From handling bulk emails to maintaining a solid sender reputation, email tools have to do more at a lower cost than before.
This article dives into SendGrid alternatives like no other.
We’re not here to throw a generic list at you. Instead, we’ll focus on how each alternative brings specific value compared to SendGrid – whether it’s reliable email delivery, marketing automation, or easily creating marketing and transactional emails.
Scroll down and explore options designed for the challenges ahead.
What is SendGrid, and why look beyond this email marketing service?
But first, let’s make sure we all are on the same page and define what SendGrid is and what it can do.
SendGrid by Twilio is an email service provider that helps businesses send different types of emails, including marketing and transactional.
It’s been a go-to for small businesses and major players alike, with two main products – Email API and Email Marketing Campaigns – and features like:
- SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) service,
- email validation,
- deliverability options,
- email automation,
- email testing,
- and dynamic drag-and-drop email templates.
From transactional email sending for password resets to large-scale promotional emails, SendGrid covers the basics of email delivery.
But as you might guess, SendGrid doesn’t fit everyone.
You might find them lacking if you need advanced deliverability tools, better customer support, top-notch security, or simply more functions (like data enrichment).
Let’s see the case in more detail.
The limitations of SendGrid: what’s missing in 2024/2025?
Some users consider this email delivery platform too complex, while others think it is too basic for advanced email marketing needs.
After going through a few more reviews, the gaps become even more apparent:
Pricing tiers
SendGrid’s pricing can be a little confusing: you can use the tool for free or even $15/mo (in Marketing Campaigns Plans), but the packages don’t offer much. The free plans cover only basic email sending.
Thus, it would be best to upgrade to enjoy more benefits, which can seem steep, especially for small business owners. That’s one of the reasons why people view this system as pricey.
But yes, you can still start for free.
Customer support
Need quick help? SendGrid’s customer support, including knowledge center, FAQ, and AI chat support, often leaves users wanting more.
Timely responses can make or break your campaign when dealing with deliverability issues or spam complaints. Therefore, be sure you know the level of support in the chosen tool.
Reporting
According to Ahmed A., SendGrid doesn’t provide enough depth in its reports and analytics, making it harder for businesses to get actionable insights.
For teams juggling marketing and transactional messages or bulk emails, this lack of in-depth analytics can be a major red flag.
Setup
SendGrid’s usability as a transactional email service provider is often overshadowed by its challenging setup process.
Setting up essential features like an SMTP server, drag-and-drop email templates, or integrating with existing tools such as customer relationship management systems can feel unnecessarily complex.
A common frustration is the need for clear guides, instructional videos, and troubleshooting resources. This creates hurdles for users who prefer solving issues independently, especially those managing email campaigns without a dedicated support team.
Integrations
Many companies need to connect with different systems. For example, for ecommerce marketing, professionals often want to merge with detailed analytics, get automated workflows, and add customer relationship management tools.
However, SendGrid’s capabilities either don’t offer popular integrations or can’t keep up with growing demands.
So, while existing Mailchimp users may appreciate SendGrid’s compatibility with Mailchimp transactional tools, others may find the overall experience less user-friendly.
Occasional issues
While SendGrid delivers, it doesn’t excel at offering top-notch results. There are occasional issues with contact list, emails per location, and even dedicated IP addresses.
Fer D. said “SendGrid is only really good if you get a dedicated IP, which is absent for the cheaper tiers.” So, again, you need to invest more money to get the best results.
The above are key features marketers need to, for example, send marketing emails effectively, maintain sender reputation, and get high inbox placement rates.
Now, the question is: Do you want to struggle with SendGrid or maybe search for another dedicated email service?
Match your choices to marketing strategies
What if you want to find a new tool but don’t know which criteria to consider?
Well, finding the right email delivery service isn’t just about advanced features but about matching the tool to your goals.
And as time goes by, you will see that the right fit can make all the difference.
- For businesses sending bulk emails, scalability, and reliable email delivery are essential.
- Transactional messages like password resets or order confirmations need a service that prioritizes speed and precision.
- If you’re focused on visually stunning email campaigns, platforms with robust drag-and-drop editors and customizable email templates are indispensable.
- On the other hand, ecommerce businesses, in particular, need tools that integrate seamlessly with existing systems and provide in-depth analytics to optimize different emails.
Above that, remember about user-friendly interfaces.
Ultimately, your strategy dictates the best tool because you focus on outcomes rather than features.
Alternatives: 6 tools built for the future
Okay, but let’s finally get to the point and explore the list of top 8 SendGrid alternatives.
These tools have a lot in common but are nevertheless different from each other in many ways.
