Need A Sendgrid Alternative? Top Email Providers in 2023
Is the email delivery service, SendGrid really the best? Well, it's good at some things, but there are so many SendGrid alternatives out there that may be a better fit for your business's transactional email service needs—and your marketing needs as well!
In this article, we'll cover things to keep in mind when selecting a SendGrid alternative and introduce you to the best SendGrid alternatives for both delivering transactional emails and streamlining your email marketing campaigns.
Looking for a SendGrid alternative but unsure where to start?
As you'll see in this review, Sendgrid competitor, Sendinblue offers many advanced features, including unlimited contacts, landing pages, transactional emails, lead scoring, email marketing automation, and more, but all at a much higher cost.
Mailchimp is ideal for small companies with smaller audiences and offers flexible pricing plans, but it has limits on the number of contacts, emails, and account seats. Mailgun can help you avoid deliverability issues and blocklists but, like SendGrid, it can be pricey.
MailerToGo, our go-to, offers the best of both worlds, with advanced transactional email capabilities (ideal for developers) and marketing and drip sequence functionality as well (ideal for marketing professionals).
It's a comprehensive option with features like drag-and-drop email, domain syncing, and advanced email campaign analytics, but it comes in as the most affordable option on our list—it's a win-win.
First of all, why can't you just send transactional emails from your Gmail account?
There are a couple of really good reasons why you shouldn't do this. The most obvious one is that your email delivery could get flagged as spam.
Another obvious reason is that most people, yourself probably included, don't trust so-called business emails that come from a "gmail" address. I know that, when these occasionally bypass my spam filters, the first thing I think is "scammer".
Yet there's also the not-insignificant matter of Gmail's 500 email per day limit via API, which is where devs will be managing your transactional emails in response to user and client events. A growing business anywhere in the realm of medium or large will need a great deal more than 500 transaction mails a day to cover their events.
Another less obvious reason is that you won't get any feedback on what happens after your email delivery leaves your outbox. That's where an email delivery service like SendGrid or Mailer To Go comes in, offering deliverability tools, bulk emails, transactional emails, email tracking, complete email analytics, and more.
That's because you need to track and respond to your transactions and your marketing campaigns!
When selecting a SendGrid alternative, here’s what you want to be thinking about:
Do you value customer support?
Do you need unlimited emails?
Do you need to send automated transactional emails?
Do you need to send marketing emails too?
Do you want to send drip messaging that's timed from customer events?
Do you want real-time email and campaign analytics?
Do you prefer automated workflows?
Do you need a lean interface that's accessible to devs and marketing professionals alike?
Do you need a free plan?
Do you need fast email delivery?
Do you need advanced verification to advance deliverability?
Do you favor drag-and-drop email?
Our top 5 SendGrid alternatives
Depending on your answers, you may want to choose one of the following as a SendGrid alternative. We've listed our faves in descending order, starting with Mailer To Go:
1. MailerToGo
Some of the best SendGrid alternatives include Sendinblue, Mailchimp, and Mailgun, but our number one is, naturally, Mailer To Go which, like industry leaders SendGrid and SendinBlue, offers that unique blend of marketing and transactional email functionality.
The difference is that Mailer To Go does it more affordably (i.e. at transactional email provider rates instead of at marketing email solution rates), and it offers a workflow/journey/drip messaging functionality that is, quite simply, much harder to manage with other email platforms.
Mailer To Go helps users avoid deliverability issues and blocklists, by providing powerful SMTP server infrastructure and email validation tools. As an SMTP relay service, Mailer To Go allows you to send bulk email and manage complex unsubscribe and opt-out requirements.
On the surface, MTG is a transactional email service. The interface has all the features devs require to muster professional transactional emails, but it's also easily accessible to marketing professionals looking to do marketing and promotional emails in bulk.
It's the ideal way to interact with customers from your own domains, and from inside your own apps. Unlike other popular alternatives, it even has receiving functionality.
Built from the ground up, this cloud email add-on lets you send developer-handled transactional emails and marketing-manager-handled bulk email marketing emails, all for next to nothing, offering full email marketing services with lower costs on your end—not to mention extra features, reliability, and customer support.
Pros
Easy to use, lean, and intuitive user interface
Allows you to send emails from inside your apps
Has email-receiving capabilities too
Dev-friendly transactional email handling
Drip/journey sequence functionality
Marketer-friendly, comprehensive email marketing solution
Jam-packed with email and campaign analytics features
Email marketing automation and segmentation tools to tailor your campaigns
Personalized customer journey builder
Drag-and-drop email
Offers transactional email via SMTP or API
MTG SMTP can integrate with WP mail SMTP, so WordPress emails and contact form infills land up in your Mailer To Go inbox
DKIM and Dmarc integration
300 free emails per day with unlimited emails, depending on your plan
Free plan option
The cheapest option around—Amazon SES has a bigger free plan, but lacks in features and catches you on extras like attachments.
Cons
No social media marketing messages
High bounce rate/unsubscribe rate may limit your use.
Ideal for: Anyone who values lean interfaced but comprehensive solutions, along with customer support, reliability, and speed. Ideal for devs and marketers alike, as it sends transactional, marketing, drip, and regular emails from inside your apps.
Price: Price: $0.39 per 1000 emails.
