Cloudflare Email Service: pricing, free tier and alternatives (2026)

§1

Overview

Cloudflare Email Service joins two products: Email Routing, which has handled incoming mail for custom addresses for years, and Email Sending, announced in private beta on September 25, 2025 and still labeled beta. Together they let an application both receive and send email on Cloudflare.

In a Worker you add a send_email binding and call send, with no API key to manage; from other platforms you use the REST API, SDKs for Node, Python and Go, or authenticated SMTP. Cloudflare configures SPF, DKIM and DMARC through its DNS and handles IP reputation. Incoming mail can be routed to addresses or processed by a Worker's email() handler, for example to create a ticket or send an auto-reply.

Sending to arbitrary recipients requires the Workers Paid plan ($5 a month minimum per account), which includes 3,000 outbound emails a month; beyond that each 1,000 emails costs $0.35. Routing is unlimited on both the free and paid plans.

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Pricing and plans

Plan	Price	What you get
Workers Free	$0/mo	Email Routing unlimited; sending only to verified addresses in your account
Workers Paid	$5/mo minimum	3,000 outbound emails included, then $0.35 per 1,000; routing unlimited

Email Sending is in beta. The $5 Workers Paid minimum also covers Workers, KV, Hyperdrive and Durable Objects usage. costAt includes the $5 plan fee plus $0.35 per 1,000 beyond 3,000. Hard bounces count toward the quota; sends blocked by the suppression list do not. Sends to verified destination addresses in your own account are free on every plan. Email Routing Workers are billed at normal Workers rates.

Source: developers.cloudflare.com/email-service/platform/pricing/ · prices as published, excluding tax.

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What it does

Workers binding: Send email from a Worker with a binding instead of API keys.
REST API, SDKs and SMTP: Use the REST API with Node, Python or Go SDKs, or SMTP at smtp.mx.cloudflare.net.
Email Routing: Unlimited inbound routing to addresses or Workers on all plans.
Automatic DNS setup: SPF, DKIM and DMARC records configured through Cloudflare DNS.
Local emulation: Wrangler can emulate Email Sending for local testing.
Suppression list: Blocked sends are rejected at the API and do not count toward the quota.

§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

No API keys needed when sending from Workers
Unlimited free inbound routing
Low $0.35 per 1,000 after the included 3,000
Sending and receiving on one platform

Limitations

Email Sending is still in beta
Sending to arbitrary recipients requires Workers Paid
Hard bounces count toward the quota
No dedicated IP or data-region options described

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Who it suits

Good for

Apps built on Cloudflare Workers
Projects that need both inbound routing and outbound mail
Low-volume transactional email

Look elsewhere if

Teams that need a mature, GA service with an SLA today
Apps not using Cloudflare DNS or Workers

§6

Alternatives to Cloudflare Email Service

Tool	From	Free option
AhaSend Transactional email API and SMTP relay	$10/mo	Free tier
Brevo Email marketing and transactional platform	$9/mo	Free tier
Elastic Email API Email API and SMTP relay	$19/mo	Free tier
Lettermint Transactional and broadcast email API	€10/mo	Free tier
Loops Lifecycle email for SaaS	$49/mo	Free tier
Mailcoach Email marketing platform	$9.99/mo	Trial

All transactional email apis →

§7

Questions

Is Cloudflare Email Service free?

Email Routing is free and unlimited. Sending to arbitrary recipients needs the $5/month Workers Paid plan, which includes 3,000 emails.

How much does Cloudflare charge per email?

$0.35 per 1,000 emails after the 3,000 included on Workers Paid.

Can I use Cloudflare Email Service outside Workers?

Yes, through the REST API, SDKs for Node, Python and Go, or SMTP.

Is Cloudflare email sending generally available?

No, Email Sending is labeled beta in Cloudflare's documentation.

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