Last updated: November 2026 | Pricing and ratings checked on both vendors’ sites on November 3, 2026 | 9 min read
Resend and SendGrid are both email APIs for sending password resets, receipts and app notifications, but they come from different eras. SendGrid has been the default email API for over a decade and is now part of Twilio. Resend launched in 2023 with a modern API, React Email for building templates in code, and a free plan that never expires.
We compared them over eight rounds using each vendor’s current pricing page and documentation. Short answer: it’s close. SendGrid wins 4–3 with one draw, thanks to an included dedicated IP on Pro, a bigger ecosystem and more mature marketing tools. Resend wins on its free plan, developer experience and 30-day logs, and it’s the better pick for new apps.
Quick Answer: SendGrid narrowly wins our Resend vs SendGrid comparison 4–3. SendGrid includes a dedicated IP on Pro ($89.95 for 100,000 emails), has the largest ecosystem and offers Marketing Campaigns. Resend has a free plan of 3,000 emails a month that never expires, a cleaner developer experience with React Email, and 30-day log retention on every plan. Prices are almost identical: $20 vs $19.95 for 50,000 emails.
Table of Contents
Resend vs SendGrid at a Glance
| Resend | SendGrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Resend (launched 2023) | Twilio (since 2019) |
| Free option | 3,000 emails/month, 100/day, forever | 60-day trial, 100/day |
| 50,000 emails | $20 (Pro) | $19.95 (Essentials) |
| 100,000 emails | $35 (Pro) | $34.95 (Essentials) or $89.95 (Pro) |
| Dedicated IP | $30/month add-on (Scale) | Included on Pro |
| Log retention | 30 days on all plans | 3 days (Essentials); 7 days (Pro) |
| SDKs | 9 languages + React Email | Official libraries for major languages |
| Marketing email | Broadcasts (by contacts) | Marketing Campaigns |
Review ratings
Resend
SendGrid
Resend has only nine G2 reviews and isn’t listed on Capterra, so its scores are based on a small sample.
Round 1: Pricing
Pricing is almost identical at small and mid volumes. 50,000 emails cost $20 on Resend Pro and $19.95 on SendGrid Essentials. 100,000 cost $35 and $34.95. At higher volumes the plans diverge: Resend Scale costs $650 for 1 million emails, while SendGrid Pro costs $499 for 700,000 and $799 for 1.5 million.
Winner: Draw.
Round 2: Free Plan
Resend’s free plan sends 3,000 emails a month (100 a day) with no time limit. SendGrid replaced its free plan with a 60-day trial at 100 emails a day.
Winner: Resend.
Round 3: Developer Experience
Resend was built for modern developers: a clean REST API, SDKs in nine languages including Go, Rust and Elixir, batch sending, and React Email for writing templates as components. Whichever you pick, our transactional email best practices guide covers what to send and how. SendGrid’s API is mature and well documented, with official libraries for the major languages, but it feels older.
Winner: Resend.
Round 4: Logs and Visibility
Resend keeps 30 days of email data on every plan, including free. SendGrid’s searchable activity covers 3 days on Essentials and 7 days on Pro.
Winner: Resend.
Round 5: Dedicated IP
SendGrid Pro includes a dedicated IP at $89.95 a month. Resend sells dedicated IPs as a $30/month add-on, only on Scale and for senders above 3,000 emails a day.
Winner: SendGrid.
Round 6: Ecosystem and Integrations
SendGrid is built into thousands of apps, plugins and frameworks, so it’s often the default option in third-party tools. Resend is growing fast but has a smaller ecosystem. If you mainly need to relay email from existing apps, see our SMTP relay services roundup.
Winner: SendGrid.
Round 7: Marketing Email
Both offer marketing email. SendGrid Marketing Campaigns is a mature product with its own plans. Resend Broadcasts is newer and priced by contacts ($40/month for 5,000 on Pro Marketing). For SendGrid against a dedicated marketing platform, see SendGrid vs Mailchimp.
Winner: SendGrid.
Round 8: Track Record and Teams
SendGrid has sent email at huge scale for years and offers up to 1,000 teammates and subusers on Pro. Resend is newer, with SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance, but less history at very high volume.
