The Postmark Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Postmark 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.
Postmark
The Insider’s Guide
Transactional email API and SMTP, with broadcasts on a separate stream
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email sending services, read from Postmark’s own pages.
Made by ActiveCampaign, LLC · checked Oct 18, 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 Postmark’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Postmark’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 1 of the 11 other email sending services we grade
Postmark is an email delivery service from ActiveCampaign for sending app email such as password resets, receipts and welcome messages through an API or SMTP. It keeps transactional and bulk email on separate message streams, turns inbound email into JSON for your app, and stores 45 days of message history by default. A free developer plan of 100 emails a month never expires.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Postmark, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for app email kept apart from marketing sends
Postmark keeps app email like password resets and receipts on its own stream, apart from bulk sends, and keeps 45 days of full message history by default.
- 2
Paid plans start at $15 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
- 3
There is a free plan
Free developer plan: 100 emails a month with no expiry and no overages, for testing an integration or a small side project. No credit card needed.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Email API and SMTP
Send through a REST API with official SDKs or through SMTP, with batch sending, a sandbox mode and migration guides from other providers.
- 6
Message streams
Transactional and bulk or broadcast email run on separate sending infrastructure, so marketing sends do not affect password resets and receipts.
- 7
Inbound email processing
Pro and Platform turn incoming email into a JSON object and post it to a webhook URL your app handles.
- 8
A 2.2 GPA, above 1 of 11
That is against the other email sending services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Postmark 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.
Postmark at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $15 per month for 10,000 emails
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- ActiveCampaign, LLC
- Category
- Email Sending Services
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for app email kept apart from marketing sends
Postmark keeps app email like password resets and receipts on its own stream, apart from bulk sends, and keeps 45 days of full message history by default. It's the dearest here at 50,000 emails, though: $55 a month on Basic, monthly only. And the free plan is 100 emails a month, which is only good for testing.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Graded on 50,000 emails a month: $55 on Basic or $60.50 on Pro, billed monthly only. That's the dearest in this category at that volume, roughly twice the middle. Bootstrapped companies can ask for $75 of credit, which helps a bit. |
| Free plan and trial | C | A free developer plan that never expires and needs no card, but it's 100 emails a month with no way to buy more. That's for testing an integration, not running an app. |
| Features | B | API and SMTP with SDKs, separate streams for app and bulk email, inbound email turned into JSON, templates, 45 days of message history and DMARC reports as an add-on. It covers the whole job; inbound needs Pro. |
| Ease of use | C | Judged on how fast a developer sends a first email: official SDKs, a sandbox mode, ready-made templates for resets and receipts, and migration guides. You'll still verify a domain first. No rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with an API and SMTP, plus Zapier, WordPress, Stripe, Slack, Supabase, Bubble, Netlify and Datadog. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. |
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 Postmark is for
- Great if you want password resets kept apart from your newsletters
- Handy when you need to look back at exactly what an email said weeks later
- Good for bootstrapped founders, who can ask support for $75 of credit
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you send 50,000 emails a month, at $55 with no yearly discount
- Skip it if you want a free plan to run a small app on, as it's 100 emails a month
- Not for you if you want a dedicated IP below 300,000 emails a month
Good to know
Good for
- Software teams whose password resets and receipts must arrive fast
- Apps that need to receive and parse incoming email
- Bootstrapped founders, who can ask for $75 of credit
Worth knowing
- There is no tier between the free 100 emails a month and the 10,000-email paid plans.
- Billing is monthly only; the FAQ says annual plans are not offered yet.
- Basic has no inbound email processing and caps users at 4 and sending domains at 5.
- Dedicated IPs start at $50 a month per IP, need Pro or higher and 300,000 emails a month or more.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$15
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Postmark has a free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
That's the dearest in this category at that volume, roughly twice the middle.
Free
$0
100 emails a month, never expires; extra emails cannot be bought on this plan.
Basic
$15
per month for 10,000 emails
5 sending domains, 4 users, 45 days of history, no inbound email. Extra emails $1.80 per 1,000; $55 a month at 50,000 emails.
Pro
$16.50
per month for 10,000 emails
10 domains, 6 users, inbound email, retention up to 365 days. Extra emails $1.30 per 1,000; $60.50 a month at 50,000 emails.
Platform
$18
per month for 10,000 emails
Unlimited domains, servers, streams and users, with inbound email. Extra emails $1.20 per 1,000; $66 a month at 50,000 emails.
High volume
Custom
Custom pricing for large senders, arranged through sales.
The free plan
Free developer plan: 100 emails a month with no expiry and no overages, for testing an integration or a small side project. No credit card needed.
Read from postmarkapp.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Startups
$75 credit for bootstrapped companies
Companies that have launched, are charging for their product and have taken no outside investment can ask support for $75 of account credit.
