Resend vs SendGrid
Resend is a developer-focused email API with an ongoing free plan for 3,000 emails a month and React Email for building templates as React components. SendGrid, now branded Twilio SendGrid, offers a 60-day free trial rather than an ongoing free tier, alongside a broader marketing email tool and established deliverability infrastructure. Choose Resend for a modern developer experience and a real free tier; choose SendGrid for Twilio's ecosystem and more built-in marketing email tooling.
Facts checked on against the official sources listed at the end. Usage numbers update daily.
Best for
Developers who want a modern API, React Email templates and an ongoing free tier
Free plan. Paid from $20 a month for the Pro plan (50,000 emails a month).
Best for
Teams that want Twilio's ecosystem and built-in marketing email tools
Free plan. Paid from $19.95 a month for the Essentials plan (50,000 to 100,000 emails a month).
Resend vs SendGrid at a glance
| Compared on | Resend | SendGrid |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan type | Ongoing free plan: 3,000 emails a month | 60-day free trial only: 100 emails a day, no ongoing free tier |
| Entry paid price | $20 a month for 50,000 emails | From $19.95 a month for 50,000 to 100,000 emails |
| Template building | React Email, an open source library for building templates as React components | Drag-and-drop and code-based template editors inside the SendGrid dashboard |
| Overage pricing | $0.90 per 1,000 emails beyond a plan's limit | Billed per email beyond a plan's limit, rate depends on plan tier |
| Custom domains | 3 on Free, 10 on Pro, 1,000 on Scale | Not priced by domain count in published plans |
| Corporate owner | Independent company | Twilio, since acquiring SendGrid in 2019 |
| Open source | No, Proprietary (the React Email templating library is open source) | No, Proprietary |
| Free plan | Yes: 3,000 emails a month, 100 a day, 3 custom domains, 10,000 automation runs | Trial only: 100 emails a day for 60 days, no ongoing free tier |
| Paid plans from | $20 a month for the Pro plan (50,000 emails a month) | $19.95 a month for the Essentials plan (50,000 to 100,000 emails a month) |
| Made by | Resend | Twilio |
What's the difference between Resend and SendGrid?
Resend has an ongoing free tier, SendGrid only offers a time-limited trial
Resend's free plan gives 3,000 emails a month indefinitely, with no expiration. SendGrid's free option is a 60-day trial capped at 100 emails a day, after which you need a paid plan to keep sending.
Resend ships React Email, SendGrid uses dashboard-based template tools
Resend's React Email is an open source library for building email templates as React components, aimed at developers already working in that framework. SendGrid provides drag-and-drop and code-based template editors inside its dashboard, a more traditional marketing-tool approach.
SendGrid is part of Twilio, Resend is independent
Twilio acquired SendGrid in 2019 and in 2026 folded its marketing site and docs into twilio.com, though the product, API and dashboard still run under the SendGrid name at app.sendgrid.com. Resend operates as its own independent company with no parent acquirer.
Their entry paid pricing is close, but overage is priced differently
Resend's Pro plan is $20 a month for 50,000 emails, while SendGrid's Essentials plan starts at $19.95 a month for a similar 50,000 to 100,000 email range. Resend publishes a flat overage rate of $0.90 per 1,000 emails beyond the plan; SendGrid's overage pricing varies by plan tier rather than one flat published rate.
Resend vs SendGrid pricing
Resend has an ongoing free tier and publishes a flat overage rate. SendGrid offers only a time-limited free trial and prices paid tiers by email volume range.
Resend
Free: 3,000 emails a month, 3 custom domains. Pro: $20 a month for 50,000 emails, 10 domains, overage at $0.90 per 1,000. Scale: $90 a month for 100,000 emails, 1,000 domains.
- Free
- $0 a month
- Pro
- $20 a month
- Scale
- $90 a month
- Enterprise
- Custom pricing
SendGrid
Free trial: 100 emails a day for 60 days. Essentials: from $19.95 a month for 50,000 to 100,000 emails. Pro: from $89.95 a month for 100,000 to 2,500,000 emails, with a dedicated IP included and SSO.
- Free trial
- $0 for 60 days
- Essentials
- From $19.95 a month
- Pro
- From $89.95 a month
- Premier
- Custom pricing
| Resend | $20 a month on Resend Pro, which covers up to 50,000 emails |
|---|---|
| SendGrid | $19.95 a month on SendGrid Essentials, which covers 50,000 to 100,000 emails at its base price |
Prices in USD from the official pricing pages on 29 September 2026. They change often, so confirm on resend.com and twilio.com before you commit.
Usage and activity
SendGrid has 3.2 times as many GitHub stars as Resend (3.1k against 965). Weekly npm downloads: 15M for resend and 5.7M for @sendgrid/mail.
| Measure | Resend | SendGrid |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | 965 | 3,053 |
| npm downloads a week | 15M (resend) | 5.7M (@sendgrid/mail) |
| Latest release | v6.32.1, 1 day ago | 8.1.6, 1 year ago |
| Releases in 90 days | 5 | 0 |
From the public GitHub and npm APIs, updated daily. Stars and downloads show developer interest, not product quality.
Should you choose Resend or SendGrid?
Choose Resend if
- You want an ongoing free tier rather than a time-limited trial
- You're building templates in React and want React Email's component-based approach
- You want a modern, minimal API designed for developers
- You want a flat, predictable overage rate if you exceed your plan
Choose SendGrid if
- You want dashboard-based template building without writing template code
- You're already using other Twilio products and want a consistent ecosystem
- You need a dedicated IP included at a lower volume tier
- You want SendGrid's longer-established deliverability track record
Switching between Resend and SendGrid
Both send email through a REST or SMTP API, so moving mainly means updating API keys, re-verifying sending domains with new DNS records, and rebuilding templates in the new platform's format, React Email components on Resend versus SendGrid's dashboard-based templates. Marketing automation features built specifically in SendGrid's dashboard need to be rebuilt separately, since Resend focuses on transactional and developer-sent email rather than a full marketing suite.
Resend vs SendGrid: common questions
Is Resend cheaper than SendGrid?
Their entry paid prices are close, $20 a month for 50,000 emails on Resend versus $19.95 a month for 50,000 to 100,000 on SendGrid, but Resend also offers an ongoing free tier while SendGrid's free option is a 60-day trial only.
Does SendGrid have a free plan?
Not an ongoing one. SendGrid offers a 60-day free trial capped at 100 emails a day, after which you need a paid plan.
What is React Email?
An open source library from Resend for building email templates as React components, letting developers write templates in the same framework as their app.
Who owns SendGrid?
Twilio has owned SendGrid since acquiring it in 2019. In 2026 Twilio folded SendGrid's marketing site and docs into twilio.com, though the product still operates under the SendGrid name.
Is Resend good for marketing email, not just transactional?
Resend is built primarily for developers sending transactional and product email through an API. SendGrid includes more built-in marketing email tooling, like templates and campaign analytics, alongside its transactional API.
Other options to consider
All email toolsPostmark
Email delivery service for transactional and broadcast email, owned by ActiveCampaign.
Sources
More sources for each tool are on the Resend and SendGrid pages.