Free transactional email API plans compared (2026)
Every free tier for sending app email, as each provider's own pricing page states it: how much it sends, what it caps, whether it receives, and the first paid step.
- Published by
- MarkRelay Research
- Updated
- Sources
- 9 primary sources, linked below
Summary
The largest free transactional tiers are Resend (3,000 emails a month, 100 a day) and Brevo (300 a day, about 9,000 a month); then SMTP2GO (1,000 a month), MailerSend (500 a month), Mailgun (100 a day, one domain) and Postmark (100 a month). SendGrid has no ongoing free plan, only a 60-day trial at 100 a day. Cloudflare Email Sending is free only to your own verified addresses, and $5 a month for 3,000 emails to anyone, with receiving through Email Routing free and unlimited. MarkRelay runs on Cloudflare and adds mailboxes, an HTTP API and signed webhooks for $99 a year.
Key findings
- 1Most free email a month: Resend 3,000 (max 100 a day) and Brevo 300 a day.
- 2Smallest free tiers: Postmark 100 a month and MailerSend 500 a month.
- 3SendGrid's only free option is a 60-day trial at 100 emails a day.
- 4Receiving differs most: Resend counts received mail toward the sending quota, Mailgun's free plan has one inbound route, and Cloudflare Email Routing receives free and unlimited.
- 5Cheapest first paid steps: Cloudflare $5 for 3,000, MailerSend Hobby $7 for 5,000, Brevo Starter $9 for 5,000, SMTP2GO $10 for 10,000.
Questions this report answers
Asked by real people, quoted as they wrote them.
“Sendgrid Free Email API plan deprecated for a paid ones. Alternatives?”
r/selfhosted, 39 comments
The table below lists every ongoing free tier we checked. For most small apps, Resend or Brevo cover the volume; Cloudflare is the cheapest paid step if your domain is already there.
“free transactional email service”
Google and Bing search suggestion
Resend (3,000 a month), Brevo (300 a day), SMTP2GO (1,000 a month), MailerSend (500), Mailgun (100 a day) and Postmark (100 a month) all have ongoing free plans.
“Best transactional email service for Next.js apps”
r/nextjs, 53 comments
Any of these work from a Next.js server route over HTTP. Resend publishes React Email and official SDKs; if the app also receives mail, compare how each counts inbound messages.
“cheapest email api”
Google and Bing search suggestion
Per email at volume, Amazon SES at $0.10 per 1,000. For a small fixed bill, Cloudflare Email Sending at $5 a month with 3,000 included, then $0.35 per 1,000.
Free plans for app email
| Provider | Free sending | Limits | Receiving | First paid step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resend | 3,000/month | 100/day, 3 domains, 1 webhook | Counts toward quota | $20, 50,000 |
| Brevo | 300/day | After account approval | Not stated | $9, 5,000 |
| SMTP2GO | 1,000/month | Sign-up on a private domain | Not stated | $10, 10,000 |
| MailerSend | 500/month | 1 domain, 100 API requests/day | Not stated | $7, 5,000 |
| Mailgun | 100/day | 1 domain, 1-day logs | 1 inbound route | $15, 10,000 |
| Postmark | 100/month | No overage | Not stated | $15, 10,000 |
| SendGrid | 100/day | 60-day trial only | Not stated | $19.95/month |
| Cloudflare | Verified addresses only | Domain on Cloudflare DNS | Email Routing, free, unlimited | $5, 3,000 |
Resend
- Free sending
- 3,000/month
- Limits
- 100/day, 3 domains, 1 webhook
- Receiving
- Counts toward quota
- First paid step
- $20, 50,000
Brevo
- Free sending
- 300/day
- Limits
- After account approval
- Receiving
- Not stated
- First paid step
- $9, 5,000
SMTP2GO
- Free sending
- 1,000/month
- Limits
- Sign-up on a private domain
- Receiving
- Not stated
- First paid step
- $10, 10,000
MailerSend
- Free sending
- 500/month
- Limits
- 1 domain, 100 API requests/day
- Receiving
- Not stated
- First paid step
- $7, 5,000
Mailgun
- Free sending
- 100/day
- Limits
- 1 domain, 1-day logs
- Receiving
- 1 inbound route
- First paid step
- $15, 10,000
Postmark
- Free sending
- 100/month
- Limits
- No overage
- Receiving
- Not stated
- First paid step
- $15, 10,000
SendGrid
- Free sending
- 100/day
- Limits
- 60-day trial only
- Receiving
- Not stated
- First paid step
- $19.95/month
Cloudflare
- Free sending
- Verified addresses only
- Limits
- Domain on Cloudflare DNS
- Receiving
- Email Routing, free, unlimited
- First paid step
- $5, 3,000
Not stated means the provider's own page does not say. Source: Resend, Brevo, SMTP2GO, MailerSend, Mailgun, Postmark, SendGrid, Cloudflare.
