SendGrid is an email delivery service that sends order confirmations, shipping notices, and other automated messages from a store. The product page I could read lists a free trial with no credit card required and says the platform delivers more than 200 billion emails every month. It does not show plan names, prices, or email limits, and the pricing pages behind it did not load for me. People look for alternatives when they want clearer pricing, a free tier they can keep, or a tool that is easier to set up. I run my own stores and teach high-ticket dropshipping at Ecommerce Paradise, so I judge these services by how well they send store emails and what they cost at low volume.
Everything below comes from each vendor’s own page as I reviewed it. Where a page does not show a number, I write “not shown” instead of guessing. Prices change often, so confirm them before you sign up. Some links in this article are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you sign up, at no extra cost to you.
Automated email matters once you have orders to confirm. If you are still deciding what to sell, start with my guide to what high-ticket dropshipping is before you set up a sending service.
SendGrid Alternatives at a Glance
| Tool | Starting price | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailgun | Basic starting at $15 a month | Free, 100 emails a day | Owners who want clear tiers with a free first month on higher plans |
| Postmark | Basic at $15 a month | Free Developer plan, 100 emails a month | Owners who want simple, low-volume sending |
| Amazon SES | $0.10 per 1,000 emails a la carte | Up to $200 in AWS credits for new customers | Owners who want the lowest per-email rate and can handle setup |
| Mailjet | Starter at $9 a month | Free, 6,000 emails a month | Owners who want an editor and sending in one plan |
| Resend | Pro at $20 a month | Free, 3,000 emails a month | Owners with a developer who wants a modern API |
Email is only useful when orders are coming in. If you want a high-ticket store built for you, start here. See the done-for-you store build →
What SendGrid Offers and Where It Falls Short
The SendGrid page I could read describes an Email API for delivery at scale and Marketing Campaigns for building email campaigns. It lists a free trial with no credit card required, but it gives no trial length or limits. It links to separate pricing pages for each product.
Those pricing pages did not load for me, so I could not confirm plan names, prices, monthly email volumes, or refund terms. Check the live pricing page before you compare SendGrid with the tools below. I also wrote a longer look in my SendGrid review.
For a store owner, the practical drawback is that sending services are built for developers. You usually connect them to your store with an API key or SMTP settings, so plan on some setup time or a helper.
How to Pick an Email Sending Service
Start with your volume. If you send a few hundred order emails a month, a free tier may cover you. If you send tens of thousands, compare the overage rate, since small differences add up.
Next, think about setup. Some services are built for developers and expect you to work with an API. Others include an editor and a dashboard, which is easier if you are not technical.
Finally, think about deliverability. Emails only help if they reach the inbox, and that depends on how you set up your domain. My guide to DKIM, SPF, and DMARC explains the basics.
1. Mailgun
Mailgun lists five plans. Free is $0 with 100 emails a day. Basic starts at $15 a month with 10,000 emails, Foundation is $35 a month with 50,000 emails, and Scale is $90 a month with 100,000 emails. Enterprise is a quote.
Overage rates start from $1.80 per 1,000 emails on Basic, $1.30 on Foundation, and $1.10 on Scale. Log retention is 1 day on Free and Basic, 5 days on Foundation, and 30 days on Scale. Foundation adds an email template builder, and Scale adds dedicated IP pools and phone and chat support.
Foundation and Scale include a free first month, and the FAQ mentions free 30-day trials on paid plans. The page does not state a refund policy. Canceling requires paying any remaining balance first.
2. Postmark
Postmark lists a free Developer plan at $0 with 100 emails a month and no overages allowed. The page says the free plan never expires and is meant for testing and low-volume projects. Paid plans start from 10,000 emails a month.
Basic is $15 a month with an overage of $1.80 per 1,000 emails, 5 custom sending domains, and 45 days of data retention. Pro is $16.50 with $1.30 overage and 10 domains, and Platform is $18 with $1.20 overage and unlimited domains. Pro and Platform add inbound email processing.
A free trial with no credit card is offered, but the length is not stated. The page does not state a refund policy. Postmark suits owners who want predictable, low-volume pricing.
3. Amazon SES
Amazon SES prices by volume. The page lists an a la carte outbound rate of $0.10 per 1,000 emails, and tiered plans from $0.16 per 1,000 emails on Essentials. Pro and Enterprise add fixed monthly fees of $105 and $500 per account per region.
New AWS customers can receive up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits, which can apply to eligible services including SES. The free plan lasts 6 months after account creation. The page does not list a specific number of free SES emails.
Attachment data costs $0.12 per GB sent, and a standard dedicated IP costs $24.95 per month. Other AWS services are billed separately. Amazon SES is cheap per email, but it expects more setup than the other tools here.
