8 Best SendGrid Alternatives For Email Marketing
Let’s jump straight into why you’re here: you’re on the hunt for a SendGrid alternative. Maybe SendGrid doesn’t meet your needs anymore, or maybe you’ve run into customer support issues.
You need a platform that outperforms in critical areas:
- Unmatched deliverability.
- Responsive and helpful support.
- Greater value for money.
- A user interface that’s easy and enjoyable to use.
Whether you’re looking to upgrade in one of these areas or you’re after a grand slam in all four, you’re in the right place. Let’s explore the top contenders.
SendGrid Alternatives in a Glance
SendGrid is a great platform for email marketing automation. It’s feature-packed. And has a decent reputation. But it’s not the ideal choice for everyone.
Here’s a quick comparison of the top alternatives to SendGrid to help you decide.
Feature | Campaign Refinery | ConvertKit | ActiveCampaign | Sendlane | Mailjet | Beehiiv |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Target Audience | Diverse Businesses | Content Creators | Medium-Sized Businesses | E-Commerce | Developers & Marketers | Bloggers |
Key Strength | High Email Deliverability | Intuitive Interface | Segmentation | E-commerce Integrations | Collaborative Email Editor | Newsletter Management |
Value for Money | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
Ease of Use | 10 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Advanced Automation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
Complex Workflows | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Engagement Reward System | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Automatic List Cleaning | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
Price for 100,000 Emails | $299/month | $379/month | $406/month | $200/month | $35/month | $99/month |
Note: The information in this piece is accurate as of November 2023.
Campaign Refinery: The Deliverability Champion
Campaign Refinery started with a mission to make email marketing success possible for everyone. We give our clients proven frameworks, and our software provides the tools to implement those frameworks.
Deliverability is the heart of our operations. We’ve built it into every layer of our platform. Mandatory domain authentication, automatic list cleaning, and gamification are only a few of the tools we use to boost deliverability.
As a leading SendGrid alternative, Campaign Refinery’s goal is to help reputable senders land in the inbox more frequently — not selling more accounts.
Key Features
- Unlimited contacts.
- Powerful email editor.
- Automatic list cleaning.
- Transparent and fair credit system.
- Gamification to boost user engagement.
- Advanced automation and drip campaign builder.
- Seamlessly integrates with existing tech stacks.
- Campaign library for inspiration and efficiency.
Pros
- Committed to maximum deliverability: We’ve engineered our platform to maximize the chances of your messages landing in your audience’s inboxes. We nurture your sender reputation from the first day you join us by following the best practices, such as domain authentication.
- You’re in good company: We only work with quality senders, and every client undergoes a thorough vetting process before joining our community. So, spam and cold emailing are off the table. Our approach lifts everyone’s sender reputation, so the entire pool benefits from each other’s good practices.
- Transparent pricing: We use a credit-based system. So, every dollar you spend is directly linked to tangible email marketing efforts. Plus, unlike many competitors, we don’t punish you for growth. You can grow your email list as large as you need without worrying about hidden fees or escalating charges.
- List hygiene on autopilot: Campaign Refinery makes cleaning your list effortless. Our automatic list-cleaning system will validate all your contacts every 30 and 180 days. We use advanced data sources to proactively find contacts that could harm your sender reputation and remove them.
- Built for serious marketers: Campaign Refinery isn’t just another email marketing platform. We’re a reliable partner for marketers and business owners who want ROI from their opt-in lists. You don’t need any technical knowledge to get started, but
- Super flexible automation: Our sophisticated Branch & Rule builder empowers you to create flexible drip campaigns. You can use custom fields, tags, and engagement data to personalize your sequences. Plus, our Goals feature lets you adapt your messaging in real-time based on the actions your subscribers take (or don’t take).
- Intuitive user interface: Navigating Campaign Refinery is a breeze. Every feature, tool, and bit of data is just a few clicks away. And we recently updated our UI to make it even more user-friendly, smarter, and faster.
Cons
- Narrow focus: Our platform isn’t riddled with unrelated features like landing page builders or sales prospecting tools. Admittedly, our single-minded dedication to email marketing means Campaign Refinery might not be for everyone. But if you want your emails not just sent but read, clicked on, and converted, our platform is the right choice.
Pricing
We use a credit-based system rather than a flat fee based on the size of your email list. You only pay for the actual emails you send and the contacts you clean, without any hidden costs or surprises.
