MailPace vs useSend (2026): which should you pick?

Pick MailPace if

• Fits if you want your mail handled in the EU with no open tracking
• Works for Rails, Laravel or Node apps that want one flat plan

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you need a dedicated IP, as there is no such tier
• Watch out: received emails count toward the monthly volume along with sent ones
• Tight if you want a free plan, because 100 emails a month is given only on request
• Watch out: email content is kept for 30 days unless you ask for longer
• Not for you if you want open and click tracking, which it leaves out

Pick useSend if

• Fits if you want open-source software you can host on your own AWS account
• Works for developers who already use Amazon SES

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you don't want to set up Amazon SES, as sending runs on it
• Tight if you send marketing mail on the cloud plan, since the $10 covers 25,000 transactional or 10,000 marketing emails, not both
• Watch out: self-hosting means you run the server and pay AWS directly
• Watch out: past the allowance the cloud charges $0.40 per 1,000 transactional and $1 per 1,000 marketing emails
• Watch out: prices are on the home page, as the site has no separate pricing page

MailPace

• There is one paid plan, so there is no tier with a dedicated IP address.
• Received emails count toward the monthly volume, as well as sent ones.
• The free plan of up to 100 emails a month is not advertised; the pricing page says to email the company.
• Email content is kept for 30 days, and a longer period has to be requested.

useSend

• Sending runs on Amazon SES, so SES account setup and limits apply, including on a self-hosted copy.
• The cloud plan includes either 25,000 transactional or 10,000 marketing emails, not both.
• The pricing is on the homepage; the site has no separate pricing page.
• The company says it is bootstrapped and funded by the cloud offering and sponsors.

MailPace

HTTP API and SMTP server

Mail can be sent through a JSON HTTPS API or an SMTP server, with client libraries listed for Rails, Laravel, Node.js, Python, Go and more.

Inbound email

Incoming mail is received over SMTP and converted into HTTP webhooks that an application can process.

Idempotent requests

A request can carry an idempotency ID, so a retry does not send the same message twice.

No open or click tracking

MailPace says it never tracks email opens or clicks. It reports delivery acceptance rates instead.

Bounce and blocklist handling

Bounces are tracked automatically and bounced addresses are kept on a blocklist, with anti-spam checks on outgoing mail.

useSend

API and SDKs

Typed SDKs are shown for TypeScript, Python, Go and PHP, over a plain HTTP API.

SMTP relay

A drop-in SMTP relay works with any app or framework; the site mentions Supabase as a use.

Analytics

A searchable log tracks deliveries, opens, clicks, bounces and unsubscribes, filterable by domain, status and API key, and exportable.

Marketing editor and contacts

A visual editor with templates and variables, plus contact lists with per-list subscription status that update from bounces and complaints.

Suppression list

Filled automatically from bounces and complaints and managed by import, export or API, for both transactional and marketing email.

MailPace

• Pay as you grow$10

  per month for the first 10,000 emails sent and received

  One plan with every feature included. The price follows monthly volume, set on a slider from 100 to 1,000,000 emails; extra emails are added to the bill.

useSend

• Self-host$0

  Open source and free forever; you host it yourself with Docker or Railway and pay AWS about $0.10 per 1,000 emails. Unlimited domains, contact books and team members.

• Cloud$10

  per month, then pay as you go

  Includes 25,000 transactional or 10,000 marketing emails a month, then $0.40 per 1,000 transactional and $1 per 1,000 marketing. Unlimited domains and contact books.