Resend vs Unosend (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, we pick Resend: it is first in our ranking of email sending services, and it grades higher too, 2.6 against 2.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Resend grades higher on value for money, features and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Resend
Developer email API with React Email templates and a free tier
Which one is for you
Pick Resend if
- Fits if you build in React or Next.js and want emails written as components
- Works for apps or AI agents that need inboxes that send and receive by API
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you need a dedicated IP, at $30 a month on top of the $90 Scale plan and over 3,000 emails a day
- Tight if you need SSO, which is a $150 a month add-on on Scale
- Skip it if you want to pay yearly for a discount, since billing is monthly only
- Watch out: the free plan stops at 100 emails a day, and the next step up is Pro at $20
- Watch out: marketing email is priced separately by contacts, from $40 a month for 5,000
Pick Unosend if
- Fits if you send a few thousand emails a month and want no subscription
- Works for developers who only need an API and SMTP relay
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a recurring free plan, because the 3,000 credits come once at signup
- Watch out: the cards say credits last 90 days with no minimum, while the FAQ data says 6 months and a $20 minimum
- Watch out: the site banner says Unosend is being acquired, with service continuing as normal
- Pricey if you need a dedicated IP, at $30 a month billed annually ($360 a year)
- Too light for marketing email, with no campaign tools on the page
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAResendGood | 2.0GPAUnosendFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BGraded on 50,000 emails a month: Pro is $20 for exactly that, in the lowest-priced quarter of this category at that volume, with 10 domains and no daily limit. There's no yearly discount, and extra emails are $0.90 per 1,000. | C$4 per 10,000 emails, prepaid, with no monthly fee. The vendor does not say what a plan includes beyond sending, so this sits in the ordinary range for email APIs. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree for good: 3,000 emails a month, but only 100 a day, with 3 domains, 1 webhook and 30 days of logs. Marketing email is free up to 1,000 contacts too. A launch day with more than 100 sign-ups hits that daily cap. | C3,000 credits are given once at signup, not each month. The page does not say whether a card is needed. |
| Features | BAPI, SMTP, SDKs, React Email templates, inbound email and inboxes for AI agents, signed webhooks, a test mode and broadcasts. It covers the job. No address validation is on record, and dedicated IPs need Scale. | CREST API, SMTP relay, delivery logs, domains, webhooks and tracking. A dedicated IP is $30 a month, billed annually, and the site's own cards and data disagree on how long credits last. |
| Ease of use | CJudged on how fast a developer sends a first email: SDKs for most languages and React templates for web developers, and test mode fakes events without emailing anyone. You still verify a domain first. No rating on record. | CNo rating on record. It is an API and SMTP relay, so you add domains and wire it into code. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an API, SMTP, SDKs and MCP, and it works with Next.js, Remix, Nuxt, Express, Hono and Astro. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. | CWeb dashboard, API and SMTP. No integrations list, no apps. |
| Best for | developers building with React and Next.js | pay-as-you-go email API for developers |
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: Resend and Unosend. How we grade
Where they differ
- Resend also covers email campaigns.
At a glance
| Resend | Unosend | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $20 per month for 50,000 emails, billed monthly | $4 per 10,000 emails, prepaid credits |
| Free plan | 3,000 transactional emails a month, limited to 100 a day, 3 domains, 3 inboxes, 1 webhook endpoint and 30 days of logs. Marketing email free up to 1,000 contacts. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 3,000 free credits on signup |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Resend | Unosend |
| Price read from | resend.com | unosend.co |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Resend
- Billing is monthly only; there are no annual plans or yearly discounts.
- There is no plan between Free and the $20 Pro plan, and the free plan caps sending at 100 emails a day.
- Dedicated IPs cost $30 a month and need the Scale plan and more than 3,000 emails a day; SSO is a $150 a month add-on on Scale.
- Marketing email is priced separately by contacts, from $40 a month for 5,000; broadcasts do not use the transactional quota.
Unosend
- The site banner says Unosend is being acquired, with service continuing as normal.
- The pricing cards and the page's structured data disagree: the cards say credits last 90 days with no minimum, while the FAQ data says 6 months with a 5-credit ($20) minimum.
- A dedicated IP is $30 per month, billed annually ($360 a year).
- There is no recurring free plan; the free credits are given once at signup.
Key features
Resend
- API, SMTP and SDKs
- Send through a REST API or SMTP relay, with official SDKs for Node.js, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, Rust, Java, Elixir and .NET, plus batch sending and scheduling.
- React Email templates
- Build email templates as React components with TypeScript and Tailwind through the open-source React Email library, instead of hand-written HTML tables.
- Inbound email and inboxes
- Receive email through webhooks, parse content and attachments, and give your team or AI agents inboxes reachable by API and MCP; 3 are included.
- Webhooks and test mode
- Signed webhooks report deliveries, opens, clicks, bounces and complaints, and a test mode simulates events without emailing real people.
- Broadcasts and automations
- A visual editor, contact lists, segments and broadcast analytics for marketing email, sold as separate plans priced by contacts.
- Deliverability tools
- DKIM, SPF and DMARC setup, automatic suppression lists, bounce details, region choice and managed dedicated IPs on Scale.
Unosend
- REST API and SMTP relay
- Send through an HTTP API or standard SMTP on ports 465 and 587.
- Delivery logs
- Real-time logs of sends, deliveries, bounces, opens and clicks.
- Sending domains
- Unlimited domains with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
- Webhooks and tracking
- Webhooks plus open and click tracking.
- Auto top-up
- Credits can be topped up automatically when the balance falls below a set level.
- Dedicated IP
- An optional dedicated sending IP for high-volume senders.
Plans
Resend
Free$0
3,000 emails a month and 100 a day, 3 domains, 1 webhook endpoint, ticket support.
Pro$20
per month for 50,000 emails, billed monthly
No daily limit, 10 domains, 5 webhook endpoints, 100 AI credits. $35 a month at 100,000 emails; overage $0.90 per 1,000.
Scale$90
per month for 100,000 emails, billed monthly
1,000 domains, Slack support, urgent response SLA; dedicated IP and SSO as add-ons. $160 a month at 200,000 emails. Overage $0.90 per 1,000, less at higher tiers.
EnterpriseCustom
For 1 million or more emails a month: volume pricing, dedicated IPs, SSO, 99.99% uptime SLA and a dedicated success manager.
Unosend
Starter$4
one-time top-up per 10,000 emails, used as you go
Prepaid credits with no subscription, at $0.0004 per email. The pricing cards say credits last 90 days and that you can top up any amount.
BusinessCustom
Volume discounts for teams sending 500,000 or more emails, with an account manager, SLA and custom credit validity.
Ways to pay less
Resend
- Nonprofit
50% off for nonprofits
Registered nonprofits can apply for 50% off paid plans. Resend says it does not offer education pricing.
Unosend
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Resend or Unosend?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Resend starts at $20 per month for 50,000 emails, billed monthly, and Unosend starts at $4 per 10,000 emails, prepaid credits.
Which has a free plan, Resend or Unosend?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Resend has a free plan. Unosend 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.