Leveraging free transactional email services can be a strategic choice for small to mid-level businesses that are looking to optimize their resources, test their products, or start their operations with lower starter costs.
Investing in a paid transactional email service can provide value to businesses that rely on email for critical communications, high volume messages, and advanced features to enhance the effectiveness of email strategies.
This guide will explore free transactional email providers and also solutions with paid plans for you to compare and decide on the most optimal solution for your business.
Top 7 free transactional email services
| Vendor | Average rating | Free plan includes |
|---|---|---|
Brevo Transactional Email | 4.6/5 based on 1,943 reviews | 300 emails/day |
Omnisend | 4.6/5 based on 871 reviews | 500 emails/month |
Twilio SendGrid Email API | 4.2/5 based on 711 reviews | 100 emails/day |
SendPulse | 4.6/5 based on 659 reviews | 12,000 emails/month |
Netcore Email API | 4.5/5 based on 549 reviews | 100 emails/day* |
Mailjet by Sinch | 4.3/5 based on 409 reviews | 6,000 emails/month |
SMTP2GO | 4.7/5 based on 217 reviews | 1,000 emails/month |
The above table is ranked based on the number of reviews gathered from B2B review platforms G2 and Capterra.
*Netcore provides 30K email credits for the first month, with a daily limit of 1K emails.
Vendor selection criteria
- Free plan: We only included vendors that provide a free plan and excluded vendors that only enable a free trial.
- Number of reviews: We selected vendors with more than 200 reviews obtained from B2B review platforms.
Detailed evaluation of free transactional email services
Transactional email providers allow varied pricing options such as free plans, paid plans, and free trials for customers with different needs.
These emails enable integration via APIs and utilize SMTP relay services for reliable delivery across email platforms, and they offer IP warm-up and dedicated IP addresses to boost reputation and mitigate security risks. They also ensure secure transmission through DKIM and SPF authentication and provide comprehensive reporting on email metrics such as delivery rates, click-through rates, inbox placement, and spam issues.
Check out transactional email pricing for more information on pricing plans.
Here is a detailed evaluation of leading transactional email providers with free plans:
Brevo Transactional Email
Brevo’s email marketing and transactional email platform offers solutions for small businesses, enterprises, retail and eCommerce, smart automation, and developers.
With Brevo messaging and email API, customers can send transactional emails such as welcome, order confirmation, and password reset emails, as well as SMS and WhatsApp messages.
Omnisend
Omnisend is an eCommerce email marketing tool and supports integration with various eCommerce platforms including Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Shoplazza.
Twilio SendGrid Email API
SendGrid allows personalized transactional email templates with its dynamic email template design editor that includes both extensive visual design and coding options to create dynamic and visually engaging transactional messages.
SendPulse
SendPulse’s features include creating email marketing campaigns with a real time content editor, crafting transactional emails with free email templates and building online courses for professionals such as HR managers and industry experts.
Netcore Email API
Netcore Email API’s Blaze feature allows inbox deliverability and speed optimization to send emails more efficiently.
Mailjet by Sinch
Mailjet leverages SMTP relay for sending transactional emails with Message Deliverability Agents or Message Transfer Agents (MTA) such as Postfix, Exim, or Exchange and Parse API for managing incoming email streams.
SMTP2GO
SMTP2GO enables voicemail to email functions and provides real-time reporting system for detailed analytics about your transactional email processes.
Comparing 5 leading transactional email providers with paid plans
| Vendor | Average rating | Starting price/month | Starter plan includes |
|---|---|---|---|
3.5/5 based on 40 reviews | $25 | 50,000 emails/month, |
|
GetResponse | 4.2/5 based on 678 reviews | $16 | AI email and campaign generator, |
Moosend | 4.6/5 based on 675 reviews | $9 | Unlimited emails/month, |
Customer.io | 4.4/5 based on 299 reviews | $100 | 1 million emails/month, |
Mailchimp Transactional Email | 4.5/5 based on 286 reviews | $13 | Transactional emails are available as paid add-on to Standard plan*** |
The above table is sorted based on the number of reviews obtained from B2B review platforms G2 and Capterra, except for our sponsor. Pricing information and starter plan details are obtained from vendor websites.
**Quick transactional email options are included in the eCommerce marketing plan. Email trigger, API and SMTP server connection ,and analytics options are only included in the Enterprise plan.
***Transactional emails are included as a paid add-on to a Mailchimp Standard or Premium Marketing plan. Mailchimp provides transactional emails in blocks and the pricing is calculated based on the number of blocks you purchased. Each block includes 25,000 transactional email credits. For example; if you purchase 20 blocks, you can send 500k emails for $20 per block.