4. Mailjet
Mailjet lists a Free plan with 6,000 emails a month and a 200-per-day limit. Starter is $9 a month with 8,000 emails, Essential is $19 with 15,000 emails, and Premium is $29 with 15,000 emails. Enterprise is a quote.
Free lists APIs, SMTP relay, webhooks, and an advanced email editor. Essential adds unlimited contacts, segmentation, and AI-assisted content creation, and Premium adds automations, landing pages, and a dedicated IP. Annual billing is offered with a 10% discount.
The page does not mention a free trial or a refund policy. It says unused email credits do not roll over, and that sending beyond your limit is billed per additional 1,000 emails at a rate not listed on the page.
5. Resend
Resend is an email API service. The page lists Free at $0 with 3,000 emails a month and a 100-per-day limit, Pro at $20 with 50,000 emails, and Scale at $90 with 100,000 emails. Enterprise is a quote.
Pro and Scale list no daily limit and an overage rate of $0.90 per 1,000 extra emails. Free lists 3 domains, Pro lists 10, and Scale lists 1,000. Dedicated IPs are an add-on at $30 a month for Scale customers sending more than 3,000 emails per day.
The page does not state a free trial or refund terms. It also shows an inconsistency on single sign-on between the plan cards and the comparison tables, so check the live page if you need it. Resend suits owners who have a developer on hand to connect the API.
What Each Option Costs Per Year
These totals are my own math from the listed monthly prices, for the entry paid plan. Mailgun Basic works out to $180 a year at $15 a month, and Postmark Basic to $180. Mailjet Starter works out to $108 a year at $9 a month, and Resend Pro to $240 at $20 a month.
Amazon SES at the a la carte rate costs $1 per 10,000 emails, so 10,000 emails a month works out to about $12 a year before attachment and other charges. Free plans from Mailgun, Postmark, Mailjet, and Resend are $0 within their limits. SendGrid is not calculated because its prices are not shown on the page I could read.
Which Tool Fits Which Store Owner
If you send very few emails, start with a free plan. Postmark Free lists 100 emails a month, Resend Free lists 3,000, and Mailjet Free lists 6,000 with a 200-per-day cap. Check the daily cap if you expect a busy day.
If you want the lowest per-email rate and can handle setup, look at Amazon SES. If you want an editor and sending in one plan, look at Mailjet. If you have a developer, look at Resend or Mailgun.
If you want a quiet, predictable bill at low volume, Postmark lists flat tiers with a set overage rate. Match the tool to your volume and your comfort with setup.
Features Worth Paying For
Log retention comes first. If a customer says they never got an order email, you need to check what happened. Mailgun lists 1 day of logs on Basic and 30 days on Scale, and Postmark lists 45 days by default.
Dedicated IPs come second. A dedicated IP gives you your own sending address, which matters once you send large volumes. Mailjet lists one on Premium, Resend lists it as an add-on, and Amazon SES lists several options.
Templates come third. A template builder lets you design order emails without code. Mailgun lists one on Foundation, and Mailjet lists an advanced editor on its Free plan.
Using Email Services for a High-Ticket Store
High-ticket buyers expect clear communication after they pay. An order confirmation, a shipping update, and a delivery notice build trust. Send each one from a name and address that match your store.
Keep the messages short and put the order number near the top. Add a reply address that a person checks. A buyer who spends thousands will want a way to reach you.
If you sell on a hosted platform, a store on Shopify can send its own order emails, so you may only need a sending service for custom messages. My guide to setting up transactional emails walks through the main messages.
Costs to Watch as You Grow
The first cost is overage. Mailgun lists $1.80 per 1,000 emails on Basic, Postmark lists $1.80 on Basic, and Resend lists $0.90 on Pro. If you grow past your plan, the overage rate sets your bill.
The second cost is add-ons. Amazon SES charges for attachment data and dedicated IPs, and Resend charges for extra domains and dedicated IPs. Read the add-on list before you assume the plan price is the full cost.
The third cost is setup time. A cheap service still costs money if you need a helper to connect it. Price a few hours of help into your first month.
Moving Away From SendGrid Safely
Set up the new service in parallel before you switch. Add your sending domain and the DNS records the service asks for. Send test emails to a few addresses and check that they arrive in the inbox.
Move one type of email first, such as order confirmations. Watch for bounces and complaints for a few days. If the results look good, move the rest.
Keep your SendGrid account active until you are sure the new one works. The pages I read do not show refund terms, so check them before you cancel or buy an annual plan.