- Sending 10,000 emails? $99 per month.
- Sending 100,000 emails? $299 per month.
- Sending 1,000,000 emails? Starting at $1,000 per month.
We don’t offer a standard free trial because we carefully vet every potential client before onboarding. This process ensures that our community is made up of serious marketers committed to responsible and effective email marketing practices.
Check out pricing tiers and apply to join our list of clients.
ConvertKit: An Email Tool for Creators
ConvertKit is a decent alternative to SendGrid if you want a no-fuss platform with moderate automation and segmentation.
The company has a narrow focus, though: content creators.
ConvertKit positions itself as an email marketing solution for bloggers, artists, and small-scale e-commerce sites.
Its standout feature is the intuitive interface combined with automation capabilities. So, it’s a strong choice if you need a straightforward tool for small email campaigns.
Compared to SendGrid, ConvertKit is less intimidating for new users and provides more specialized features for audience engagement, like customizable landing pages and sign-up forms tailored for content creators.
Pros
- User-friendly interface for beginners: The clean design and intuitive navigation make it easy for beginners to manage email campaigns without a steep learning curve.
- Robust customer support: Customers can reach the support team via email or live chat, and they typically respond within a few hours. There’s also a customer community, but it doesn’t seem to be active.
- Resource for creators: Webinars, how-to guides, and a marketing blog alongside a creator network that lets users cross-promote their newsletters.
Cons
- Expensive for advanced features: Automation, integrations, and premium support are only available to paid users. And the plans are on the expensive side, especially as you start to grow your email list.
- Limited templates: At the time of writing, we counted 25 email templates on the website across all categories.
- Not for large businesses: Larger organizations with complex marketing strategies won’t get the performance and scalability they need.
Pricing
ConvertKit uses a subscriber-based pricing model with unlimited broadcasts in all plans. They offer a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers but with limited features.
Here’s how much you’ll likely have to pay:
- Sending 1,000 emails? Free, but with limitations on automation and integrations.
- Sending 10,000 emails? Starting at $79 per month (assuming you have 5,000 subscribers).
- Sending 100,000 emails? Starting at $379 per month (assuming you have 50,000 subscribers).
ActiveCampaign: The Platform for Medium-Sized Businesses
ActiveCampaign is a dynamic platform that combines email marketing, CRM, and sales tools. It’s targeted at medium-sized businesses with complex marketing needs.
ActiveCampaign’s standout feature is its segmentation and personalization tools. You can send highly targeted emails based on customer behavior and preferences.
Most users are happy with their comprehensive tools, powerful automation, and responsive customer support.
But here’s the catch: if you’re a small business owner or solopreneur, you’ll get overwhelmed. ActiveCampaign is packed with features that can be more than what you bargained for. And to really get the most out of the platform, a bit of a background in digital marketing goes a long way.
Pros
- Robust email automation: ActiveCampaign lets you set up complex workflows using a flexible visual designer.
- WordPress integration: If you’re using WordPress, the plugin helps you insert forms into your posts and track your website visits.
- E-commerce friendly: The platform plays well with platforms like Shopify. It lets you automate many parts of the customer journey.
Cons
- Overwhelming feature set for small businesses: ActiveCampaign’s feature buffet is vast, and if you’re a small business owner, it might feel like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.
- Complicated pricing structure: Their pricing is a maze of choices with four tiers, variable pricing based on contact numbers, and extra costs for addons. It also changes depending on whether you need marketing, sales, or combined features.
- Steep learning curve: New users have to invest a lot of time to get the hang of all the features. And the investment might not be worth it if you’re not a digital marketing geek.
- Cost considerations: While it offers a ton, the cost can make you pause and think. Consider whether the investment fits your needs and budget.
Pricing
ActiveCampaign uses a contact-based pricing model. There are four tiers with different features included. You also have to select whether you want marketing features, sales features, or both. Add in the addons, and you get a pricing puzzle that might just require a degree in mathematics.
- Sending 1,000 emails? Starting at $39 per month.
- Sending 10,000 emails? Starting at $99 per month (assuming you have 5,000 subscribers).
- Sending 100,000 emails? Starting at $406 per month (assuming you have 50,000 subscribers).
Sendlane: Automation for E-Commerce
Sendlane is a relatively newer player in the email marketing space. But it has quickly made a name for itself, especially among e-commerce businesses.
