SendGrid
Free trialTwilio's email API and SMTP relay for app email, with a separate Marketing Campaigns tool for newsletters.
Best for developers and product teams sending receipts, password resets and alerts from their own app
Facts checked November 4, 2026 · First written by Mutuo Mbilla
The short answer
SendGrid, owned by Twilio since February 2019, is first an email delivery service: your app sends receipts, alerts and password resets through its web API or SMTP relay, and SendGrid reports bounces, opens and clicks back by webhook. Email API Essentials costs $19.95 a month for 50,000 emails, and Pro, from $89.95 for 100,000, adds a dedicated IP, subusers and 2,500 email validations. Newsletters run on Marketing Campaigns, a separate subscription from $15 a month, but automation and dedicated IPs there start on the $60 Advanced plan. The old free plan is gone for new accounts: you get a 60-day trial at 100 emails a day, and sending stops when it ends unless you pick a paid plan.
Choose it if
- Your app or website sends order receipts, password resets or alerts, and you want to send them through a web API or SMTP relay with event data sent back to your system
- You send 100,000 emails a month or more and want a dedicated IP included, which starts on Pro at $89.95 a month
- You manage several brands or client accounts and want subusers to keep their sending, settings and stats apart (Pro and Premier)
- You already use Twilio for SMS or voice and want email from the same vendor and console
- You want to check addresses before you mail them: Pro includes 2,500 email validations and Premier 5,000
Skip it if
- You want a free plan you can stay on; new accounts get a one-time 60-day trial capped at 100 emails a day
- You are a marketer who wants automated sequences on a small budget; Marketing Campaigns automation starts on Advanced at $60 a month for 10,000 contacts
- You want to look back through weeks of message logs without paying extra; Essentials keeps 3 days of email activity and Pro 7 days
- Several people need their own logins on a cheap plan; Essentials and Marketing Campaigns Basic allow one additional teammate, against up to 1,000 on Pro and Advanced
- You want landing pages, a website builder or a CRM in the same account as your newsletters
Main features
Email API and SMTP relay
Send email from your own code through the web API, or point an existing app at SendGrid's SMTP server. Twilio says the service delivers more than 200 billion emails a month.
Event webhooks
SendGrid posts delivery, bounce, open and click events to your server so your app can react, for example by flagging a bad address. The trial has 1 webhook, Essentials 2 and Pro 5.
Dedicated IPs
Pro and Premier include one dedicated IP so your sending reputation is not shared with other customers, and you can buy more as an add-on.
Subusers and SSO
On Pro and Premier, split one account into subusers for each brand, product or client, each with its own settings and stats, and sign teammates in through single sign-on.
Email validation
Check whether an address is likely to bounce before you send to it. Pro includes 2,500 validations and Premier 5,000.
Stored templates
Keep transactional templates in SendGrid and fill them with order or account data at send time, so designers can change a receipt without a code release. Pro and Premier add template testing.
Marketing Campaigns editor and segments
Build newsletters in a drag-and-drop or code editor, segment contacts and A/B test campaigns. Basic includes 5 signup forms and Advanced 15.
Marketing automation
Automated email series for new contacts and other triggers are part of Marketing Campaigns Advanced and Custom, and of the free trial.
Email testing credits
Preview how a campaign looks before you send it, with 3 credits on the trial, 10 on Basic and 60 on Advanced each month. Extra packs start at $18 for 30 credits.
Pricing
US dollar prices checked November 4, 2026 on Twilio's SendGrid pricing pages, billed monthly. Email API and Marketing Campaigns are separate subscriptions, and you can hold one or both. Email API Pro rises to $249 for 300,000 emails, $499 for 700,000, $799 for 1.5 million and $1,099 for 2.5 million emails a month. Marketing Campaigns Basic costs $25 for 10,000 contacts and $50 for 20,000; Advanced costs $100 for 20,000 and $250 for 50,000. Going over a Marketing Campaigns plan costs $0.0023 to $0.0075 per extra email or contact, depending on the plan.
