There’s no bulk email marketing or campaign builder here just clean, effective transactional delivery.

While Postmark doesn’t offer its own validation tools, it encourages best practices like confirmed opt-ins to keep your list clean. With predictable pricing and highly responsive support, it’s a favorite among startups and developers who want something that just works.

Stand-out features:

• Exceptionally fast delivery speeds for critical transactional email

• Uniform support level regardless of plan size

Side-by-side comparison of the top 6 alternatives

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best alternative to SendGrid?

Sinch Mailgun is a top alternative for teams that prioritize reliable deliverability, robust email validation, and flexible APIs. It’s especially developer-friendly and includes a free plan for testing.

Why are companies moving away from SendGrid?

Many teams are exploring other options due to SendGrid’s recent removal of its free plan, as well as the desire for better transparency, built-in validation, or stronger transactional email support.

Do these alternatives offer free plans?

Yes, several of them do. Sinch Mailgun, Mailjet, and Brevo offer free tiers for testing or low volume sending. Postmark also offers a small developer sandbox for trials.

Which provider is best for transactional emails?

Postmark excels at fast, reliable transactional email delivery. Sinch Mailgun and Amazon SES also perform well for transactional use cases, especially at scale.

Do I need email validation?

Yes. Email validation helps reduce bounces, protects your sender reputation, and ensures emails are only sent to real, reachable addresses. Platforms like Sinch Mailgun, SparkPost, and Mailjet offer built-in validation features.

Which platform has the easiest integration?

Postmark is known for its quick and minimal setup. Sinch Mailgun and Mailjet also provide well-documented APIs and SDKs that simplify the onboarding process.

Is Amazon SES good for beginners?

Not typically. While it’s highly affordable, SES has a steep learning curve due to AWS’s complex setup and limited user interface.

Can I send both marketing and transactional emails from these platforms?

Yes, some platforms like Mailjet and Brevo are built with a marketer-first mentality. Others, like Mailgun and Postmark, focus more on programmatic sending and deliverability features.