SendGrid restricted to 100/day, Mailgun killed its free tier. Compare free alternatives: Resend (3K/mo), Mailjet (6K/mo), Brevo (300/day), Postmark, Loops, AhaSend. Verified 2026 limits.

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Email Service Alternatives

Transactional email — password resets, order confirmations, verification codes — is non-negotiable infrastructure for any app. But the landscape has shifted dramatically: SendGrid cut its free tier to just 100 emails/day with mandatory phone verification, and Mailgun eliminated its free tier entirely (now a 30-day trial).

The good news: several developer-focused alternatives now offer generous free tiers. Resend gives you 3,000 emails/month with a modern React Email integration. Mailjet offers 6,000/month (200/day cap). Brevo provides 300/day with unlimited contacts. And newer entrants like Loops and AhaSend are competing hard on developer experience and pricing.

Below are the best free email services for developers in 2026, compared by volume limits, API quality, and what you actually get for free.

Free Tier Removed

Perpetual free tier (100 emails/day) eliminated. Replaced with 60-day trial only. Paid plans start at $19.95/month Source ↗

Before: Free plan: 100 emails/day forever, no credit card required
After: 60-day trial only (100 emails/day, 100 contacts). Paid plans from $19.95/month after trial

Top Alternatives

Resend Free stable

Developer-first email API — 3K emails/month free (100/day cap), 3 domains, 1K marketing contacts/month, 5 AI credits, 30-day data retention

Full profile More alternatives Pricing page ↗
Postmark Free stable

Transactional email API — 100 emails/month free, never expires, no credit card required

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Mailchimp Free stable

Email marketing — 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (250/day cap), 1 audience, 1 seat, marketing CRM, forms and landing pages, email support first 30 days

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Mailjet Free stable

Email API — 6,000 emails/month (200/day limit), 1,000 contacts, email editor and templates

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Brevo Free stable

300 emails/day, unlimited contacts (fair use policy), marketing automation, segmentation, landing pages. Formerly Sendinblue

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Loops Free stable

1,000 contacts, 4,000 emails per 30 days (marketing + transactional). All features included. Transactional-only recipients don't count toward contact limit

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AhaSend Free stable

Transactional email service, free for 1,000 emails per month, 3 sending domains, 7-day data retention, basic support. Includes REST API, SMTP relay, sandbox mode, SDKs, scheduling, open/link tracking, webhooks.

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Buttondown Free

Newsletter service. Up to 100 subscribers free

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Free Tier Comparison

What you actually get for free on each email platform. SendGrid gives you 100 emails/day with phone verification required — most alternatives offer dramatically more.

Platform Monthly Volume Contacts Type API/SMTP Best For
SendGrid ~3K/mo (100/day) 2K Both ✅ / ✅ Legacy — phone verification required
Resend 3K/mo Unlimited Transactional ✅ / ✅ Developer-first — React Email, TypeScript SDK
Mailjet 6K/mo (200/day) Unlimited Both ✅ / ✅ Highest free volume — built-in email editor
Brevo ~9K/mo (300/day) Unlimited Both ✅ / ✅ All-in-one — email, SMS, CRM, automation
Loops 4K/30 days 1K Both ✅ / — Modern UX — marketing + transactional combined
Postmark 100/mo Unlimited Transactional ✅ / ✅ Best deliverability — focused on transactional only
AhaSend 1K/mo Unlimited Transactional ✅ / ✅ Unlimited domains — simple API, no frills
Buttondown Unlimited* 100 Newsletter ✅ / — Newsletters — Markdown-native, simple UX
Mailchimp 500/mo 250 Marketing ✅ / — Marketing email — templates, automation, analytics

*Buttondown's free tier is unlimited sends but capped at 100 subscribers. Mailjet's 6K/month is split into a 200/day sending limit. Brevo's 300/day works out to ~9K/month. All volumes are approximate where daily caps apply.

Quick Comparison

Tool Free Tier Details Stability
Resend Free Developer-first email API — 3K emails/month free (100/day cap), 3 domains, 1K marketing contacts/month, 5 AI credits, 30... stable
Postmark Free Transactional email API — 100 emails/month free, never expires, no credit card required stable
Mailchimp Free Email marketing — 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (250/day cap), 1 audience, 1 seat, marketing CRM, forms and landing page... stable
Mailjet Free Email API — 6,000 emails/month (200/day limit), 1,000 contacts, email editor and templates stable
Brevo Free 300 emails/day, unlimited contacts (fair use policy), marketing automation, segmentation, landing pages. Formerly Sendin... stable
Loops Free 1,000 contacts, 4,000 emails per 30 days (marketing + transactional). All features included. Transactional-only recipien... stable
AhaSend Free Transactional email service, free for 1,000 emails per month, 3 sending domains, 7-day data retention, basic support. In... stable
Buttondown Free Newsletter service. Up to 100 subscribers free —

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