Free trial
$0
Email API and Marketing Campaigns, 100 emails a day, 100 contacts, 1 additional teammate, no credit card
Email API Essentials
$19.95 / month
50,000 emails a month ($34.95 for 100,000), 1 additional teammate, 2 event webhooks, template editor, 3 days of activity history
Email API Pro
$89.95 / month
100,000 emails a month, 1 dedicated IP, subusers and SSO, up to 1,000 additional teammates, 5 event webhooks, 2,500 email validations, 7 days of history
Email API Premier
Custom / month
Volumes above Pro, 1 dedicated IP, 5,000 email validations, optional email program management
Marketing Campaigns Basic
$15 / month
5,000 contacts and 15,000 emails a month, design and code editors, segmentation, A/B testing, 5 signup forms, ticket, chat and phone support
Marketing Campaigns Advanced
$60 / month
10,000 contacts and 50,000 emails a month, automation, dedicated IP access, 15 signup forms, up to 1,000 additional teammates
Marketing Campaigns Custom
Custom / month
High-volume marketing email with the Advanced features
Reviews
Write a reviewNo reviews yet. If you use SendGrid, yours would be the first.
Alternatives to SendGrid
| Product | Choose it instead if | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Mailgun | You want another developer email API to compare, with inbound email routing and storage built in | Free (100 emails a day) |
| Brevo | You want marketing email, SMS and transactional email in one account, with a free plan that sends 300 emails a day | Free |
| Mailjet | You want a drag-and-drop marketing editor and an email API from one European vendor | Free |
| Platformly | You want marketing email, automations and transactional email through an API or SMTP relay in one account, with each sale tied back to the email or link behind it |
Questions people ask
Is SendGrid still free?
Not for new accounts. Since March 25, 2025, new accounts get a 60-day trial that sends up to 100 emails a day and stores up to 100 contacts in Marketing Campaigns. When it ends, sending stops unless you have chosen a paid plan, and SendGrid support says it cannot restore sending on an expired trial. Older free accounts stay on their existing plans.
How much does SendGrid cost?
As of November 4, 2026, Email API Essentials costs $19.95 a month for 50,000 emails and Pro starts at $89.95 for 100,000. Marketing Campaigns is billed separately, from $15 a month on Basic for 5,000 contacts and from $60 on Advanced for 10,000 contacts. Premier and Custom plans are priced by quote.
What is the difference between the Email API and Marketing Campaigns?
The Email API is for messages your software sends one at a time, such as receipts and password resets, sent through code or SMTP. Marketing Campaigns is a separate web tool for newsletters and promotions, with an editor, contact lists, segments and signup forms. They are priced and billed as two products.
Is SendGrid part of Twilio?
Yes. Twilio completed its purchase of SendGrid on February 1, 2019. SendGrid's website has since been folded into twilio.com, and its pricing, docs and login pages now live there.
Does SendGrid include a dedicated IP?
Email API Pro and Premier include one dedicated IP, and Marketing Campaigns Advanced and Custom include access to dedicated IPs. Essentials and Basic send from shared IPs. You can add more IPs on the plans that include one.
What happens if I send more than my plan allows?
Paid plans charge overage fees above their limits; on Marketing Campaigns that is $0.0023 to $0.0075 per extra email or contact, depending on the plan. The free trial cannot go over 100 emails a day or 100 contacts. Accounts created through Heroku or Google Cloud do not allow overages at all.
Sources we checked 7
- twilio.com/en-us/sendgrid for sendgrid.com now redirects to twilio.com, product names, 200 billion emails a month claim, trial with no credit card checked November 4, 2026
- twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing for Email API plans and volume tiers (from the price table the page loads), dedicated IPs, subusers, teammates, webhooks, validations, templates, activity history, trial limits, overage and tax note checked November 4, 2026
- twilio.com/en-us/products/marketing-campaigns/pricing for Marketing Campaigns plans and contact tiers, features by plan, signup forms, teammates, testing credits and packs, overage rates, support by plan, Heroku and Google Cloud overage rule checked November 4, 2026
- support.sendgrid.com/hc/en-us/articles/35270136965403 for 60-day trial start date, limits, what stops when it ends, existing free accounts checked November 4, 2026
- twilio.com/en-us/press/releases/twilio-completes-acquisition-sendgrid for acquisition completed February 1, 2019 checked November 4, 2026
- twilio.com/en-us/legal/tos for Twilio Inc. place of business, San Francisco checked November 4, 2026
- twilio.com/en-us/company for Twilio founded 2008, 400K+ customer accounts checked November 4, 2026