2. SendinBlue
This provider offers many advanced features, including unlimited contacts, landing pages, an email builder, SMS automation, lead scoring, website activity triggers, email client testing, and more. However, it comes at a steep price, with the premium plan costing around $600 for 1 million emails per month.
Pros
Easy to use and intuitive user interface
Comprehensive email marketing solution with various features
Automation and segmentation tools to personalize your campaigns
DKIM and Dmarc integration
SendinBlue SMTP works with WP Mail SMTP
Personalized customer journey builder
300 free emails per day.
Cons
Some users have noted that SMS sending to certain regions was undeliverable
Lacks choices around email template creation
Limited customization options
High bounce rate/unsubscribe rate may limit your use (cause your email delivery service to be blocked).
Ideal for: small- to medium-sized business owners who need a certain amount of free emails per month.
Price: $600 for 1 million emails per month.
3. Mailchimp
This provider is ideal for ecommerce marketing and for small businesses with smaller audiences, as well as offering flexible pricing plans, starting at $9.99 per month for up to 500 contacts.
Mailchimp also offers many automation features, including segmentation and A/B testing. However, it has limits on the number of contacts, emails, and account seats, and some users have reported issues with deliverability.
Pros
Very useful email editor
Drag and drop email templates
Includes a free plan
Tons of features that make it easy to get started
DKIM and Dmarc integration
Email marketing / promotional emails.
Cons
Not great at automation
No scheduled or recurring email campaigns
Affiliate marketing is not possible
Difficult to edit your database lists.
Ideal for: If you're an individual or small business with a small audience, Mailchimp could be a great fit.
Price: Around $12 a month for 6000 thousand emails.
4. Mailgun
This provider can help you avoid deliverability issues and blocklists by providing powerful SMTP server infrastructure and email validation tools.
However, it can be relatively expensive, with pricing starting at $35 per month for up to 50,000 emails. Mailgun's customer support is generally good, but some users have reported slow response times.
Pros
Simple set up
Great with bulk emails
Reliable API and webhooks
DKIM and Dmarc integration
Statistics about incoming and outgoing emails
Email tracking.
Cons
Can get blacklisted due to other users on your same mail server
No debugging systems
Difficult to track if an email is sent successfully
Poor reputation of shared IPs.
Ideal for: Medium to large sized businesses who know that they are going to be sending a lot of emails.
Price: Starting at $35 a month.
5. Amazon SES
This provider is more of an add-on for existing Amazon users, offering a convenient and cost-effective option. However, keep in mind that Amazon is a very big company and you may not receive the same level of customer support as with other providers.
Pricing starts at $0.10 per thousand emails sent, so it's a cheap go-to for existing Amazon users, although customer service is lacking. Also, Amazon SES can be relatively complex to set up and integrate with your existing systems.
Pros
Good IPs allow for emails to stay out of spam folders
Easy setup and handling
Deliverability reports
DKIM and Dmarc integration
Highly reliable, with very little downtime.
Cons
Hard for beginners looking for an intuitive user interface
Pay extra for support
Email templates
Difficult to integrate with other services.
Ideal for: Anyone who already works with Amazon and is happy with their products.
Price: $0.10 for every 1000 emails
In closing
It's important to remember that choosing the right email service provider can make a big difference in the success of your email marketing campaigns.
By carefully considering factors like your email deliverability, tracking, customer support, and pricing, you can find a top transactional email service provider that meets your specific needs and goals.
While SendGrid is a popular choice, there are many other excellent alternatives out there that offer unique features and pricing options.
If you're looking for an affordable but full-featured cloud email service that can streamline transactional, marketing, and regular email sending from inside your apps, look no further than Mailer To Go.
This game-changer offers reliable service and excellent customer support, allowing you to send transactional email, automated marketing campaigns, and even regular email from inside your apps—with outstanding customer support and 300 free emails a day!
Ultimately, you are the defining factor in choosing the email service provider that will help you create effective campaigns that engage and convert your subscribers.
Frequently asked questions
What are some alternatives to SendGrid?
There are several alternatives to SendGrid available in the market. These include services like Mailer To Go , Mailgun, Mandrill, Amazon SES, and SparkPost. Each of these services offers different features and pricing, so it's important to choose the one that best fits your needs.
Why would someone switch from SendGrid?
There could be several reasons why someone might switch from SendGrid to an alternative. These could include cost considerations, different feature sets, better customer support, or a preference for a different user interface. For instance, Mailer To Go offers a user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, and excellent customer support.
What should I look for in a SendGrid alternative?
When looking for a SendGrid alternative, consider your specific needs. This could include the volume of emails you need to send, the level of customer support you require, the specific features you need, and your budget. Mailer To Go is a great alternative that offers a range of features suitable for both small businesses and larger enterprises.
Is Mailer To Go a good alternative to SendGrid?
Yes, Mailer To Go is a great alternative to SendGrid. It offers a range of features including transactional emails, email marketing, and email automation. It also provides excellent deliverability rates and customer support.
How does Mailer To Go compare to other SendGrid alternatives?
Mailer To Go stands out among SendGrid alternatives due to its user-friendly interface, competitive pricing, and excellent customer support. It also offers a range of features that make it a comprehensive solution for all your email needs.