Bouncer
For those seeking more innovative ways to manage their email marketing, Bouncer stands out. It specializes in email verification, supports sending different types of messages (including transactional emails,) and offers powerful API services.
But there’s a lot of more.
Bouncer’s products also include a toxicity check to identify risky email behavior, a deliverability kit for insights on inbox placement, data enrichment for deeper insights, and a Bouncer shield, a protective layer to safeguard sender reputation.
It also provides free tools like a free email checker and free list sampling, making it an attractive choice for businesses of all sizes.
Thanks to such features, Bouncer can:
- eliminate invalid email addresses,
- ensure clean lists,
- improve sender reputation,
- reduces the risk of spam complaints,
- provide real-time feedback on email validity,
- integrate with major email clients.
We will also mention Bouncer’s premium support, available to all users via email, form, or video meetings.
Best fit scenario: Bouncer is ideal for businesses that need to clean email lists, reduce spam complaints, and improve deliverability.
Unique value: Unlike SendGrid, Bouncer provides more advanced features and additional options, so you can manage comprehensive email campaigns under one roof. It also provides premium support and a huge amount of integrations.
Challenges: While it can support transactional emails by ensuring they reach their intended recipients without issues, Bouncer is not specifically a transactional email service itself.
But is this a challenge? We don’t think so. You just get more benefits from using this software.
Free trial/tools: Yes/yes.
Postmark
Postmark, from ActiveCampaign, is known for its email delivery service, which is focused on speed and reliability. It’s built to handle transactional emails like password resets and notifications with precision.
Its standout feature, Message Streams, keeps promotional and transactional emails separate. This protects the deliverability of critical messages while routing newsletters through a parallel system.
Postmark’s features include an email API, SMTP service, inbound email handling, and webhooks for seamless integration. It also offers built-in analytics and email templates to simplify your workflow.
Best fit scenario: Postmark is an interesting choice for companies focused on transactional emails where speed, security, and inbox placement are critical.
Unique value: It provides a more extended message event history, allowing users to access 45 days of message events compared to SendGrid’s 3 days.
Challenges: Postmark lately changed its focus: it’s no longer only for transactional emails. Thus, the platform needs to establish a position for other marketing services.
Free trial: Yes.
Brevo
Brevo, formerly known as Sendinblue, is an all-in-one marketing platform offering email marketing, SMS campaigns, and marketing automation. It supports transactional emails via SMTP relay.
This SendGrid alternative provides a user-friendly interface with a drag-and-drop editor. It includes different platforms: for marketing, conversations, sales, and customer data.
The tool can be used by users without technical expertise. And if any problems occur, one can contact the company via chat, universal inbox, or phone support.
Best fit scenario: Brevo is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses seeking an affordable, comprehensive marketing solution that combines email marketing, SMS, and CRM capabilities.
Unique value: Unlike SendGrid, Brevo offers users access to different platforms to manage campaigns better. Thus, it appears to be a hub with a wider range of services.
Challenges: Brevo still lacks advanced reporting features that larger enterprises require.
Free trial: Yes.
PS. Bouncer integrates with Brevo.
MailerSend
The next email delivery service is MailerSend. It focuses on transactional emails like invoices, password resets, and delivery updates. It also offers integration with APIs, SMTP relay, and SDKs for quick setup.
With custom template options, users can choose pre-built designs or create their own using advanced email builders. MailerSend allows managing multiple domains within one account, making it suitable for businesses handling different brands or products.
The platform scales effortlessly and allows users to send a few emails or millions consistently.
Best fit scenario: MailerSend is good for businesses managing high-volume transactional emails and those needing scalable email solutions.
Unique value: Unlike SendGrid, MailerSend delivers reliable support, available 24/7. A 99.5% uptime guarantee backs the technical assistance.
Challenges: MailerSend is considered an expensive tool with frequent problems with deliverability rates.
Free account: Yes.
Campaign Monitor
Campaign Monitor is an email marketing service known for its simplicity and user-friendly design tools. Automation features allow users to create customer journeys, send event promotions, and manage loyalty programs – all with an intuitive visual designer.
The system offers customizable drag-and-drop email templates to fit your brand and mobile optimization to ensure emails look great on any device. For your templates, you can lock specific sections and let the others edit only some parts.
This way, you will manage brand consistency and control the creation process.
The platform also provides real-time campaign analytics through interactive dashboards.
Best fit scenario: Campaign Monitor is popular for businesses focused on visually engaging marketing campaigns and loyalty programs.
Unique value: Campaign Monitor has quite an advanced dashboard which shows all essential email performance data and subscriber activity.
Challenges: The system lacks depth in transactional email capabilities. It may be less suitable for businesses that prioritize such emails.
