A SendGrid alternative that sends and receives
One HTTP API to send and receive from your own domain, signed webhooks for inbound mail, a web inbox for your team and broadcasts built in, deployed in your own Cloudflare account.
Facts checked
The short answer
MarkRelay is a SendGrid alternative for teams that want to send and receive email from their own domain through one HTTP API, deployed in their own Cloudflare account. SendGrid is a hosted sending platform: a 60-day free trial at 100 emails a day, then Essentials from $19.95/month for 1 teammate and Pro from $89.95/month with more teammates and dedicated IPs; inbound mail arrives through its Inbound Parse webhook, and Marketing Campaigns has its own pricing. MarkRelay costs $99/year plus Cloudflare's sending price, receives through Cloudflare Email Routing into mailboxes your team opens in webmail, signs every inbound webhook with HMAC-SHA256, and includes broadcasts.
Side by side
| Feature | MarkRelayLicense from $99/yr | SendGridHosted, by Twilio |
|---|---|---|
| Free to start | No free plan | 60-day trial, 100 emails a day |
| Paid plans start at | $99/yr, plus $5/mo Workers Paid | Essentials $19.95/mo, Pro $89.95/mo |
| Receiving | Cloudflare Email Routing into mailboxes, plus an HMAC-SHA256 signed webhook | Inbound Parse webhook |
| Web inbox for your team | Yes | No |
| Reply and forward over the API | Yes | — |
| Marketing email | Broadcasts included | Marketing Campaigns, priced separately |
| Dedicated IPs | No | Included with Pro |
| Where mail is stored | Your own Cloudflare D1 and R2 | SendGrid |
| Keys limited to chosen mailboxes | Yes | — |
| Needs | Domains on Cloudflare DNS (Free plan works) | Any DNS host |
Free to start
- MarkRelay
- No free plan
- SendGrid
- 60-day trial, 100 emails a day
Paid plans start at
- MarkRelay
- $99/yr, plus $5/mo Workers Paid
- SendGrid
- Essentials $19.95/mo, Pro $89.95/mo
Receiving
- MarkRelay
- Cloudflare Email Routing into mailboxes, plus an HMAC-SHA256 signed webhook
- SendGrid
- Inbound Parse webhook
Web inbox for your team
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- SendGrid
- No
Reply and forward over the API
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- SendGrid
- —
Marketing email
- MarkRelay
- Broadcasts included
- SendGrid
- Marketing Campaigns, priced separately
Dedicated IPs
- MarkRelay
- No
- SendGrid
- Included with Pro
Where mail is stored
- MarkRelay
- Your own Cloudflare D1 and R2
- SendGrid
- SendGrid
Keys limited to chosen mailboxes
- MarkRelay
- Yes
- SendGrid
- —
Needs
- MarkRelay
- Domains on Cloudflare DNS (Free plan works)
- SendGrid
- Any DNS host
SendGrid facts from its Email API pricing page, checked October 18, 2026. “—” means the page does not say.
Which one fits you
Choose SendGrid if
- You need dedicated IPs and send at large scale.
- You want mature delivery analytics and a long-established platform.
- Your domains are not on Cloudflare.
Choose MarkRelay if
- You send small to medium volumes and want a fixed cost.
- Several people on the team need access, without moving to a higher plan.
- Your app needs to receive mail as well as send it.
- Your team should read and answer the same mailboxes in webmail.
- Mail should stay in your own Cloudflare account.
What email costs
| Example | SendGridEssentials $19.95/mo; Marketing $15/mo | MarkRelayLicense $8.25/mo ($99/yr) + Cloudflare | You savePer month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 emails sent a month | $19.95Essentials | $15.70$8.25 license + $5 Workers Paid + $2.45 sending | $4.2521% less |
| 10,000 sent, 3 people on the team | $89.95Pro, for more than 1 teammate | $15.70$8.25 license + $5 Workers Paid + $2.45 sending | $74.2582% less |
| 10,000 sent, plus 3 newsletters a month to 5,000 contacts | $34.95Essentials + Marketing Basic | $20.95$8.25 license + $5 Workers Paid + $7.70 sending | $1440% less |
10,000 emails sent a month
SendGrid
MarkRelay
10,000 sent, 3 people on the team
SendGrid
MarkRelay
10,000 sent, plus 3 newsletters a month to 5,000 contacts
SendGrid
MarkRelay
MarkRelay: the Annual license ($99/year) spread over 12 months, $8.25 a month whatever the volume, plus the Cloudflare bill: Workers Paid is $5/month with 3,000 sent emails included, then $0.35 per 1,000, and receiving is free. With Lifetime ($249 once), later years cost only the Cloudflare bill. SendGrid: Essentials from $19.95/month (50,000 emails), with 1 teammate; more teammates need Pro, from $89.95/month. Newsletters are on a separate Marketing Campaigns plan, Basic from $15/month for 5,000 contacts. MarkRelay has no seat limit.
How mail flows through your Cloudflare account
Cloudflare receives and sends. MarkRelay is the mailbox in between, running as your own Worker.
Receive
- Senderwrites to support@yourdomain.com
- Email RoutingCloudflare, free on any plan
- MarkRelay Workerfiles it in the mailbox
- Your D1 + R2messages and attachments
Reply
- Webmail or APIa teammate, an app or an agent
- MarkRelay Workerchecks mailbox access
- Email SendingCloudflare, in Workers Paid
- Recipientsees support@yourdomain.com
Common questions
Is there a SendGrid alternative for a small SaaS that both sends and receives?
Yes. MarkRelay sends through Cloudflare Email Sending and receives through Cloudflare Email Routing, both from your own domain. Your app sends, lists, reads, replies to and forwards mail over one HTTP API, and gets an HMAC-signed webhook for every inbound message.
Is MarkRelay cheaper than SendGrid?
At 10,000 emails a month, MarkRelay comes to about $15.70 a month (the license spread over the year plus Cloudflare) against $19.95 on Essentials. Essentials has 1 teammate; a team of three needs Pro, from $89.95/month. Newsletters need a separate Marketing Campaigns plan, from $15/month.
Does SendGrid still have a free plan?
SendGrid's pricing page lists a 60-day free trial at 100 emails a day, then paid plans from $19.95/month.
Does MarkRelay offer dedicated IPs?
No. Mail goes out through Cloudflare Email Sending. If you need your own dedicated IPs, SendGrid Pro includes them.
Can I send marketing email too?
Yes, with Broadcasts: up to 100,000 recipients each, a visual editor, scheduling, one-click unsubscribe (RFC 8058) and an automatic suppression list. You are responsible for consent and for following CAN-SPAM, GDPR and Cloudflare's Email Service terms.
Is the API compatible with SendGrid's?
No. MarkRelay has its own small HTTP API, described by an OpenAPI 3.1 document on every deployment, so moving over means changing your send call.
Keep reading
Own your email stack today
Buy MarkRelay once and run it in your Cloudflare account. MarkRelay adds no per-message or per-seat charge; Cloudflare usage and service limits remain separate.