Monthly cost once you outgrow free
| Emails a month | Resend | Brevo Starter | SMTP2GO | Amazon SES | Cloudflare | MarkRelay$99/yr + Cloudflare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $20 | $17 | $10 | $1 | $7.45 | $15.70 |
| 50,000 | $20 | $56 | $50 | $5 | $21.45 | $29.70 |
| 100,000 | $35 | $82 | $75 | $10 | $38.95 | $47.20 |
10,000
- Resend
- $20
- Brevo Starter
- $17
- SMTP2GO
- $10
- Amazon SES
- $1
- Cloudflare
- $7.45
- MarkRelay
- $15.70
50,000
- Resend
- $20
- Brevo Starter
- $56
- SMTP2GO
- $50
- Amazon SES
- $5
- Cloudflare
- $21.45
- MarkRelay
- $29.70
100,000
- Resend
- $35
- Brevo Starter
- $82
- SMTP2GO
- $75
- Amazon SES
- $10
- Cloudflare
- $38.95
- MarkRelay
- $47.20
Monthly billing on the cheapest plan that covers the volume. SES is the à-la-carte rate without attachment data. MarkRelay is Cloudflare plus the $99 license spread over twelve months, with receiving and mailboxes included. Source: Amazon SES pricing.
Pick by the shape of your mail
Steady low volume, such as sign-up confirmations, fits a daily cap like Brevo's 300. Bursty mail, such as a launch or a password-reset wave, fits a monthly allowance, though Resend's 100-a-day cap still applies. If the app also receives mail, check how inbound is counted before you compare totals.
Where MarkRelay fits
A good fit when
- Your domain is on Cloudflare and the app should send and receive in your own account, with receiving free.
- Mailboxes your team can open next to the API, and many domains without per-domain fees.
Look elsewhere when
- A hosted relay with nothing to deploy, or a dedicated IP and sending SLA.
- Very high volume where Amazon SES's per-email price matters most.
Common questions
Which transactional email API has the biggest free plan?
Resend at 3,000 emails a month (max 100 a day), then Brevo at 300 a day.
Does SendGrid still have a free plan?
Its pricing page lists a 60-day free trial at 100 emails a day, then Essentials from $19.95 a month.
Sources and method
- Resend pricing (resend.com/pricing)
- Brevo pricing (www.brevo.com/pricing/)
- SMTP2GO pricing (www.smtp2go.com/pricing/)
- MailerSend pricing (www.mailersend.com/pricing)
- Mailgun pricing (www.mailgun.com/pricing/)
- Postmark pricing (postmarkapp.com/pricing)
- SendGrid pricing (www.twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing)
- Amazon SES pricing (aws.amazon.com/ses/pricing/)
- Cloudflare Email Service pricing (developers.cloudflare.com/email-service/platform/pricing/)
Facts are taken from each vendor's own pricing pages, documentation or terms as of the updated date above; prices are in US dollars per month unless stated. Cost comparisons apply each vendor's published rates to the same volume. MarkRelay is not affiliated with the providers covered here;MarkRelay sells a self-hosted email app, which this page mentions where it fits. Spotted something outdated? Tell us.
Revisions
- : First published; every fact checked on the vendor's own pages.
Related guides
More research
- Transactional emailsite.resend.com pricing: free plan, 3,000 emails and 100 a day
- Transactional emailsite.mailersend.com pricing: free plan, 500 emails a month
- Transactional emailsite.aws.amazon.com SES pricing: $0.10 per 1,000 emails, and what comes with it
- Transactional emailsite.postmarkapp.com pricing: from $15 for 10,000 emails, inbound from Pro
- Transactional emailsite.mailgun.com pricing: free plan, 100 emails a day, and inbound routes by plan
- Transactional emailsite.sendgrid.com: the free plan is retired. What changed, and where to send for free now