MailerSend vs Twilio SendGrid
We give MailerSend a 2.4 GPA and Twilio SendGrid a 2.6, out of 4.0. Twilio SendGrid grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
MailerSend
Transactional email and SMS API from the team behind MailerLite
Twilio SendGrid
Twilio's email API and SMTP service, priced by monthly email volume
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAMailerSendFair | 2.6GPATwilio SendGridGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded on 50,000 emails a month: Starter is $31.50 at that volume paid yearly, or $35 monthly, a bit above this category's middle. It includes 10 domains and 100 SMS. Dedicated IPs are for Enterprise only. | BGraded on 50,000 emails a month: Essentials is $19.95 for exactly that, in the cheaper quarter of this category at that volume. It's thin for the money, with 1 teammate and 3 days of activity, and Pro at $89.95 is where dedicated IPs and SSO start. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free plan for good: 500 emails a month, 1 domain, 1 template and 1 day of activity data. It asks for a card even though nothing is charged. There's also a 14-day trial of Professional. | CNo lasting free plan, but a 60-day trial with no card: 100 emails a day, enough to wire it into your app and test. After that you're paying. |
| Features | BAPI and SMTP with SDKs and an MCP server, drag-and-drop and HTML templates, inbound routing, webhooks, email verification, DMARC and blocklist monitoring, plus SMS and WhatsApp. It covers the whole job; dedicated IPs are Enterprise only. | BAPI and SMTP, event webhooks, an inbound parse webhook, dynamic templates, domain authentication, address validation and EU data residency. That covers the whole job. Testing credits, subusers and dedicated IPs wait for Pro. |
| Ease of use | CJudged on how fast a developer sends a first email: SDKs from Node.js to Laravel and an SMTP relay, once a domain is verified. No rating on record. The card asked for at sign-up slows down a quick test. | CJudged on how fast a developer sends a first email: client libraries, interactive API docs and a setup guide on every plan, but you'll authenticate a domain before mail goes out properly. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an API, SMTP and an MCP server, plus Zapier, Make, WordPress, WooCommerce, Supabase, Firebase, Laravel and Slack. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. | BWeb, with a REST API, client libraries, SMTP and webhooks, so anything that speaks SMTP can use it. The listing names no ready-made integrations, and there's no desktop or phone app, so B is the top. |
| Best for | app email plus texts, from the MailerLite team | app email for teams already on Twilio |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: MailerSend and Twilio SendGrid. How we grade
Price against what you get
MailerSend starts at $6.30 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Twilio SendGrid starts at $19.95 a month and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and MailerSend starts $13.65 a month lower. Of the other email sending services on the chart, none scores higher than MailerSend for less, and none scores higher than Twilio SendGrid for less.
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
Where they differ
- MailerSend starts at $6.30 per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually ($7 billed monthly). Twilio SendGrid starts at $19.95 per month for 50,000 emails.
- MailerSend has a free plan. Twilio SendGrid does not, though it has a free trial.
- MailerSend also covers business texting, whatsApp messaging and dMARC.
At a glance
| MailerSend | Twilio SendGrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $6.30 per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually ($7 billed monthly) | $19.95 per month for 50,000 emails |
| Free plan | 500 emails a month, 1 domain, 1 template, 1 user, 1 webhook and 100 API requests a day. A credit card is needed to subscribe, though nothing is charged. | None |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of the Professional plan, with no automatic subscription after | 60-day free trial with 100 emails a day, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | MailerSend | Twilio Inc. |
| Price read from | mailersend.com | twilio.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
MailerSend
- Software and online stores sending receipts and notifications
- Teams that want transactional email and text messages in one tool
- Existing MailerLite customers adding app email
Twilio SendGrid
- Developers adding transactional email to an app
- Teams that also use Twilio for text messages or voice
- Growing senders who will need dedicated IPs and subusers
Worth knowing
MailerSend
- The free plan sends only 500 emails a month and asks for a credit card to subscribe.
- SMS sending and phone numbers are available in the US and Canada only.