It’s a SendGrid alternative that focuses on advanced e-commerce integrations. You can connect to multiple stores at the same time, including Shopify and WooCommerce.
It acts as a hub for your marketing data, pulling in data points from various applications. You can use this data to personalize your email campaigns and engage each contact on your list at the right time.
Sendlane is best for established e-commerce stores with a large email list. The minimum number of email credits you can buy is 50,000 per month. So, if you’re just starting out, Sendlane is probably not the most cost-effective solution.
Pros
- Intuitive user interface: Sendlane’s interface is easy to use for beginners and advanced marketers alike.
- Strong customer support: Most users seem to be happy with the company’s customer support. Sendlane also offers plenty of educational resources to help beginners.
Cons
- Higher price for small businesses: If you’re running a smaller operation, you’ll find Sendlane’s pricing on the higher side.
- Lacks some features: When you stack it up against Klaviyo or Postscript, Sendlane falls a bit short. There are a few key features you might miss.
- Limited email templates: The email template library is limited, and many users complain about the lack of features to create eye-catching designs.
Pricing
Sendlane’s pricing is based on the number of emails you send each month and includes all features. But you have to buy at least 50,000 email credits per month, and you can also add SMS credits if you need them.
- Sending 1,000 emails? Starting at $100 per month.
- Sending 10,000 emails? Starting at $100 per month.
- Sending 100,000 emails? Starting at $200 per month.
Mautic: Sendgrid Open Source Alternative
Mautic is unique because it’s an open-source email marketing platform. Unlike the other solutions on this list, Mautic’s interface and features aren’t fixed. You can modify the code to customize the front-end user experience and the back-end email processing.
Mautic’s open-source design also means you can host it on your own servers at your company or on the cloud.
This way, your costs will be significantly lower. But you’ll still have to pay for an email delivery service, such as Amazon SES, and maintenance.
Open-source email marketing software, including Mautic, isn’t for everyone, though. You’ll need someone with technical expertise to set up and maintain the servers, even if you don’t plan on customizing the code.
Pros
- Cost-effective software: Mautic can be a real budget-saver because it’s open-source. You get a powerful marketing automation tool without a hefty price tag.
- Strong community support: One of Mautic’s biggest strengths is its community. You’re becoming part of a community of users and developers ready to help each other.
Cons
- Needs technical know-how: If you don’t have a tech-savvy person on your team, Mautic might seem like trying to solve a Rubik’s cube blindfolded.
- Not user-friendly: Mautic’s interface isn’t as straightforward as some of the more user-friendly, proprietary options out there.
- Lacks customer support: You expect the kind of customer support you get with proprietary platforms. The community is your main source of help.
- Limited templates and design tools: If you’re looking for a wealth of built-in templates, Mautic might disappoint. Its design capabilities are a bit bare-bones.
Pricing
As an open-source platform, Mautic is free to download and use. But you’ll incur costs for:
- Hosting.
- Mail transport agent.
- Integrations and additional modules.
- Custom development and maintenance.
Keap: The CRM and Sales Assistant for Small Businesses
Keap (formerly known as Infusionsoft) is a comprehensive CRM, sales, and marketing automation software tailored for small businesses. It claims to be a one-stop solution for businesses looking to streamline their customer management and marketing efforts.
Keap’s features include client management, sales automation, and payment processing. Plus, the automation tools let you create sophisticated workflows to save time and increase efficiency.
Contrary to what you might expect, a lot of the user reviews describe Keap as “convoluted, complex, and confusing,” with one review calling it a “beast of features.” New users often have an overwhelming first experience, especially if they’re not familiar with business software.
Pros
- Automation across multiple channels: Keap claims to synchronize marketing and sales efforts so that customers don’t have to juggle multiple tools.
- Advanced CRM capabilities: Keap’s CRM system is in-depth and multifaceted, ideal for detailed customer management and tracking.
Cons
- Jack of all trades, master of none: While Keap offers impressive features, it doesn’t excel in any area compared to specialized tools.
- Lackluster email deliverability: Users have experienced issues with email deliverability, where their emails ended up in the spam folder or didn’t get delivered at all.
- Steep learning curve: Learning to use all of Keap’s features takes a lot of time. The platform can be challenging even for experienced users.
- High price point: Keap’s pricing is higher than other services like SendGrid, which might be a limiting factor for businesses with tighter budgets.
