Do you want to send scheduled messages to your email list, engage them and get them to purchase? Before you get started with creating email content, you need to get your technical email setup in order. Instead of doing that manually, you can use tools such as Mailersend to help you reach as many customers as possible without hitting the spam folder.
Today, we explore Mailersend: its pros, cons, pricing, and best alternatives.
What is Mailersend and who is it for?
MailerSend is a cloud-based email and SMS delivery platform built for both developers and non-technical teams.
You can integrate it via API or SMTP relay to send transactional messages like order confirmations, password resets, and alerts, while using its intuitive builders and templates to ensure team members can participate in creating and managing emails without needing code.
MailerSend is ideal for software teams working on customer-facing applications that need reliable and scalable transactional messaging. It also works well for non-technical teams, like product, support, and marketing, who benefit from drag-and-drop editors and real-time analytics without handling infrastructure.
It’s made for industries such as SaaS, ecommerce, fintech, and banking, helping them deliver critical communication in a safe and compliant way.
Top Mailersend features
Whether you want to do transactional e mail or protect your sender reputation with cold outbound messaging, Mailersend has a lot going for it.
Top features include:
- Reliable transactional email service with fast delivery and infrastructure built by deliverability experts.
- Multiple builders, including drag‑and‑drop, rich‑text, and HTML editors with dynamic templates.
- SMTP relay and email API support for seamless integration or developer usage.
- Template library with ready‑to‑use designs for onboarding, security alerts, order notifications, and more.
- A/B testing allowing you to set up up to five template variants and compare performance easily.
- Real‑time analytics and logs monitoring opens, clicks, bounces, and troubleshooting errors or API activity.
- Multiple domain and user management with roles, permissions, and team workspace support.
- Inbound routing to let users reply to emails and have their messages passed back into your app.
- Security and compliance with GDPR alignment, ISO 27001 certification, PGP/S/MIME encryption, and EU-based data centers.
- Dedicated IP addresses for high-volume senders, including IP warming and reputation monitoring.
Mailersend pricing
Mailersend pricing depends on the number of emails you want to send. For up to 3,000 emails, you can use a completely free plan, which comes with:
- Email API and SMTP relay
- Drag & drop email builder
- 24 hours data retention
The Starter plan costs $28.00 for 50,000 emails per month. You also get 100 SMS messages and email verification credits.
Other features include:
- 50 sender identities
- Inbound routing
- SMS API
The Professional plan is $88 per month for 50,000 emails, which also gives you 150 messages and 450 email verification credits.
Additional features include:
- 1,000 domains
- Unlimited templates
- High throughput API
Lastly, there is the Enterprise plan with custom pricing. It comes with:
- Unlimited domains
- Unlimited templates
- Dedicated IP
Reviews from real Mailersend customers
Pricing is one of the biggest issues with Mailersend, in two ways: the cost and the changes that the platform introduced.
“They have recently decided to prioritize their bottom line over customer satisfaction. This is evident in their recent policy changes, which have forced me to upgrade my plan even though my current needs were being met. It’s as if they’re punishing me for being a loyal customer by forcing me to pay more for a service I don’t need. This is a clear indication that they are more concerned with maximizing profits than providing excellent service to their customers.” – Source
There are also issues with general functionalities being broken and what’s worse, Mailersend not acknowledging them and refunding customers:
“First I wanted to connect Google Firebase to import authenticated users to Mailersend. But the extension doesn’t do anything; contacts still need to be imported manually. After trying to import contacts manually, Mailersend tells me to upgrade because I cannot import users without credits. After upgrading, Mailersend tells me that the subscription doesn’t do anything for new contacts, but I need to buy credits to import them für 250$. After requesting Mailersend to refund my money, they told me that they never refund money.” – Source
The best alternatives to Mailersend for email sending
Mailersend lacking the features you need to set up your cold email campaigns? The pricing too steep for your budget? Here are the best alternatives to try instead.
Woodpecker
Woodpecker is a cold email and sales automation tool built for teams that need to run outreach campaigns at scale without hurting deliverability.
It is designed for salespeople, recruiters, and agencies who rely on high-volume personalized outreach and want built-in safeguards like warm-up, inbox rotation, and adaptive sending to keep their emails landing in inboxes.
