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Alternatives · Email Sending

EmailEngine alternatives

As of Nov 13, 2026, the highest-graded EmailEngine alternative is Forward Email (2.8 GPA). It's also the best free one.

EmailEngine compared with 6 alternatives: Nodemailer, Forward Email, Mailgun, Postmark, Twilio SendGrid and 1 more.

EmailEngine is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $199 per month, or $1,450 per year (€169 or €1,200). 5 of the 6 alternatives are free or have a free plan. One more offers a free trial.

Listings checked up to Nov 13, 2026 · Where the facts come from

Black Friday: is there a EmailEngine sale?

At a glance

ToolPriceFree planRuns on
EmailEngineThis toolFree trial · from $199/moTrial onlyWeb
NodemailerFreeFreeWeb
Forward EmailFree plan · from $3/moYesWeb, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
MailgunFree plan · from $15/moYesWeb
PostmarkFree plan · from $15/moYesWeb
Twilio SendGridFree trial · from $19.95/moTrial onlyWeb
Smtp.devFree plan · from $7/moYesWeb

Price against what you get

EmailEngine starts at $120.83 a month when paid by the year and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 5 of the 6 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Forward Email, Mailgun, Postmark, Twilio SendGrid and Smtp.dev.

Nodemailer starts lower without scoring higher.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

D1.0C2.0B3.0A4.0Free$1$2$5$10$20$50$100$200$500$1kMore for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessEmailEngineNodemailerForward EmailMailgunPostmarkTwilio SendGridSmtp.dev

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
The full chart of email sending services, and the best at every price

How each one differs from EmailEngine

  1. Nodemailer

    Free Node.js library for sending email over SMTP and other transports

    • Nodemailer is free.
    • Nodemailer has a free plan, which EmailEngine lacks.
    • Nodemailer is open source, according to its own site.

    Suits: Node.js developers who send email through an SMTP server they already have

    Nodemailer vs EmailEngineNodemailer pricing and details

  2. Forward Email

    Open-source email forwarding and hosting for custom domains

    • Forward Email starts at $3 per month for unlimited domains.
    • Forward Email has a free plan, which EmailEngine lacks.
    • Forward Email also lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
    • Forward Email is open source, according to its own site.
    • Forward Email does not cover transactional email, which EmailEngine does.

    Suits: People who want email on their own domain without paying per mailbox

    Forward Email vs EmailEngineForward Email pricing and details

  3. Mailgun

    Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation

    • Mailgun starts at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
    • Mailgun has a free plan, which EmailEngine lacks.
    • Mailgun also covers email verification.

    Suits: Developers sending and receiving email from an app

    Mailgun vs EmailEngineMailgun pricing and details

  4. Postmark

    Transactional email API and SMTP, with broadcasts on a separate stream

    • Postmark starts at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
    • Postmark has a free plan, which EmailEngine lacks.
    • Postmark also covers dMARC.

    Suits: Software teams whose password resets and receipts must arrive fast

    Postmark vs EmailEnginePostmark pricing and details

  5. Twilio SendGrid

    Twilio's email API and SMTP service, priced by monthly email volume

    • Twilio SendGrid starts at $19.95 per month for 50,000 emails.
    • Twilio SendGrid also covers email verification.

    Suits: Developers adding transactional email to an app

    Twilio SendGrid vs EmailEngineTwilio SendGrid pricing and details

  6. Smtp.dev

    Email testing sandbox with SMTP, IMAP and a REST API

    • Smtp.dev starts at $7 per month for Pro.
    • Smtp.dev has a free plan, which EmailEngine lacks.
    • Smtp.dev also covers dMARC.
    • Smtp.dev does not cover transactional email, which EmailEngine does.

    Suits: Developers testing signup, password-reset and notification emails

    Smtp.dev vs EmailEngineSmtp.dev pricing and details

Limits worth knowing in EmailEngine

  • It is source available rather than open source: running it beyond the trial requires a subscription.
  • You host it yourself and it needs a Redis database that must persist data.
  • The flat price is $1,450 a year ($199 a month) whatever the mailbox count, so it suits larger use more than a few mailboxes.
  • Prices exclude VAT, and the vendor lists the product's platforms as Linux, macOS, Windows and Docker with no hosted version.
EmailEngine pricing and details

Common questions

What are the alternatives to EmailEngine?

The alternatives to EmailEngine in this directory are Nodemailer, Forward Email, Mailgun, Postmark, Twilio SendGrid and Smtp.dev. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with EmailEngine.

Is there a free alternative to EmailEngine?

Yes. Nodemailer is free to use. Forward Email, Mailgun, Postmark and Smtp.dev have a free plan alongside paid ones.

Which EmailEngine alternatives work on Windows?

The EmailEngine listing does not include a Windows app. Forward Email lists one.

Which EmailEngine alternatives work on macOS?

The EmailEngine listing does not include a macOS app. Forward Email lists one.

Is there an open-source alternative to EmailEngine?

Nodemailer and Forward Email are described as open source on their own sites.

When were these prices checked?

Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 18, 2026 to Nov 13, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.