Stated on postmarkapp.com
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
Transactional email API and SMTP, with broadcasts on a separate stream. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, dMARC, transactional email.
It covers the whole job; inbound needs Pro.
- Email API and SMTP
- Send through a REST API with official SDKs or through SMTP, with batch sending, a sandbox mode and migration guides from other providers.
- Message streams
- Transactional and bulk or broadcast email run on separate sending infrastructure, so marketing sends do not affect password resets and receipts.
- Inbound email processing
- Pro and Platform turn incoming email into a JSON object and post it to a webhook URL your app handles.
- Templates
- Responsive templates for welcome emails, password resets and receipts, with a template editor and import tool.
- Message history and analytics
- 45 days of full message content by default, adjustable from 7 to 365 days, with bounce details, open and link tracking and a stats API.
- DMARC monitoring
- DMARC Digests reports show authentication problems and who is sending with your domain, sold as an add-on from $14 a month per domain.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Zapier
- WordPress
- Stripe
- Slack
- Supabase
- Bubble
- Netlify
- Datadog
Postmark is made by ActiveCampaign, LLC.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
1/11
Other email sending services it is graded above
Postmark's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 1 of the 11 other email sending services we grade, and level with 1.
It stands best on features (B, above 2 of 11) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 2 of the 10 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 12 email sending services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Postmark’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 11
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 11
- BFeaturesAbove 2 of 11
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 11
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 11
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 11 email sending services. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Postmark 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 Postmark 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: 9 of the 11 other email sending services grade higher. It costs $180 a year.
What you could not
- Mail servers with a good name among inbox providers.
- Reading the reports inbox providers send about your domain.
- It plugs into other products, Zapier, WordPress and Stripe among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Postmark’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
Twilio SendGrid, Mailgun, Resend, Amazon SES and MailerSend
The 5 tools Postmark is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Twilio SendGrid
Free trial · from $19.95/mo
Twilio's email API and SMTP service, priced by monthly email volume.
- Postmark has a free plan. Twilio SendGrid does not, though it has a free trial.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- Twilio SendGrid also covers email verification.
- 2.4GPA
Mailgun
Free plan · from $15/mo
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- Mailgun also covers email verification.
- 2.6GPA
Resend
Free plan · from $20/mo
Developer email API with React Email templates and a free tier.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- Resend also covers email campaigns.
- 2.8GPA
Amazon SES
Free trial
AWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails.
- Postmark has a free plan. Amazon SES does not, though it has a free trial.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- Amazon SES also covers email verification.
- 2.4GPA
MailerSend
Free plan · from $6.30/mo
Transactional email and SMS API from the team behind MailerLite.
- MailerSend also covers business texting, whatsApp messaging and email verification.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
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 Postmark free?
Postmark has a free plan. Free developer plan: 100 emails a month with no expiry and no overages, for testing an integration or a small side project.
How much does Postmark cost?
Postmark lists 5 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Postmark work on?
Postmark is available on Web.
Does Postmark offer any discounts?
Postmark publicly lists the following: $75 credit for bootstrapped companies.
Does Postmark have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Postmark is listed for Web.
Does Postmark have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Postmark is listed for Web.
Is Postmark open source?
Postmark is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Postmark have an API?
Yes. Postmark offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Postmark integrate with?
Postmark's listing names Zapier, WordPress, Stripe, Slack, Supabase, Bubble, Netlify and Datadog.
Who makes Postmark?
Postmark is made by ActiveCampaign, LLC.
What are the alternatives to Postmark?
The closest alternatives to Postmark in our directory are Twilio SendGrid, Mailgun, Resend, Amazon SES and MailerSend.
How does Postmark compare with other email sending services?
Postmark's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 1 of the 11 other email sending services we grade, and level with 1.
Is Postmark good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Postmark D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 2 of the 10 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Postmark?
To replace Postmark 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 Postmark’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Postmark's own pages on 18 October 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 ActiveCampaign, LLC. Prices change, so check postmarkapp.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 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.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Postmark, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/postmark
- 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, "Postmark: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/postmark
Know someone choosing between email sending services?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/postmark/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email sending services after Postmark, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Sending Services Insider's GuideEvery one of the 12 email sending services we grade, compared
- Amazon SES Insider's GuideAWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails2.8 GPA
- Bird Email Insider's GuideSparkPost's successor: Bird's email API, paid from a prepaid balance2.6 GPA
- Elastic Email Insider's GuideLow-cost email API and SMTP relay priced by monthly email volume2.6 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 Postmark’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. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Postmark is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by ActiveCampaign, LLC. Prices and plans change: check postmarkapp.com before you buy.