Key features
- Deliverability controls such as email warm-up, inbox rotation, adaptive sending, spam word checker, and deliverability monitoring
- Automated sequencing and A/B testing with condition-based follow-ups, workflows, and up to five variants per campaign
- AI tools including an AI email writer and interest-level tagging to help draft content and prioritize replies
- Personalization at scale using snippets, spintax, and prospect timezone sending to make emails more relevant
- Agency panel for managing multiple clients with centralized billing, database separation, client view access, and domain audits
- Lead verification and sourcing with free catch-all verification and monthly Lead Finder credits
Main downsides and considerations
- Some advanced features come as add-ons, such as API access, integrations, LinkedIn outreach, and additional warm-ups
Pricing:
- Starter plan begins at $20 per month (annual billing), including 500 contacted prospects, 6,000 emails, 2,000 stored prospects, and two warm-ups
- Free trial lasts 7 days or 50 contacted prospects, whichever comes first
- Add-ons include API and integrations for $20 per month, LinkedIn outreach automation for $29 per account, the agency panel for $27 per client, and extra warm-ups for $5 per inbox
- Higher-tier plans are available for teams needing larger prospect and email limits
Why it works well as a MailerSend alternative
Woodpecker focuses on outbound cold email campaigns, making it a strong choice for sales and lead generation teams.
While MailerSend is built primarily for transactional messaging, Woodpecker provides advanced deliverability protection, personalization, and outreach automation that are essential for prospecting.
Try Woodpecker for free today.
SMTP2Go
SMTP2GO is a reliable email delivery service that specializes in transactional and bulk sending through a global SMTP relay and email API.
It is designed for businesses that prioritize deliverability and support, making it a popular choice for e-commerce shops, SaaS companies, and service providers who want dependable infrastructure with strong customer assistance.
Key features
- SMTP relay and email API for sending transactional and bulk email with ease
- Global delivery network with servers across multiple regions to improve speed and reliability
- Detailed reporting and analytics covering opens, clicks, bounces, spam complaints, and geolocation
- Reputation management tools including dedicated IPs, suppression lists, and authentication support
- Built-in email testing tools such as spam filter tests and preview checks before sending campaigns
- Email verification service to clean lists and reduce bounce rates
- 24/7 support with phone, chat, and email access included on all plans
- Scalable infrastructure capable of handling both small business needs and enterprise volumes
Main downsides and considerations
- Focuses primarily on transactional and bulk sending, with limited marketing automation features
- Interface is functional but not as modern or polished as some competitors
- Advanced features like dedicated IPs or email verification add extra costs
- Pricing can increase significantly as monthly email volumes grow
- Some users mention that the initial setup requires technical knowledge of DNS and authentication protocols
Pricing:
- The starter plan is $10 per month for 1,000 emails
- The Professional plan is $75 per month for 100,000 emails with extra features like subaccounts and inbound email processing
- The advanced plan is $400 per month for 1,000,000 emails, with priority support and dedicated IP options
- Enterprise plans are custom-priced for very high volumes or specialized needs
Why it works well as a MailerSend alternative
SMTP2GO is an excellent option if you want a straightforward, high-deliverability SMTP relay with strong reporting and global reach.
Unlike MailerSend, which emphasizes ease of use for mixed teams, SMTP2GO focuses tightly on reliable delivery and hands-on support, making it especially attractive to businesses that value service and dependability.
Elastic Email
Elastic Email is a cloud-based email delivery platform that combines transactional email services with marketing campaign tools at very competitive prices. It is aimed at businesses that want reliable sending infrastructure with flexible APIs while keeping costs low.
Elastic Email works well for startups, ecommerce companies, and SaaS teams that need scalable transactional email and the option to run marketing campaigns from the same account.
Key features
- Transactional email API and SMTP relay for sending password resets, confirmations, and alerts at scale
- Email marketing campaign tools, including a drag-and-drop editor, templates, and subscriber management
- Advanced analytics tracking opens, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes, and geolocation data
- Deliverability tools such as domain authentication, reputation monitoring, and suppression lists
- Automation features for setting up triggered sequences and drip campaigns
- List management and segmentation with custom fields and filters
- RESTful API designed for developers to integrate email into applications with ease
- Cost-efficient infrastructure that makes it one of the most affordable providers for high-volume senders
Main downsides and considerations
- The user interface can feel less polished compared to larger providers
- Support is limited unless you are on higher-tier plans
- Automation is more basic than dedicated marketing automation platforms
- Deliverability can require careful domain setup and monitoring for best results
- Documentation is thorough but some users note that onboarding can still be confusing
Pricing:
- Email API plan starts at $15 per month for 100,000 emails
- Email Marketing plan also starts at $15 per month and includes a drag and drop editor, templates, and campaign management
- Pay-as-you-go pricing is available for businesses that send irregularly
- Enterprise pricing is offered for custom volumes and dedicated infrastructure
Why it works well as a MailerSend alternative
Elastic Email is one of the most cost-effective solutions on the market, making it ideal for teams that need to send large volumes of transactional email without overspending.
