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Email API and SMTP relay · by Twilio

Twilio SendGrid Email API

Twilio's long-running email API and SMTP relay, with volume plans from 50,000 to 2.5 million emails and a dedicated IP included from the Pro tier.

Visit twilio.com ↗ Alternatives Trial EU region
Twilio SendGrid Email API homepage
§1

Overview

SendGrid is one of the oldest email APIs and is now sold as part of Twilio. It offers a Web API with client libraries, an SMTP relay, dynamic templates, event webhooks and an Inbound Parse webhook for receiving mail.

There is no permanent free plan for the Email API: new accounts get a 60-day trial limited to 100 emails a day. Essentials starts at $19.95 a month for 50,000 emails ($34.95 for 100,000) with ticket and chat support and one teammate. Pro starts at $89.95 for 100,000 emails and adds a dedicated IP, IP pools, subuser management, SSO, 1,000 teammates, 2,500 email validations and seven days of searchable activity.

Essentials keeps only three days of searchable email activity, which is short when you are chasing a missing email. Longer history is a paid add-on.

SendGrid lists SOC 2 Type II and GDPR compliance, and an EU data residency option. Marketing Campaigns, the newsletter product, is purchased separately.

§2

Pricing and plans

Plan Price What you get
Free Trial $0 for 60 days 100 emails/day
Essentials 50k $19.95/mo 50,000 emails, $0.00133 per extra email, 3 days of activity
Essentials 100k $34.95/mo 100,000 emails, $0.00088 per extra email
Pro 100k $89.95/mo 1 dedicated IP, subusers, SSO, 7 days of activity
Pro 300k $249/mo 300,000 emails
Pro 700k $499/mo 700,000 emails
Pro 1.5M $799/mo 1,500,000 emails
Premier Custom 2.5M+ emails, 5,000 validations

Twilio's pricing page lists the Free Trial (100 emails/day for 60 days), Essentials from $19.95 and Pro from $89.95; the per-volume prices come from Twilio's SendGrid pricing PDF. A Pro 2.5M tier at $1,099/mo is also listed. Taxes and overages are extra. Marketing Campaigns is a separate subscription. The EU data residency row appears in the privacy table; which plans include it is not clear from the text we could read.

Source: www.twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

Web API and SMTP
Send through a REST API with client libraries or a standard SMTP relay.
Dynamic templates
Stored templates with handlebars-style substitution.
Inbound Parse
Receive email and have it posted to your webhook.
Dedicated IPs and pools
One dedicated IP included on Pro and Premier, with automated warm-up and pooling.
Subusers
Separate sending accounts under one parent on Pro and Premier, useful for multi-tenant apps.
Email validation
2,500 validations included on Pro and 5,000 on Premier.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Dedicated IP and subusers included from $89.95/mo
  • $34.95 covers 100,000 emails on Essentials
  • Part of Twilio, so SMS and email can share one vendor
  • SOC 2 Type II and an EU data residency option

Limitations

  • No permanent free plan, only a 60-day trial at 100 emails/day
  • Essentials includes only 3 days of searchable activity and one teammate
  • Marketing Campaigns is billed separately from the Email API
  • Premier pricing requires contacting sales
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Companies already using Twilio
  • Multi-tenant apps that need subusers
  • Senders of 100,000+ emails who want a dedicated IP included

Look elsewhere if

  • Hobby projects that need a free plan
  • Teams that want long log retention on a low-cost plan
§6

Pricing history

  • SendGrid retires its Free Email API plan

    Announced May 27, 2025: existing Free Email API and Free Marketing Campaigns plans kept full access for 60 days, after which sending paused unless the account upgraded to a paid plan (Essentials from $19.95/mo). Source ↗

  • New SendGrid accounts get a 60-day trial instead of a free plan

    From March 25, 2025 (effective date), new Twilio SendGrid accounts start on a 60-day trial limited to 100 emails a day, after which sending stops unless a paid Email API plan is chosen. Source ↗

§7

Alternatives to Twilio SendGrid Email API

Tool From Free option Stages
Brevo Email marketing and transactional platform
$9/mo Free tier
Mailchimp Transactional Transactional email and SMS add-on
$20/mo Paid
Mailgun Email API and SMTP relay
$15/mo Free tier
SocketLabs Email delivery platform and analytics
$39.95/mo Trial
Amazon SES Cloud email sending and receiving service
Usage-based Paid
Azure Communication Services Email Cloud email sending API
Usage-based Paid

All transactional email APIs →

§8

Questions

Does SendGrid still have a free plan?

The Email API now has a free trial: 100 emails a day for 60 days. After that you need a paid plan.

How much does SendGrid cost for 50,000 emails?

$19.95 a month on Essentials 50k.

Which SendGrid plan includes a dedicated IP?

Pro, starting at $89.95 a month for 100,000 emails, includes one dedicated IP.

Can SendGrid receive email?

Yes, the Inbound Parse webhook receives email and posts it to your application.

Sources read for this page