The Inbound Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Inbound in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Inbound
The Insider’s Guide
Email API for receiving, parsing and replying, with sending
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email sending services, read from Inbound’s own pages.
Made by Exon Enterprise LLC · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Inbound’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Inbound’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
1.8
GPA, above 4 of the 50 other email sending services we grade
Inbound is an email API aimed at developers and AI agents. It receives mail on your own domain, parses it to JSON, routes addresses to endpoints and lets code reply in the same thread. Every plan includes unlimited mailboxes, and plans differ by monthly email volume and domain count.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Inbound, taken from its own pages and our grades.
It is an API and CLI product, so setup means DNS, webhooks and code.
- 1
Best for receiving and replying to email by API
There is no free plan or trial, and the pricing page says nothing about bulk or marketing sends.
- 2
Paid plans start at $9 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $9 per month for 5,000 emails.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Email to webhook
Point MX records at the service and received mail is delivered as parsed JSON.
- 5
Address routing
Route specific addresses or a catch-all to different endpoints.
- 6
Threaded replies
Reply to a received message in the same thread from the API.
- 7
A 1.8 GPA, above 4 of 50
That is against the other email sending services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
To replace Inbound you would be making mail servers with a good name among inbox providers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Inbound at a glance
- Pricing
- Paid, from $9 per month for 5,000 emails
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Exon Enterprise LLC
- Category
- Email Sending Services
- Our grade
- 1.8 GPA, weak
The report card
Best for receiving and replying to email by API
Inbound is an email API for receiving, parsing and replying, with sending added, from $9 a month for 5,000 emails. There is no free plan or trial, and the pricing page says nothing about bulk or marketing sends.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | $9 a month for 5,000 emails is at the edge of the cheaper quarter of email tools. Extra domains are $3.50 each and extra capacity $16 per 50,000. |
| Free plan and trial | F | No free plan and no trial are listed, so every email is paid for from the first one. |
| Features | C | Email to webhook, address routing, threaded replies, API and CLI, spam filtering and retries. It does that narrow job fully, and does not describe bulk sending. |
| Ease of use | C | No rating on record. It is an API and CLI product, so setup means DNS, webhooks and code. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | Web dashboard, API and CLI only. No integrations list is shown. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Inbound is for
- Fits if your app needs to receive and answer incoming email
- Works for developers who want email handled by webhook
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want to try it free, since no free plan or trial is listed
- Not for you if you send marketing or bulk email, which the page does not describe
- Tight if you run many domains, with 50 on the $15 plan and $3.50 for each extra
- Watch out: extra capacity is $16 per 50,000 received plus 50,000 sent a month
Good to know
Good for
- Developers building support or agent inboxes that need to receive email
- Apps that need replies to land in their own code
Worth knowing
- There is no free plan or trial listed.
- Extra domains cost $3.50 per domain per month.
- Extra capacity is $16 per 50,000 received plus 50,000 sent a month.
- The product centers on receiving and replying; the pricing page does not describe bulk or marketing sending.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$9
A month to start
Inbound is a paid product, starting at $9 per month for 5,000 emails.
No free plan and no trial are listed, so every email is paid for from the first one.
Default
$9
per month for up to 5,000 emails
Basic support, with unlimited mailboxes.
Pro
$15
per month for up to 50,000 emails
Up to 50 domains.
Growth
$39
per month for up to 100,000 emails
Up to 300 domains.
Scale
$79
per month for up to 200,000 emails
Unlimited domains.
Read from inbound.new on Nov 13, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Email API for receiving, parsing and replying, with sending. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI agents, transactional email.
Email to webhook, address routing, threaded replies, API and CLI, spam filtering and retries.
- Email to webhook
- Point MX records at the service and received mail is delivered as parsed JSON.
- Address routing
- Route specific addresses or a catch-all to different endpoints.
- Threaded replies
- Reply to a received message in the same thread from the API.
- API and CLI
- One API and a command-line tool cover receiving, parsing and replying.
- Spam filtering
- Choose to reject, flag or accept mail marked as spam.
- Failed delivery retries
- Failed webhook deliveries show in logs and can be retried.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Inbound is made by Exon Enterprise LLC.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
4/50
Other email sending services it is graded above
Inbound's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 4 of the 50 other email sending services we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 25 of 50) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $9 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 10 of the 41 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 8 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 email sending services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Inbound’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 25 of 50
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 50
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 50
- CEase of useAbove 7 of 50
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 50
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 44 email sending services. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Inbound is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Inbound you would be making mail servers with a good name among inbox providers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 42 of the 50 other email sending services grade higher. It costs $108 a year.
What you could not
- Mail servers with a good name among inbox providers.
- An AI agent, with the models and the safeguards behind it.
- An API that other software can build on.
What this rests on. Inbound’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Resend, Postmark, Mailgun, Twilio SendGrid and MailPace
The 5 tools Inbound is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Resend
Free plan · from $20/mo
Developer email API with React Email templates and a free tier.
- Resend has a free plan. Inbound does not.
- Inbound also covers AI agents.
- Resend also covers email campaigns.
- 2.2GPA
Postmark
Free plan · from $15/mo
Transactional email API and SMTP, with broadcasts on a separate stream.
- Postmark has a free plan. Inbound does not.
- Inbound also covers AI agents.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- 2.4GPA
Mailgun
Free plan · from $15/mo
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation.
- Mailgun has a free plan. Inbound does not.
- Inbound also covers AI agents.
- Mailgun also covers email verification.
- 2.6GPA
Twilio SendGrid
Free trial · from $19.95/mo
Twilio's email API and SMTP service, priced by monthly email volume.
- Inbound also covers AI agents.
- Twilio SendGrid also covers email verification.
- 2.2GPA
MailPace
Free trial · from $10/mo
EU-hosted transactional email API and SMTP, without open tracking.
- Inbound also covers AI agents.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Inbound free?
No. Inbound is a paid product, starting at $9 per month for 5,000 emails.
How much does Inbound cost?
Inbound lists 4 plans. Default: $9 per month for up to 5,000 emails.
What platforms does Inbound work on?
Inbound is available on Web.
Does Inbound have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Inbound is listed for Web.
Does Inbound have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Inbound is listed for Web.
Is Inbound open source?
Inbound is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Does Inbound have an API?
Yes. Inbound offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes Inbound?
Inbound is made by Exon Enterprise LLC.
What are the alternatives to Inbound?
The closest alternatives to Inbound in our directory are Resend, Postmark, Mailgun, Twilio SendGrid and MailPace.
How does Inbound compare with other email sending services?
Inbound's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 4 of the 50 other email sending services we grade, and level with 4.
Is Inbound good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Inbound B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $9 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 10 of the 41 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Inbound?
To replace Inbound you would be making mail servers with a good name among inbox providers.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Inbound’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Exon Enterprise LLC's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Exon Enterprise LLC. Prices change, so check inbound.new before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Inbound, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/inbound
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Inbound: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/inbound
Know someone choosing between email sending services?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/inbound/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
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- Amazon SES Insider's GuideAWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails2.8 GPA
- Forward Email Insider's GuideOpen-source email forwarding and hosting for custom domains2.8 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Inbound’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Inbound is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Exon Enterprise LLC. Prices and plans change: check inbound.new before you buy.