While MailerSend emphasizes simplicity and ease of use, Elastic Email stands out for affordability and scalability paired with solid API and campaign features.
Brevo
Brevo is an all-in-one marketing and communication platform that combines email, SMS, WhatsApp, chat, and CRM tools under one roof. It is designed for small to midsize businesses that want more than transactional messaging, offering a suite of marketing automation features alongside reliable email delivery.
Brevo works well for companies in e-commerce, SaaS, and services that need both promotional campaigns and transactional communications managed in one place.
Key features
- Multichannel communication with email, SMS, WhatsApp, and live chat in a single platform
- Transactional email API and SMTP relay for reliable delivery of password resets, order confirmations, and alerts
- Drag and drop editor and templates for building email campaigns without coding
- Marketing automation workflows for abandoned cart reminders, onboarding sequences, and behavior-based campaigns
- Built-in CRM and contact management to organize leads and sync them with marketing activities
- Segmentation and personalization using customer attributes, engagement, and purchase history
- A/B testing and reporting to optimize campaigns with data-driven insights
- Integrations with Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, Salesforce, and many other business tools
Main downsides and considerations
- The interface can feel overwhelming because of the many tools bundled together
- Advanced automation workflows may require time to learn and set up effectively
- The free plan has daily send limits that are restrictive for businesses with higher volume
- Deliverability performance can be inconsistent without proper domain authentication
- Some reviewers note that customer support is stronger on paid plans than on the free tier
Pricing:
- Free plan includes 300 emails per day with unlimited contacts
- Starter plan begins at $9 per month for 5,000 emails with no daily limit
- Business plan starts at $18 per month and includes advanced automation, A/B testing, landing pages, and priority support
- BrevoPlus (Enterprise) is custom-priced with dedicated infrastructure, account management, and advanced features
Why it works well as a MailerSend alternative
Brevo is ideal if you want a single platform that combines transactional emails with marketing automation, CRM, and multichannel tools. While MailerSend focuses narrowly on transactional reliability, Brevo provides a broader toolkit for nurturing customer relationships and running integrated campaigns.
Mailgun
Mailgun is a developer-focused email delivery service built for applications that need reliable transactional and bulk sending. It provides powerful APIs, SMTP relay options, and advanced deliverability tools, making it a popular choice for SaaS products, e-commerce platforms, and enterprise developers who want granular control over how emails are sent and tracked.
Key features
- Transactional and bulk email APIs that scale from small projects to millions of sends
- SMTP relay support for teams that prefer simple integrations
- Inbox placement and deliverability tools including email validation, reputation monitoring, and dedicated IP addresses
- Email validation API to clean lists and reduce bounce rates
- Detailed analytics and logs with data on opens, clicks, bounces, and engagement
- Routing and inbound email parsing to capture and process incoming emails within your applications
- Security features, including TLS encryption, DMARC support, and advanced account controls
- Scalability with infrastructure designed for high-volume senders
Main downsides and considerations
- Mailgun is built for developers, so the interface and workflows can feel too technical for non-coders
- Support for marketing campaigns is limited compared to tools like SendPulse or Mailjet
- Pricing can escalate quickly at higher sending volumes, especially with add-ons like validation and dedicated IPs
- Free support is limited, with faster SLA response times available only on higher-tier plans
- Deliverability is strong, but optimizing performance often requires technical knowledge to configure DNS, IP warming, and authentication correctly
Pricing:
- Free trial includes 5,000 emails for the first month
- Foundation plan starts at $35 per month for 50,000 emails
- Growth plan begins at $80 per month for 100,000 emails and adds features like dedicated IPs and advanced support
- Scale plan starts at $90 per month with 100,000 emails, dedicated IPs, deliverability tools, and priority support
- Enterprise pricing is available for very high volumes, with custom features and service level agreements
Why it works well as a MailerSend alternative
Mailgun is a better fit for developer teams that need maximum flexibility and control over email delivery. While MailerSend emphasizes ease of use for both technical and non-technical teams, Mailgun provides deeper APIs, stronger deliverability tooling, and enterprise-level scalability.
