MailerSend vs SendLayer (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, MailerSend and SendLayer share a 2.4 GPA, and only MailerSend has a free plan.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
MailerSend grades higher on the free plan and features. SendLayer grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on 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
SendLayer
Transactional email over SMTP or API, aimed at WordPress sites
Which one is for you
Pick MailerSend if
- Fits if your store or app sends receipts and text alerts in the US or Canada
- Works for teams already on MailerLite for newsletters who want app email from the same company
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan without handing over a card
- Tight if you're on Free, with 500 emails a month, 1 template and 1 day of activity data
- Not for you if you need a dedicated IP below 100,000 emails a week, as they're Enterprise only
- Tight if you text customers outside the US and Canada, where SMS isn't offered
- Watch out: the 30% nonprofit discount can't be combined with the yearly discount
Pick SendLayer if
- Fits if you run a WordPress or WooCommerce site and send order mail
- Works for small senders under 10,000 emails a month
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free plan, as there is only a 200-email trial
- Tight if you want to pay monthly, since every plan is billed annually
- Watch out: your plan is upgraded automatically when you reach its monthly email limit
- Not for you if you send marketing campaigns, because it is a transactional service
- Tight if you need long logs, as Starter keeps 3 days
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAMailerSendFair | 2.4GPASendLayerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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, and the yearly and nonprofit discounts don't combine. | A$5 a month billed annually for 1,000 emails, under the $6 that is 60% of the category's cheaper quarter. The volume is small and the year is paid up front. |
| 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. | DA trial of up to 200 emails and no permanent free plan; the page does not say whether a card is needed. |
| 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 job; dedicated IPs are Enterprise only, and Starter's DMARC is a 30-day trial. | CSMTP and an API, email logs, open and click tracking, suppression and domain authentication, but the listing shows no inbound mail or IP pools and logs last 3 to 30 days. |
| 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. | CNo store rating on record. You verify a sending domain with DNS records and wire up SMTP credentials or an API key before the first email goes out. |
| 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. | BA web dashboard and an API; the listing names WordPress and WooCommerce. |
| Best for | app email plus texts, from the MailerLite team | transactional email for WordPress sites |
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 SendLayer. 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. SendLayer starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3.
MailerSend scores higher, and starts $1.30 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other email sending services on the chart, none scores higher than MailerSend for less, and 1 scores higher than SendLayer 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 also covers business texting, whatsApp messaging, email verification and dMARC.
At a glance
| MailerSend | SendLayer | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $6.30 per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually ($7 billed monthly) | $5 per month for 1,000 emails, billed annually |
| 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 | Free trial of up to 200 emails |
| Web | ||
| Made by | MailerSend | SendLayer, LLC |
| Price read from | mailersend.com | sendlayer.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
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.
SendLayer
- All plans are billed annually; the pricing page shows no monthly-billing option.
- It has no permanent free plan, only a trial of up to 200 emails.
- Per its FAQ, a plan is upgraded automatically if you reach its monthly email limit.
- It is a transactional email service, not a tool for marketing campaigns.
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.
SendLayer
- SMTP relay and API
- Every plan can send through an SMTP relay, set up by copying credentials, or through an email API.
- Email logs
- Logs trace each message to its destination. Retention runs from 3 days on Starter to 30 days on Growth and Scale.
- Open and click tracking
- Engagement can be checked per message and filtered by status or recipient, with an analytics view on every plan.
- Suppression and bounce handling
- Suppression, bounce and blocklist management are listed on every plan, along with event-based webhooks.
- Domain authentication
- DKIM, SPF and DMARC authentication are listed on every plan, with a limit on sender domains per plan.
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.
SendLayer
Starter$5
per month for 1,000 emails, billed annually
1 sender domain, 3 days of log retention and standard support.
Business$15
per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually
3 sender domains, 15 days of log retention and premium support.
Growth$25
per month for 10,000 emails, billed annually
5 sender domains, 30 days of log retention and premium support.
ScaleCustom
20,000+ emails a month, 20 sender domains, 30 days of logs and VIP support. Quote on request.
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.
SendLayer
- Other savings
14-day money-back guarantee
The pricing page says that within 14 days of starting, you can ask for a full refund if SendLayer is not a fit.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, MailerSend or SendLayer?
As of Nov 12, 2026, SendLayer is cheaper to start with: $5 a month, against $6.30 a month for MailerSend. MailerSend starts at $6.30 per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually ($7 billed monthly), and SendLayer starts at $5 per month for 1,000 emails, billed annually.
Which has a free plan, MailerSend or SendLayer?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only MailerSend has a free plan. SendLayer does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.