When SendGrid Is Still the Right Pick
SendGrid still makes sense in many cases. If your store already sends through it and your emails reach the inbox, switching adds risk. The page offers both an Email API and Marketing Campaigns, which may suit owners who want both under one name.
If you plan to scale, a single provider can simplify billing. Check the live pricing page to see if it fits your volume.
Hiring Help to Set Up Email
Email setup is easy to hand off once you write down what you need. A virtual assistant from OnlineJobs.ph can add DNS records, send test emails, and keep a checklist of which messages go out. Give them a list of the emails your store should send.
For a custom template or an API connection, a freelancer on Fiverr can deliver a one-off job. A branded email address through Google Workspace gives your replies a professional look.
Common Mistakes With Email Services
The first mistake is sending from an unverified domain. Add the DNS records your service asks for before you send. The second mistake is ignoring the daily cap on free plans, which can block emails on a busy day.
The third mistake is setting up email before your business is formed. If you have not formed your company, read my guide to business formation for high-ticket dropshipping. To file an LLC quickly, Bizee is one option I recommend.
The fourth mistake is building a store for a niche you have not chosen. Pick one from my high-ticket niches list first. My guide to finding suppliers for high-ticket dropshipping covers the sourcing side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best SendGrid alternative?
It depends on your needs. Mailgun lists clear tiers, Postmark lists a free Developer plan and flat tiers, Amazon SES lists a low per-email rate, Mailjet includes an editor, and Resend is aimed at developers. Compare the limits you need before you decide.
How much does SendGrid cost?
The page I could read does not show plan prices. It lists a free trial with no credit card required but gives no trial length. Check the live pricing pages for the Email API and Marketing Campaigns.
Which SendGrid alternative has a free plan?
Mailgun lists 100 emails a day, Postmark lists 100 emails a month, Mailjet lists 6,000 a month with a 200-per-day cap, and Resend lists 3,000 a month with a 100-per-day cap. Amazon SES offers up to $200 in AWS credits to new customers.
Do I need a sending service for a small store?
Not always. Many store platforms send order emails on their own. A sending service helps when you want custom messages or more control over how emails are delivered.
Can I switch without losing emails?
Yes, if you set up the new service in parallel and test before you switch. Move one email type at a time and watch for bounces. Keep the old account active until you are sure the new one works.
Final Verdict on SendGrid Alternatives
Mailgun is the best pick for owners who want clear tiers and log retention, Postmark suits owners who want flat low-volume pricing, Amazon SES suits owners who want the lowest per-email rate and can handle setup, Mailjet suits owners who want an editor and sending together, and Resend suits owners with a developer. SendGrid is still worth a look if your store already uses it and the emails reach the inbox.
Start with the free plan that matches your volume, confirm any paid price on the vendor page, and send test emails before you switch. Then spend your attention on the store itself, because email only helps once orders come in.
Want a high-ticket store with the emails already set up? Let my team build it for you. Get your store built →
Prefer to learn the model yourself? Start with my free mini course, or go deeper in the masterclass and coaching. Free mini course → Masterclass → Coaching →
Related Articles
If you found this useful, these guides go deeper on related topics:
- SendGrid Review 2026: The Developer-Friendly Email Platform for Scaling E-Commerce Stores
- SMTP2GO Review 2026: Fix Your Email Deliverability for Ecommerce and WordPress
- How to Set Up Transactional Emails for Your E-Commerce Store: The Complete Guide to Order Confirmations, Shipping Notifications, and Beyond in 2026
- What Is DKIM, SPF, and DMARC? The E-Commerce Store Owner’s Plain English Guide to Email Authentication and Why It Matters for Your Inbox Placement in 2026
- Brevo Alternatives in 2026: 5 Email Platforms Compared by Price, Free Plan and Fit
Trevor Fenner is an ecommerce entrepreneur and world traveler from Seattle, Washington, and the founder of Ecommerce Paradise, a platform focused on helping entrepreneurs build and scale profitable high-ticket ecommerce and dropshipping businesses. With over a decade of hands-on experience, Trevor specializes in high-ticket dropshipping strategy, niche and product selection, supplier recruiting and onboarding, Google & Bing Shopping ads, ecommerce SEO, and systems-driven automation and scaling. Through Ecommerce Paradise, he provides free education via in-depth guides like How to Start High-Ticket Dropshipping, advanced training through the High-Ticket Dropshipping Masterclass, and fully done-for-you turnkey ecommerce services for entrepreneurs who want a faster, more hands-off path to growth. Trevor is known for emphasizing sustainable, real-world ecommerce models over hype-driven tactics, helping store owners build scalable, sellable, and location-independent brands.
He maintains homes in Seattle and Bali, spends most of the year overseas, and usually returns to Seattle for about a month each summer.
