If your application sends emails — registrations, password resets, receipts, marketing campaigns — you will inevitably face the choice of an email provider. Running your own SMTP infrastructure doesn't work: emails won't reach Gmail. There are plenty of ready-made services; let's review the main ones.

Resend

Free up to 100 emails/day, then $20/month for 50k, $90 for 200k.

A new player (since 2023) that quickly gained a notable share among developers. Strengths: modern API, React templates (convenient for those on Next.js), good deliverability, simple dashboard.

Suitable for: teams that value developer experience, modern stacks. Not suitable for: large marketing campaigns with advanced segmentation.

SendGrid

Free up to 100 emails/day, Essentials $20/month for 50k, Pro $90 for 100k.

One of the oldest and largest services, owned by Twilio. Powerful API, flexible templates, marketing campaigns, A/B testing, advanced analytics.

Cons: interface not the most modern, deliverability requires configuration (standard shared pool may have spam issues).

Mailgun

5k emails/month free (for new accounts), then $35/month for 50k.

API-first service oriented towards developers. Strong in tracking, webhooks, analytics. Good for transactional emails, not heavily focused on marketing campaigns.

Amazon SES

$0.10 per 1000 emails (cheap!). Inside AWS — additional integrations.

The cheapest option at large volumes. But: setup is more complex (DKIM, SPF, sandbox mode), deliverability is poor initially (you need to warm up reputation), minimal interface. Suitable for technical teams with high volumes.

Postmark

Free up to 100 emails/month, $15/month for 10k, then proportional.

Focused exclusively on transactional emails. Best uptime and deliverability among all. Not suitable for marketing campaigns — they are not allowed by ToS.

Mailchimp

Free up to 1000 contacts, then from $20/month.

Marketing platform, strong in campaigns, automation, templates. Weaker in transactional — inconvenient for applications. Good choice for marketing tasks, but not for system emails.

What to Choose

  • New project, transactional. Resend — modern API, easy start.
  • Large volume, willing to configure. Amazon SES — cheap.
  • Marketing campaigns. Mailchimp or SendGrid.
  • Only transactional, need maximum deliverability. Postmark.
  • Universal stack on one service. SendGrid — both transactional and campaigns.

What to Configure Regardless of the Service

  • DKIM — domain signature; without it, emails often go to spam.
  • SPF — record authorizing sending from the service.
  • DMARC — policy for handling emails without proper DKIM/SPF.
  • Reputation warming. Gradually increase sending volume from a new domain/IP. Starting abruptly with 100k emails leads to quick spam filtering.
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This material is for informational purposes only and is not financial advice. Data and service terms may change, so check primary sources before making a payment or investment decision. Mentions of third-party brands and services do not imply official partnership, support, or endorsement by VirtCardPay.
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