SendPulse
SendPulse is a multichannel marketing platform that combines email, SMS, chatbots, and transactional messaging into one service. It is designed for businesses looking for more than just transactional emails, providing marketing automation, audience segmentation, and cross-channel campaigns.
It’s a good option for small to midsize businesses, ecommerce stores, and SaaS companies that want to reach customers across multiple touchpoints without juggling separate tools.
Key features
- Multichannel messaging with email, SMS, web push notifications, chatbots for WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger.
- Transactional email support through SMTP relay or API with detailed logs and analytics.
- Drag and drop editor with responsive templates for both marketing and transactional campaigns.
- Automation 360 builder for designing customer journeys across multiple channels.
- CRM system included for managing leads and syncing with email and chatbot campaigns.
- Segmentation and personalization based on user behavior, custom fields, or engagement.
- A/B testing and analytics to refine campaigns and improve conversion rates.
- Mobile app access to manage campaigns and monitor performance on the go.
Main downsides and considerations
- The interface can feel cluttered because of the many features combined into one platform.
- Transactional email tools are solid but less specialized than MailerSend’s streamlined infrastructure.
- Some advanced features, like Automation 360, require time to learn and may be overwhelming for smaller teams.
- Support response times may vary unless you are on higher-tier plans.
- Deliverability performance is generally good, but not as consistently strong as providers focused solely on transactional email.
Pricing:
- Free plan includes up to 15,000 emails per month for 500 subscribers with limited automation.
- Standard email plan starts at about $8 per month for 500 subscribers and scales with list size.
- Pro and Enterprise tiers add advanced automation, web push, CRM, landing pages, and higher send limits.
- Transactional email via SMTP and API is included, with pay-as-you-go pricing available for SMS and other channels.
Why it works well as a MailerSend alternative
SendPulse is a better option for teams that want an all-in-one marketing suite. While MailerSend specializes in fast and reliable transactional messaging, SendPulse adds multichannel marketing features like chatbots and push notifications, making it a more versatile choice for businesses focused on customer engagement across multiple platforms.
Mailjet
Mailjet is a cloud-based email marketing and transactional messaging platform designed for both marketing teams and developers. It offers drag and drop editing for non-technical users, along with API and SMTP integration for developer workflows
This makes it useful for businesses of all sizes that want to handle marketing campaigns and transactional emails in one place. Ecommerce companies, SaaS providers, and enterprises often choose it for its GDPR compliance, collaborative tools, and global infrastructure.
Key features
- Drag and drop email editor with templates for quick campaign creation
- Transactional email API and SMTP relay for seamless integration with apps
- Real time team collaboration with shared editing, comments, and template locking
- Segmentation and personalization tools for targeting audiences more effectively
- Basic automation and dynamic content to create simple email sequences
- Advanced analytics and email validation to monitor performance and improve deliverability
- Multiple sending options and integrations via SMTP, API, and webhooks
- GDPR compliant infrastructure built for high deliverability
Main downsides and considerations
Automation features are limited to simple sequences and there is no advanced visual workflow builder.
Template customization can feel restrictive compared to more flexible platforms.
The interface can be unintuitive at first and some features like transactional messaging or form builders may take time to find.
Support levels depend on your plan, with faster response times available only on higher tiers.
Pricing can increase quickly as contact lists and sending volumes grow.
Pricing:
- Free plan includes up to 6,000 emails per month with limited features and branding.
- Essential plan starts at $17 per month, billed monthly or $15.30 per month billed annually for 15,000 emails, unlimited contacts, email previews, validation, AI content tools, and no branding.
- Premium plan begins at $27 per month or $24.30 per month annually for the same sending volume plus automation, A/B testing, dynamic content, landing pages, collaboration, advanced reports, and priority support.
- Enterprise plans are custom-priced for high-volume needs and include IP management, deliverability consulting, training, and onboarding.
Why it works well as a MailerSend alternative
Mailjet is a strong option if you want both marketing and transactional messaging in one platform. It offers collaborative tools, flexible integrations, and analytics that make it appealing to teams who want usability and scale. MailerSend is more focused on transactional messaging, while Mailjet blends those capabilities with marketing features for a more versatile solution.
Wrapping up
Mailersend can only take you one portion of the way if you want to send amazing email campaigns. You need more to get your emails clicked, seen and opened. This is where Woodpecker comes in, giving you access to deliverability, optimization and personalization tools that can give your emails a boost they need.