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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
*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.
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