- Dedicated IPs are only for Enterprise accounts sending more than 100,000 emails a week.
- The yearly discount cannot be combined with the 30% nonprofit discount.
Twilio SendGrid
- There is no lasting free plan: the free trial ends after 60 days and allows 100 emails a day.
- Essentials has a single teammate and keeps 3 days of email activity; dedicated IPs, subusers and SSO need Pro at $89.95 a month.
- Sending past the plan's volume can add overage charges, which the pricing page does not list.
- Email campaigns are a separate product, Marketing Campaigns, from $15 a month for 5,000 contacts and 15,000 emails.
Key features
MailerSend
- Email API and SMTP relay
- Send through a REST API with SDKs for Node.js, Python, Java, PHP, Go, Ruby and Laravel, or through SMTP, plus an MCP server for AI tools.
- Template builders
- Drag-and-drop, HTML and rich-text editors with dynamic templates, translations and split testing.
- Inbound email routing
- Receive emails and route their content to your app or a webhook, so replies and incoming messages can trigger actions.
- SMS and WhatsApp
- Starter and Professional include an SMS allowance for the US and Canada, with phone numbers at $2 each a month; WhatsApp is an add-on on paid plans.
- Deliverability monitoring
- DMARC monitoring for 10 domains on Professional (a 30-day trial on 1 domain for Starter), blocklist monitors, suppression lists and activity logs.
- Email verification
- Check addresses in bulk or in real time through the validation API, bought as credits on any plan.
Twilio SendGrid
- Email API and SMTP relay
- Send through a REST API with client libraries or through SMTP, with interactive API docs and a setup guide on every plan.
- Deliverability tools
- SPF and DKIM domain authentication, link branding, reverse DNS and suppression management on every plan; Pro adds dedicated IPs, IP pools and automated IP warm-up.
- Webhooks and analytics
- Event webhooks report deliveries, opens, bounces and blocks, and an inbound parse webhook turns received email into data your app can read.
- Email address validation
- A validation API checks addresses before you send; Pro includes 2,500 free validations and Premier 5,000.
- Dynamic templates and testing
- A template editor on every plan, and from Pro, 60 email testing credits a month for previews before sending.
- Security and compliance
- Two-factor sign-in, TLS encryption, IP access management, SOC 2 Type II and an EU data residency option, with single sign-on from Pro.
Plans
MailerSend
Free$0
500 emails a month, email API and SMTP relay, drag-and-drop builder, 1 domain, 1 day of activity data.
Hobby$6.30
per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)
5 seats, 1 domain, 10 templates, bulk emailing and user roles. Extra emails $1.50 per 1,000.
Starter$31.50
per month for 50,000 emails, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)
10 domains, 250 templates, 100 SMS, no MailerSend logo, 7 days of activity data. Extra emails $1.30 per 1,000; $68 a month at 100,000 emails.
Professional$99
per month for 50,000 emails, billed annually ($110 billed monthly)
Unlimited users, domains and templates, 150 SMS, 30 days of activity data, an account manager and deliverability advice. Extra emails $1.30 per 1,000.
EnterpriseCustom
For special requirements, including dedicated IPs for senders of more than 100,000 emails a week.
Twilio SendGrid
Essentials$19.95
per month for 50,000 emails
SMTP and API sending, analytics, 1 teammate, 2 event webhooks and 3 days of email activity. $34.95 a month at 100,000 emails.
Pro$89.95
per month for 100,000 emails
1 dedicated IP, subusers, SSO, 1,000 teammates, 2,500 email validations, testing credits and 7 days of activity. $249 a month at 300,000 emails.
PremierCustom
Custom volume, 5,000 email validations and expert email program management, sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
MailerSend
- Annual discount
Save 10% by paying yearly
Yearly billing takes 10% off: Starter at 50,000 emails is $31.50 a month ($378 a year) instead of $35, and Professional $99 instead of $110.
- Nonprofit
30% off for nonprofits
Nonprofits get 30% off paid plans after starting a free trial and sending proof of status to support; it does not stack with yearly pricing.
Twilio SendGrid
No public discounts listed.
