SendGrid retired its free plan in 2025. Compare free alternatives: Resend (3K/mo), Mailjet (6K/mo), Brevo (300/day), Postmark, Loops, AhaSend. Catalogue dates July to September 2026.

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Email Service Alternatives

Transactional email — password resets, order confirmations, verification codes — is non-negotiable infrastructure for any app. SendGrid retired its free plan in 2025; new accounts get a 60-day trial at 100 emails a day. Mailgun still has a free plan with 100 emails a day.

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

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Postmark Free stable

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

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Mailchimp Free

Email marketing — 250 contacts, 500 sends/month (250/day cap), 1 audience, 1 seat, marketing CRM, forms and landing pages, email support first 30 daysWhen we last read the page we cite for this offer, on 2026-09-19, we found a change we could not reconcile with the terms we publish, so we cannot confirm these terms today.

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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

300 emails/day, unlimited contacts (fair use policy), marketing automation, segmentation, landing pages. Formerly SendinblueWhen we last read the page we cite for this offer, on 2026-09-21, we found a change we could not reconcile with the terms we publish, so we cannot confirm these terms today.

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Loops Free

1,000 contacts, 4,000 emails per 30 days (marketing + transactional). All features included. Transactional-only recipients don't count toward contact limitWhen we last read the page we cite for this offer, on 2026-09-19, we refused the change we considered recording because it named no figure that had moved, and refusing a change is not a confirmation of the terms above, so we cannot confirm these terms today.

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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 freeThe page we cite for this offer states no amount, tier or rate we can read when we last looked, on 2026-09-02, so we cannot confirm these terms today.

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Free Tier Comparison

What you actually get for free on each email platform. SendGrid has no free plan, only a 60-day trial at 100 emails a day — most alternatives offer dramatically more.

Platform Monthly Volume Contacts Type API/SMTP Best For
SendGrid 60-day trial (100/day) 2K Both ✅ / ✅ No free plan since 2025
Resend 3K/mo Unlimited Transactional ✅ / ✅ Developer-first — React Email, TypeScript SDK
Mailjet 6K/mo (200/day) Unlimited Both ✅ / ✅ 6K/mo on a 200/day cap — 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... —
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... —
Loops Free 1,000 contacts, 4,000 emails per 30 days (marketing + transactional). All features included. Transactional-only recipien... —
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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