Alternatives · Email Sending
Knock alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the best Knock alternative for most people is Resend (2.6 GPA), first in our ranking of email sending services. It's also the best free one.
Knock compared with 5 alternatives: Courier, Novu, Twilio SendGrid, Postmark and Resend.
Knock has a free plan. Paid plans start at $250 per month, plus usage beyond 50,000 messages. 4 of the 5 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 Knock sale?
At a glance
Price against what you get
Knock starts at $250 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. 3 of the 4 alternatives on this chart score higher and start lower: Twilio SendGrid, Postmark and Resend.
Novu starts lower without scoring higher.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
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
How each one differs from Knock
Courier
Notification and messaging API across email, SMS, push and chat
- Courier also covers chatbots.
Suits: Product teams sending notifications over several channels
Novu
Open-source notification infrastructure for apps and agents
- Novu starts at $30 per month for 30,000 workflow runs.
- Novu is open source, according to its own site.
Suits: Developers adding an in-app inbox plus email and push to a product
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 has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike Knock.
- Twilio SendGrid also covers email verification.
- Twilio SendGrid does not cover workflow automation, which Knock does.
Suits: Developers adding transactional email to an app
Postmark
Transactional email API and SMTP, with broadcasts on a separate stream
- Postmark starts at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- Postmark does not cover workflow automation, which Knock does.
Suits: Software teams whose password resets and receipts must arrive fast
Resend
Developer email API with React Email templates and a free tier
- Resend starts at $20 per month for 50,000 emails, billed monthly.
- Resend also covers email campaigns.
- Resend does not cover workflow automation, which Knock does.
Suits: Developers building with Node.js, Next.js or React
Limits worth knowing in Knock
- Knock is an orchestration layer, so email delivery goes through a provider you connect; it is not a standalone sending service.
- The jump from Free to Starter is $250 a month, with messages beyond 50,000 billed at $0.005 each.
- Removing Knock branding, email client previews and priority email support need Starter or higher.
- Custom roles, SAML SSO, SCIM, translations and the HIPAA BAA are listed on Enterprise only.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Knock?
The alternatives to Knock in this directory are Courier, Novu, Twilio SendGrid, Postmark and Resend. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Knock.
Is there a free alternative to Knock?
Yes. Courier, Novu, Postmark and Resend have a free plan alongside paid ones.
Is there an open-source alternative to Knock?
Novu is described as open source on its own site.
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.