The Bird Email Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Bird Email 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.
Bird Email
The Insider’s Guide
SparkPost's successor: Bird's email API, paid from a prepaid balance
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email sending services, read from Bird Email’s own pages.
Made by Bird B.V. · 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 Bird Email’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Bird Email’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
2.6
GPA, above 6 of the 11 other email sending services we grade
Bird Email is the email API from Bird (formerly MessageBird), which says SparkPost is now Bird Email. It sends transactional email and campaigns through an API, SMTP relay, SDKs, a CLI or an MCP server, receives inbound email, and gives AI agents mailboxes of their own. Paid plans are monthly deposits into a Bird balance that each email draws from at a published rate per 1,000.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Bird Email, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Judged on how fast a developer sends a first email: SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go and PHP plus a CLI, once a domain is set up.
- 1
Best for email, SMS and WhatsApp through one API
Old SparkPost code needs reviewing before you move over.
- 2
Paid plans start at $15 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $15 per month, deposited to your Bird balance.
- 3
There is a free plan
1,000 emails a month, limited to 50 a day, 1 sending domain, 5 mailboxes and 3 webhook endpoints. Sending stops at the limit.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
Email API, SMTP, SDKs and MCP
Send through the API or SMTP relay, with typed SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go and PHP, a CLI and a hosted MCP server for AI assistants.
- 6
Mailboxes for agents
Mailboxes that send, receive and store email for your app or AI agents: 5 on Free, 10 on Startup, 25 on Growth and 100 on Scale.
- 7
Deliverability controls
DKIM signing, SPF alignment, DMARC setup, suppression lists and managed dedicated IPs warmed over about 30 days, from the Growth plan.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 6 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 Bird Email 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.
Bird Email at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $15 per month, deposited to your Bird balance
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Bird B.V.
- Category
- Email Sending Services
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
The report card
Best for email, SMS and WhatsApp through one API
Bird Email is what SparkPost became: an email API, SMTP and SDKs from Bird, with mailboxes for AI agents and the same send call for SMS and WhatsApp. You don't buy an allowance; you pay a monthly deposit into a balance and each email costs $0.40 per 1,000 on Startup, so 50,000 emails work out at $20. Old SparkPost code needs reviewing before you move over.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Graded on 50,000 emails a month, worked out from the listed rate: Startup charges $0.40 per 1,000, so that's $20 of balance a month, more than its $15 deposit covers. Unused balance carries forward. That's in the cheaper quarter of this category at that volume. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Free for good: 1,000 emails a month, but only 50 a day and 1 sending domain, and sending simply stops at the limit. Enough to try the API, not to run an app on. |
| Features | B | API, SMTP, typed SDKs, a CLI and an MCP server, inbound email and mailboxes, signed webhooks, DKIM and DMARC setup, templates and broadcasts, with SMS and WhatsApp on the same API. It covers the whole job; dedicated IPs start at $250. |
| Ease of use | C | Judged on how fast a developer sends a first email: SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go and PHP plus a CLI, once a domain is set up. No rating on record. Coming from SparkPost means a new API, which Bird says to review with its team. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with an API, SMTP, SDKs, a CLI and an MCP server, plus Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Replit, Lovable, v0 and Bolt. 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 Bird Email is for
- Great if your app sends texts or WhatsApp messages as well as email
- Handy when you want to give AI agents mailboxes of their own
- Good for SparkPost customers working out what comes next
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you want a fixed monthly allowance, since every email draws on a balance
- Pricey if you need a dedicated IP, which starts with the $250 Growth plan
- Tight if you're staying free, at 50 emails a day and 1 sending domain
Good to know
Good for
- Existing SparkPost customers planning their next integration
- Teams that also send SMS or WhatsApp through one provider
- Developers giving AI agents their own email mailboxes
Worth knowing
- Bird Email has its own API: Bird says SparkPost integrations should be reviewed with an account team before moving traffic.
- Paid plans are deposits, not allowances: every email is charged at the plan's rate, and other Bird products draw on the same balance.
- Dedicated IPs and IP pools start with the $250 Growth plan.
- The free plan is limited to 50 emails a day and 1 sending domain.
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
Bird Email has a free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per month, deposited to your Bird balance.
That's in the cheaper quarter of this category at that volume.
Free
$0
1,000 emails a month and 50 a day, 1 sending domain, 5 mailboxes, inbound email and templates.
Startup
$15
per month, deposited to your balance; email at $0.40 per 1,000
About 37,500 transactional emails if the whole deposit goes on email. 10 sending domains, 10 mailboxes, no daily limit; unused balance carries forward.
Growth
$250
per month, deposited to your balance; email at $0.45 per 1,000
About 555,555 emails from the deposit. 500 sending domains, up to 5 dedicated IPs and IP pools, 25 mailboxes, 10 webhook endpoints.