Winner: SendGrid.
Final Scoreboard: SendGrid 4, Resend 3 (1 Draw)
| Round | Winner |
|---|---|
| 1. Pricing | Draw |
| 2. Free plan | Resend |
| 3. Developer experience | Resend |
| 4. Logs | Resend |
| 5. Dedicated IP | SendGrid |
| 6. Ecosystem | SendGrid |
| 7. Marketing email | SendGrid |
| 8. Track record and teams | SendGrid |
A Simple Way to Decide
- You’re starting a new app and want a modern API: choose Resend.
- You want a free plan that lasts: choose Resend.
- You need a dedicated IP at 100,000 emails: choose SendGrid Pro.
- Your tools already integrate with SendGrid, or you use Twilio: choose SendGrid.
- Still comparing? See SendGrid vs Mailgun and our list of the best transactional email services.
Whichever you choose, authenticate your sending domain. Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to authenticate with SPF (RFC 7208), DKIM (RFC 6376) and DMARC (dmarc.org), keep spam complaints low and support one-click unsubscribe (Google’s guidelines, Yahoo’s best practices). Track your domain reputation in Google Postmaster Tools. Our SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup guide walks through each record.
Resend Pros and Cons
✅Resend Pros:
- Free plan of 3,000 emails a month that never expires
- Modern API, nine SDKs and React Email
- 30-day log retention on every plan
- Inbound email, batch sending and scheduling included
❌Resend Cons:
- Smaller ecosystem than SendGrid
- Dedicated IP only on Scale, as a $30/month add-on
- Newer company with less high-volume history
💰Pricing: Free (3,000/month); Pro $20/month (50K) or $35 (100K); Scale from $90 (100K) to $650 (1M).
SendGrid Pros and Cons
✅SendGrid Pros:
- Largest ecosystem of integrations
- Dedicated IP included on Pro
- Marketing Campaigns available
- Up to 1,000 teammates on Pro
❌SendGrid Cons:
- No permanent free plan (60-day trial)
- Only 3–7 days of searchable activity
- Very low Trustpilot score (1.1)
💰Pricing: 60-day trial; Essentials $19.95/month (50K) or $34.95 (100K); Pro $89.95 (100K).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Resend better than SendGrid?
Resend is better for new apps that want a modern API and a lasting free plan; SendGrid is better for its ecosystem, dedicated IP on Pro and marketing tools. SendGrid wins our comparison 4–3.
Which is cheaper, Resend or SendGrid?
They cost almost the same at small volumes: $20 vs $19.95 for 50,000 emails, and $35 vs $34.95 for 100,000. Resend has a permanent free plan; SendGrid offers a 60-day trial.
Does Resend have a free plan?
Yes. Resend’s free plan sends 3,000 emails a month (100 a day) and never expires.
Does SendGrid still have a free plan?
No. SendGrid now offers a 60-day free trial at 100 emails a day instead of a permanent free plan.
Can I switch from SendGrid to Resend?
Yes. Add and verify your domain in Resend, update your DNS records, then swap your API calls or SMTP credentials. Move low-risk email first and watch bounces for two weeks.
What are the alternatives to Resend and SendGrid?
Mailgun, Postmark and Amazon SES are common alternatives. See our SendGrid alternatives and Postmark alternatives.
Final Verdict
Resend is the better choice for new projects: a free plan that lasts, a modern API with React Email, and 30 days of logs on every plan. SendGrid is the better choice if you need a dedicated IP at 100,000 emails, rely on its huge ecosystem, or want mature marketing tools alongside your API. On price they’re nearly identical, so decide on the features that matter to you.
Looking for a Simpler Alternative?
If you want flat pricing and marketing email in the same account, the Mailercloud Email API costs $10/month for 50,000 emails and $100 for 500,000, with SMTP and REST and a 14-day free trial. Email marketing campaigns run from the same account.
Send 50,000 emails for $10 — try the Mailercloud Email API
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14-day free trial · SMTP & REST API · $10/month for 50,000 emails
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