Pricing
Keap’s pricing is based on the number of contacts and the features you want. They offer three tiers, but there’s no free plan. You only get a 14-day free trial, which won’t be enough to test all the features.
- Sending 1,000 emails? Starting at $199 per month.
- Sending 10,000 emails? Starting at $324 per month (assuming you have 5,000 subscribers).
- Sending 100,000 emails? Starting at $599 per month (assuming you have 50,000 subscribers).
Mailjet: The Collaborative Email Experience
Mailjet is an email marketing platform and email sender service that lets you create and send email campaigns using the same platform. It’s the most SendGrid like service on this list in terms of features.
Mailjet targets both developers and marketers with a balanced mix of simplicity and advanced features. Compared to SendGrid, it offers a more streamlined user experience with an emphasis on collaboration. You can define multiple roles and give each person specific privileges.
But because Mailjet isn’t a dedicated email marketing platform, we don’t recommend it if you’re serious about generating revenue through email marketing.
If you need to send transactional emails automatically, like a welcome email or a receipt after a purchase, Mailjet is a great choice.
Pros
- Flexible pricing options: Mailjet offers a variety of pricing plans to fit different business sizes and needs, allowing you to scale your efforts as your business grows.
- Strict anti-spam policy: By enforcing a strict sending policy and disallowing the use of third-party or purchased lists, Mailjet maintains high deliverability standards.
Cons
- Limited free account: The free plan on Mailjet has multiple constraints – you can only send 200 emails per day and have up to 1,500 contacts, with no automation features. So, it’s hard to imagine how you can test the platform with the free plan.
- Not focused on solopreneurs or startups: While Mailjet is user-friendly, its features and design lean more towards handling transactional emails rather than being a comprehensive solution for startups or self-owned businesses.
- Limited design options: Mailjet’s range of email templates is somewhat limited, which might hinder businesses looking for more creative and diverse design options.
- Underwhelming customer support: Some users have reported disappointing experiences with customer support, which could be a larger concern if you already have an email marketing operation.
Pricing
Mailjet uses an email volume-based pricing model. With each sending bracket, there are four pricing tiers with different features and capabilities.
- Sending 1,000 emails? Part of the free plan, which includes up to 6,000 emails per month (with a daily limit of 200 emails).
- Sending 10,000 emails? Starting at $15 per month on the Essential plan.
- Sending 100,000 emails? Starting at $35 per month on the Essential plan.
Beehiiv: The Newsletter Companion
Beehiiv is another relatively new player in the email marketing universe, which recently raised its first major round of investment.
The platform positions itself as a solution for managing and growing a newsletter. It’s a user-friendly, efficient tool for bloggers, content creators, and small business owners.
As an affordable alternative to SendGrid, Beehiiv offers a refreshing simplicity. It’s an ideal solution if you want a no-fuss, direct approach to your small-scale email marketing operation.
The platform also helps creators monetize their newsletters through ads and premium subscriptions. And it doesn’t take a cut of the revenue.
Pros
- Minimalist editor: The platform offers a straightforward yet powerful editor that simplifies writing newsletters. It allows creators to focus on their message without getting bogged down by overly complex editing tools.
- Simple website builder: Beehiiv includes a simple website builder in their most expensive plan. This feature is great if you want to maintain a cohesive online presence.
Cons
- Huge price jump for advanced plans: Moving up from Beehiiv’s basic plan can be a bit of a shock price-wise. And the basic plan offers limited functionality.
- Limited advanced features: Beehiiv probably won’t satisfy those looking for more complex features such as automations, personalization, and email segmentation.
- Basic analytics: Beehiiv’s analytics might feel too rudimentary for seasoned marketers who prefer analytical depth. It only covers the basics.
- Still gaining ground: Beehiiv is still building its reputation and user base. It hasn’t yet established a robust track record, which might give some users pause.
Pricing
Beehiiv offers a straightforward pricing model, with a free tier for beginners and scalable paid options as your subscriber list grows. Each higher tier offers more features and a larger cap on your number of contacts. Plus, you get unlimited sends with all the plans.
- Sending 1,000 emails? Free with the basic plan.
- Sending 10,000 emails? Starting at $49 per month (assuming you have 5,000 subscribers).
- Sending 100,000 emails? Starting at $99 per month (assuming you have 50,000 subscribers).
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