Vendor selection criteria
- Paid plan: We selected vendors that included a paid plan.
- Number of reviews: We included vendors with more than 40 reviews obtained from B2B reviews platforms.
SMTP.com
SMTP.com transactional email and SMTP relay solution enables custom plans for businesses with high volume senders. These custom plans include dedicated account management services and dedicated API to manage scalable transactional email needs.
SMTP.com also provides an add-on reputation defender feature with proactive monitoring and reporting services to support sender reputation.
GetResponse
GetResponse email marketing and eCommerce marketing automation software includes creation and optimization of targeted paid ads such as Meta and Google ads to allow your business to reach out to new customers.
Moosend
Moosend is an email marketing and transactional email service with various marketing automation features such as automation workflow designer, product viewing and browsing triggers, Google Analytics Tracking and A/B testing capabilities.
Moosend enables a 30-day free trial for new customers and provides 1,000 subscribers with unlimited emails, however, free trial does not support SMTP server integration and transactional emails.
Customer.io
Customer.io enables advanced data pipeline features with unlimited sources and destinations. The solution also allows low-code and no-code message builders and integration with mobile SDKs (iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter, Expo).
Mailchimp Transactional Email
Mailchimp, formerly Mandrill, specializes in providing scalable transactional email services tailored individually for various industries, such as eCommerce and retail, mobile and web apps, start-ups, agencies, freelancers, and developers.
Choosing a free transactional email service
Companies might decide to use free transactional email services for several reasons:
Cost efficiency
For startups or small businesses with limited budgets, free transactional email services can provide essential features without the added expense.
This allows companies to allocate resources to other critical areas of their business.
Testing and validation
When a company is in the early stages of product development or market testing, it might use free tools to validate its ideas and strategies without a significant financial commitment.
This helps in assessing the viability of their product or service with minimal risk.
Low volume needs
Free transactional email services often have usage limits that are sufficient for businesses with low email volume needs.
Companies that only need to send a small number of transactional emails (like account confirmations, password resets, or notifications) can use these tools effectively.
Ease of integration
Many free transactional email services offer easy integration with existing systems and workflows.
This can be particularly appealing for companies looking for a straightforward solution that doesn’t require extensive setup or maintenance.
Learning and experimentation
Startups and small businesses may use free tools as a learning platform to better understand their email marketing needs and strategies.
This hands-on experience with free plan providers may lead to more effective email campaigns in the future.
Scalability
Some companies start with free transactional email services with the intention to scale up as their needs grow.
Many free services are offered by providers who also have paid tiers, making the transition smoother when the time comes to upgrade.
Why choose transactional email services with paid plans?
Choosing a paid transactional email service can offer several advantages over free alternatives, particularly for businesses with growing or more complex needs. Here are some key benefits:
Higher sending limits
Paid services typically provide significantly higher email sending limits, catering to the needs of growing businesses that require large volumes of transactional emails.
This is crucial for companies with expanding customer bases.
Enhanced deliverability
Paid services often invest more in ensuring high deliverability rates, meaning that your emails are more likely to reach the inbox rather than the spam folder.
This is essential for critical transactional emails like order confirmations and password resets.
Advanced features
Paid transactional email services usually offer a broader and more sophisticated range of features.
These can include A/B testing, advanced analytics, segmentation, and personalized content, which can significantly improve the effectiveness of your email communication.
Better integration capabilities
While free services offer basic integrations, paid services often provide more extensive and seamless integration options with other tools and systems.
This would facilitate smoother workflows and more efficient operations.
Support services
Access to dedicated support and faster response times are significant advantages of paid services.
Having professional assistance is crucial, especially in resolving urgent issues that could affect your business operations.
Enhanced security and compliance features
A paid transactional email service may offer advanced security features, such as end-to-end encryption, and compliance with various regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.).
This level of security can be essential for businesses in industries where data protection and privacy are paramount.
Customization and branding
With paid services, businesses often have more options for customizing emails and aligning them with their branding.
This can improve customer experience and enhance brand consistency across all communications.
Scalability
Transactional emails paid services are designed to scale with your business, while offering more flexible plans and resources that can accommodate growth without significant disruptions or the need to switch providers.
Reliability
Paid services can provide greater reliability with guaranteed uptime and redundancy systems in place, ensuring that your transactional emails are always sent and received without delays.
Dedicated IP addresses
Some paid services offer dedicated IP addresses, which can improve your sender reputation and email deliverability, especially important for businesses with high email volumes.
Check out transactional email best practices to learn more about advantages and challenges to look out for when sending transactional emails.
Transparency statement:
AIMultiple collaborates with various technology vendors including SMTP.com.
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