Free trial: Yes.
Mailjet
Mailjet combines email marketing and automation with ease of use and team collaboration. This platform boasts personalization options, A/B testing for up to 10 versions, segmentation features, an AI copy generator, and contact management.
The platform supports automation for tasks like welcome emails and onboarding and data-driven decisions, thanks to Mailjet’s Statistics Dashboard.
There are also third-party integrations – from CRM and CMS to marketing and e-commerce platforms, as well as deliverability tools like email validations, which are promised to avoid spam folders.
Best fit scenario: Mailjet suits businesses needing collaborative email creation and automation for campaigns, newsletters, or onboarding.
Unique value: Unlike SendGrid, Mailjet gives a deeper insight into customers with their Click Maps feature and Campaign Comparison tool.
Challenges: Although this tool automates a lot, it still requires a lot of manual work, such as contact properties updates.
Free trial: Yes.
Side-by-side comparison table
Now, let’s see all email marketing tools in one place.
| Tool | Best Fit Scenario | Unique Value | Challenges | Free Tools/Trial |
| Bouncer | Businesses of all sizes focused on strong API, advanced email marketing options, and robust security | Advanced verification, integrations, premium support | Not specifically a transactional email service | Free tools: Yes |
| Postmark | Companies prioritizing transactional email speed | 45-day message event history | Internal tool updates, caution required with efficiency | Free trial: Yes |
| Brevo | Small to medium-sized businesses seeking a marketing hub | Access to multiple platforms in one tool | Limited advanced reporting features | Free account: Yes |
| MailerSend | Businesses handling high-volume transactional emails | 24/7 technical support with 99.5% uptime guarantee | Expensive, issues with deliverability rates | Free account: Yes |
| Campaign Monitor | Businesses focused on visually engaging campaigns | Advanced dashboard with email and subscriber analytics | Lacks depth in transactional email capabilities | Free trial: Yes |
| Mailjet | Teams collaborating on email creation and automation | Click Maps and Campaign Comparison for customer insights | Manual updates for contact properties | Free account: Yes |
These tools are all so different and that’s the beauty of this list.
You’re not looking at cookie-cutter options that do the same thing. Instead, you’ve got a lineup that caters to various needs, industries, and goals.
Yet these platforms have something in common: they all emphasize adaptability. Whether you are a small startup or a large enterprise, these tools evolve with you.
What makes these alternatives ready for 2025?
The email landscape isn’t the same as a few years ago. Customers expect smarter tools that don’t just send emails but make the whole process effective, secure, and work without their help.
So, yes, automation is the big one. These alternatives remove the need to send and manage campaigns to varying degrees manually. With them, you can also create dynamic content tailored for individual recipients with simple clicks.
Next is personalization. Different options allow you to adjust your messages to specific segments or individuals. Imagine sending a single campaign where every email feels like it was custom-written. That’s the level we’re talking about.
Another big reason why these alternatives will be productive in 2025? Integrations.
Companies use so many tools, from CRM to e-commerce platforms. From several to dozens. From basic to advanced. These alternatives ensure that email marketing is a collaborative task. You can connect many areas and feel like you are managing from a central hub.
And let’s not forget analytics. Advanced analytics are a must, giving you real-time insights to tweak campaigns on the fly. Dashboard stats, tracking, monitoring – these features aren’t just “nice to have” anymore.
Then, there’s security compliance.
It sounds a bit dry, but let’s be real – it still matters. As regulations tighten and inbox providers get stricter, tools like Bouncer focus on deliverability and protecting sender reputations.
These tools are built to adapt. They aren’t stuck in the past, relying on outdated methods.
They’re listening to what businesses need now and preparing for what they’ll need tomorrow.
Manage your marketing and transactional emails with Bouncer
As you’ve seen, the world of email marketing and transactional emails has evolved, and so have the expectations.
Businesses demand high deliverability rates, advanced analytics, personalized experiences, and robust email verification to keep campaigns effective.
While SendGrid ticks some of these boxes, the tools we’ve explored offer more tailored solutions. From AI options, personalization, and deeper integrations to the best possible support, these alternatives stand out – and still will in 2025.
We’ve included a variety of platforms in our list of SendGrid alternatives, and you’re sure to find something for you there. Yes, even if you are looking to clean up your email lists, craft stunning campaigns, or ensure your messages always reach the inbox.
What can you do before 2025 starts?
Explore these tools through free trials, demos, accounts, or products to find your perfect match.
And if you need help with anything, ask the Bouncer crew, who is always ready to help you.
a Breslavia, 🇵🇱. Ospitato in 🇪🇺.
