Alternatives · Email Sending
MailChannels alternatives
As of Nov 13, 2026, the best MailChannels alternative for most people is Amazon SES (2.8 GPA), second in our ranking of email sending services. The best free one is Mailgun (2.4 GPA).
MailChannels compared with 5 alternatives: Twilio SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, Postmark and SMTP2GO.
MailChannels has a free plan. Paid plans start at $10 per month for 10,000 emails, billed monthly. 3 of the 5 alternatives are free or have a free plan. 2 more offer a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a MailChannels sale?
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| MailChannelsThis tool | Free plan · from $10/mo | Yes | Web |
| Twilio SendGrid | Free trial · from $19.95/mo | Trial only | Web |
| Mailgun | Free plan · from $15/mo | Yes | Web |
| Amazon SES | Free trial | Trial only | Web |
| Postmark | Free plan · from $15/mo | Yes | Web |
| SMTP2GO | Free plan · from $15/mo | Yes | Web |
Price against what you get
MailChannels starts at $10 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 4 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.
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 MailChannels
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 MailChannels.
- Twilio SendGrid also covers email verification.
Suits: Developers adding transactional email to an app
Mailgun
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation
- Mailgun starts at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
- Mailgun also covers email verification.
Suits: Developers sending and receiving email from an app
Amazon SES
AWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails
- Amazon SES has no free plan, only a free trial, unlike MailChannels.
- Amazon SES also covers email verification.
Suits: Developers already running their apps on AWS
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.
Suits: Software teams whose password resets and receipts must arrive fast
SMTP2GO
SMTP relay and email API priced by emails a month, with a free plan
- SMTP2GO starts at $15 per month for 10,000 emails, billed monthly.
Suits: Small businesses sending app or website email at low volume
Limits worth knowing in MailChannels
- The free plan has no overages and stops at 100 emails a day.
- The page says there is no tier between the free plan and the 10,000-email paid plan.
- Email support is listed only for plans of 300,000 emails a month and up; lower plans list community support.
- Outbound Filtering for hosting providers is a separate product, from $99.99 a month for 40,000 emails.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to MailChannels?
The alternatives to MailChannels in this directory are Twilio SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, Postmark and SMTP2GO. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with MailChannels.
Is there a free alternative to MailChannels?
Yes. Mailgun, Postmark and SMTP2GO have a free plan alongside paid ones.
When were these prices checked?
Each listing shows its own date. On this page they run from Oct 18, 2026 to Nov 12, 2026. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.