Scale
$1,000
per month and up, deposited to your balance; from $0.35 per 1,000
Deposits of $1,000 to $10,000 a month with rates falling to $0.20 per 1,000. 1,000 domains, up to 10 dedicated IPs, 100 mailboxes.
The free plan
1,000 emails a month, limited to 50 a day, 1 sending domain, 5 mailboxes and 3 webhook endpoints. Sending stops at the limit.
Read from bird.com on Oct 18, 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
SparkPost's successor: Bird's email API, paid from a prepaid balance. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, email campaigns, transactional email.
No desktop or phone app, so B is the top.
- Email API, SMTP, SDKs and MCP
- Send through the API or SMTP relay, with typed SDKs for TypeScript, Python, Go and PHP, a CLI and a hosted MCP server for AI assistants.
- Mailboxes for agents
- Mailboxes that send, receive and store email for your app or AI agents: 5 on Free, 10 on Startup, 25 on Growth and 100 on Scale.
- Deliverability controls
- DKIM signing, SPF alignment, DMARC setup, suppression lists and managed dedicated IPs warmed over about 30 days, from the Growth plan.
- Analytics and signed webhooks
- Delivery, bounce, complaint, open and click data by domain, inbox provider and IP, plus signed, replay-protected webhooks for every event.
- Templates and campaigns
- Send raw HTML or React Email templates, and run broadcasts to opted-in audiences from the same platform.
- One API for other channels
- The same send call and webhook format cover Bird's SMS, WhatsApp and voice products, so a code can fall back from email to text.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Claude
- ChatGPT
- Cursor
- GitHub Copilot
- Replit
- Lovable
- v0
- Bolt
Bird Email is made by Bird B.V.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
6/11
Other email sending services it is graded above
Bird Email's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 6 of the 11 other email sending services we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on value for money (B, above 6 of 11) and worst on ease of use (C, 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. Bird Email’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 6 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. Bird Email 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 Bird Email 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.
It costs $180 a year.
What you could not
- Mail servers with a good name among inbox providers.
- Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox.
- It plugs into other products, Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Bird Email’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, Amazon SES, Postmark and SMTP.com
The 5 tools Bird Email 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.
- Bird Email has a free plan. Twilio SendGrid does not, though it has a free trial.
- Bird Email also covers email campaigns.
- Twilio SendGrid also covers email verification.
- 2.4GPA
Mailgun
Free plan · from $15/mo
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation.
- Bird Email also covers email campaigns.
- Mailgun also covers email verification.
- 2.8GPA
Amazon SES
Free trial
AWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails.
- Bird Email has a free plan. Amazon SES does not, though it has a free trial.
- Bird Email also covers email campaigns.
- Amazon SES also covers email verification.
- 2.2GPA
Postmark
Free plan · from $15/mo
Transactional email API and SMTP, with broadcasts on a separate stream.
- Bird Email also covers email campaigns.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- 1.8GPA
SMTP.com
From $25/mo
SMTP relay and email API sold in monthly volume plans from 50,000.
- Bird Email has a free plan. SMTP.com does not.
- Bird Email also covers email campaigns.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
13
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 Bird Email free?
Bird Email has a free plan. 1,000 emails a month, limited to 50 a day, 1 sending domain, 5 mailboxes and 3 webhook endpoints.
How much does Bird Email cost?
Bird Email lists 4 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Bird Email work on?
Bird Email is available on Web.
Does Bird Email have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Bird Email is listed for Web.
Does Bird Email have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Bird Email is listed for Web.
Is Bird Email open source?
Bird Email is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Bird Email have an API?
Yes. Bird Email offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Bird Email integrate with?
Bird Email's listing names Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Replit, Lovable, v0 and Bolt.
Who makes Bird Email?
Bird Email is made by Bird B.V.
What are the alternatives to Bird Email?
The closest alternatives to Bird Email in our directory are Twilio SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, Postmark and SMTP.com.
How does Bird Email compare with other email sending services?
Bird Email's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 6 of the 11 other email sending services we grade, and level with 4.
Is Bird Email good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Bird Email B 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 Bird Email?
To replace Bird Email 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 Bird Email’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 Bird'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 Bird B.V. Prices change, so check bird.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
- Bird Email, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/sparkpost
- 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, "Bird Email: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/sparkpost
Know someone choosing between email sending services?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/sparkpost/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email sending services after Bird Email, 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
- Elastic Email Insider's GuideLow-cost email API and SMTP relay priced by monthly email volume2.6 GPA
- Mailtrap Insider's GuideEmail API and SMTP for sending, with a sandbox for testing emails2.6 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 Bird Email’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. Bird Email is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Bird B.V. Prices and plans change: check bird.com before you buy.