Novu vs Twilio SendGrid (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Twilio SendGrid grades higher than Novu: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Novu grades higher on the free plan. Twilio SendGrid grades higher on value for money and features. 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.
Novu
Open-source notification infrastructure for apps and agents
Twilio SendGrid
Twilio's email API and SMTP service, priced by monthly email volume
Which one is for you
Pick Novu if
- Fits if you're building an app and want one API for in-app, email and chat messages
- Makes sense if you want US or EU data residency without paying for it
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a plain email sending service, because email goes through your own provider
- Tight if you stay on free: 5 workflows, 3 team members and 24-hour activity history
- Pricey if you grow, as Team starts at $250 a month and extra runs cost $1.20 per 1,000
- Watch out: self-hosting, SSO, SCIM and the HIPAA BAA are Enterprise only
Pick Twilio SendGrid if
- Fits if you already use Twilio for texts or calls and want email from the same company
- Works for apps sending about 50,000 emails a month that want address checks, with 2,500 validations on Pro
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay on Essentials, with 1 teammate and 3 days of email activity
- Skip it if you want a free plan that lasts, since the trial ends after 60 days
- Pricey if you need SSO, subusers or a dedicated IP, which start with Pro at $89.95 a month
- Watch out: sending past your plan's volume can add overage charges the pricing page doesn't list
- Not for you if you want newsletters on the same plan, as Marketing Campaigns is separate, from $15 a month
How we grade them
| 2.4GPANovuFair | 2.6GPATwilio SendGridGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPro is $30 a month for 30,000 workflow runs, with extra runs at $1.20 per 1,000. That's above the category's dearer quarter at $20 but under the dearest tenth at $68. | BGraded on 50,000 emails a month: Essentials is $19.95 for exactly that, in the lowest-priced quarter of this category at that volume. It comes with 1 teammate and 3 days of activity, and Pro at $89.95 is where dedicated IPs and SSO start. |
| Free plan and trial | BFree plan: 10,000 workflow runs a month, no card needed. The caps are 5 workflows, 3 team members and 24 hours of activity history. | 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 | CMulti-channel workflows, an Inbox component, a code-first setup and an email editor. Email is sent through a provider you connect, so it isn't a sending service itself. | BAPI and SMTP, event webhooks, an inbound parse webhook, dynamic templates, domain authentication, address validation and EU data residency. That covers the job. Testing credits, subusers and dedicated IPs wait for Pro. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You build workflows in code and connect providers. | 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 dashboard with an API, an Inbox component and connections to Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord and more. | 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 | open-source notifications on many channels | 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: Novu and Twilio SendGrid. How we grade
Price against what you get
Novu starts at $30 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Twilio SendGrid starts at $19.95 a month and scores 2.7.
Twilio SendGrid scores higher and starts $10.05 a month lower. Of the other email sending services on the chart, 14 score higher than Novu 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
- Novu is open source, according to its own site.
- Novu also covers workflow automation.
- Twilio SendGrid also covers email verification.
At a glance
| Novu | Twilio SendGrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $30 per month for 30,000 workflow runs | $19.95 per month for 50,000 emails |
| Free plan | 10,000 workflow runs a month, up to 5 workflows, 2 environments, 3 team members and 24-hour activity feed retention. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 60-day free trial with 100 emails a day, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Novu | Twilio Inc. |
| Price read from | novu.co | twilio.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Novu
- Novu orchestrates notifications; email is sent through an email provider you connect rather than a standalone sending service.
- The Free plan is capped at 5 workflows, 3 team members and 24-hour activity feed retention.
- Pro and Team prices are starting prices tied to 30,000 and 250,000 runs; overage is $1.20 per 1,000 runs.
- Self-hosting, SSO, SCIM and the HIPAA BAA are Enterprise features.
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
Novu
- Multi-channel workflows
- Workflows deliver across email, in-app, SMS, chat and push, with delay, digest and throttle steps.
- Inbox component
- A prebuilt React Inbox component adds a notification feed with unread counts, preferences, filters and snoozing, and headless components are available.
- Code-first workflows
- The pricing page lists code-first workflows, topics and multi-tenancy support, with the feature set widening on higher plans.
- Email editor and layouts
- A block-based email editor and custom layouts come with Pro and above.
- Conversational channels
- Novu Connect is described as two-way communication with users and agents across WhatsApp, Slack and other channels.
- Data residency
- US and EU regions are on every plan. Singapore, UK, Australia, Japan, South Korea and custom regions are listed on Enterprise.
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
Novu
Free$0
10,000 workflow runs a month across all channels, US and EU data residency, up to 5 workflows and 3 team members.
Pro$30
per month and up, for 30,000 workflow runs
20 workflows, 7-day activity feed retention, advanced email editor, removal of Novu branding, higher rate limits. Extra runs are $1.20 per 1,000.
Team$250
per month and up, for 250,000 workflow runs
Up to 10 environments, 90-day retention, unlimited team members, role-based access control and 600 requests per second for triggers. Extra runs are $1.20 per 1,000.
EnterpriseCustom
10 million or more workflow runs, HIPAA BAA, SAML/OIDC SSO, SCIM, additional data residency regions and self-hosted deployment options.
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.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Novu or Twilio SendGrid?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Twilio SendGrid is cheaper to start with: $19.95 a month, against $30 a month for Novu. Novu starts at $30 per month for 30,000 workflow runs, and Twilio SendGrid starts at $19.95 per month for 50,000 emails.
Which has a free plan, Novu or Twilio SendGrid?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Novu has a free plan. Twilio SendGrid 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.