SendGrid vs Postmark
Default scenario: At 1M emails / month, estimated bills are $8,868/yr for SendGrid and $9,300/yr for Postmark. That’s a $432 difference before accounting for different features or operating costs.
The services may differ in features, performance, support and the work you need to do yourself. Read the notes and test what matters to your setup.
Your selected usage
1M emails / month
- SendGrid: $8,868/yr estimated
- Postmark: $9,300/yr estimated
Estimated costs at different usage levels
| Usage | SendGrid | Postmark |
|---|---|---|
| 50k50K emails / month | $239/yrEssentials 50k · $1.33 per 1k over 50k | $660/yrBasic 50k · $1.8 per 1k over 50k |
| 1M1M emails / month | $8,868/yrPro 700k · $0.8 per 1k over 700k | $9,300/yrBasic 1.5M · $1.7 per 1k over 1500k |
| 20M20M emails / month | $118,188/yrPro 2.5M · $0.5 per 1k over 2500k | $266,460/yrPlatform 1.5M · $1.15 per 1k over 1500k |
Dedicated IPs, extra log retention and marketing-email features are extra on most vendors. Try your own numbers against all transactional email providers.
Side by side
| SendGrid | Postmark | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Twilio-owned email API and SMTP relay with Essentials and Pro volume tiers; dedicated IPs and EU data residency on Pro and above. | Transactional-focused email API from ActiveCampaign with separate message streams; US-hosted, no EU region. |
| Headquarters | 🇺🇸 United States | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Parent jurisdiction | 🇺🇸 United States (Twilio) | 🇺🇸 United States (ActiveCampaign) |
| EU self-serve plan | Available; check eligible plans and regions | No / not documented |
| GDPR DPA | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | subscription | subscription |
| Free tier | 60-day free trial, 100 emails/day; no permanent free plan. | Developer plan: 100 emails/month, no overages. |
| Open source | No | No |
| Source last checked | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-06 |
| Pricing evidence | Estimated rates | Published rates |
Which should you choose?
SendGrid has the lower estimated bill at every usage level we tested, from 100K emails / month to 100M emails / month.
Choose SendGrid if…
- it has the lower estimated bill at 50k, 1M and 20M usage
- you need EU data residency on a self-serve plan
Choose Postmark if…
Our data shows no advantage on price, residency, jurisdiction or licensing. Compare features in the notes below.
Based on estimated list-price bills and the facts above. Features, performance and support aren’t scored.
SendGrid pricing
At least one rate is approximate or not on a published rate card. Confirm with the vendor. Pro overages are approximate. EU residency requires Pro or above with a dedicated EU IP.
| Plan | Base fee / month | 1k additional emails |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials 50k | $19.95 | $1.33 |
| Essentials 100k | $34.95 | $0.9 |
| Pro 100k | $89.95 | $1 |
| Pro 300k | $249 | $0.9 |
| Pro 700k | $499 | $0.8 |
| Pro 1.5M | $799 | $0.6 |
| Pro 2.5M | $1,099 | $0.5 |
Email API plans from the pricing page calculator: Essentials 50k $19.95, Essentials 100k $34.95, Pro 100k $89.95, 300k $249, 700k $499, 1.5M $799, 2.5M $1,099 per month; Premier (5M+) is custom. Overage per extra email: Essentials 50k $0.00133 and 100k $0.0009 (Twilio changelog, July 2022); Pro 100k $0.001 and Pro 300k/700k/1.5M/2.5M $0.0009/$0.0008/$0.0006/$0.0005 come from Twilio help article 47303955374363 as quoted in search results (page not machine-readable), so treat Pro overages as approximate. The pricing page only says overages "may apply". Pro and Premier include a dedicated IP; Essentials is shared-IP only. EU data residency (api.eu.sendgrid.com, EU regional subusers) requires Pro or Premier and a dedicated EU IP. Twilio Inc., San Francisco; DPA available.
SendGrid plan limits, full rates and cheaper alternatives · official pricing page
Postmark pricing
Calculated from the listed vendor rates; exclusions still apply.
| Plan | Base fee / month | 1k additional emails |
|---|---|---|
| Developer (free) | $0 | $0 |
| Basic 10k | $15 | $1.8 |
| Basic 50k | $55 | $1.8 |
| Basic 125k | $115 | $1.8 |
| Basic 300k | $245 | $1.7 |
| Basic 700k | $455 | $1.7 |
| Basic 1.5M | $775 | $1.7 |
| Pro 10k | $16.5 | $1.3 |
| Pro 50k | $60.5 | $1.3 |
| Pro 125k | $126.5 | $1.3 |
| Pro 300k | $269.5 | $1.25 |
| Pro 700k | $500.5 | $1.25 |
| Pro 1.5M | $852.5 | $1.2 |
| Platform 10k | $18 | $1.2 |
| Platform 50k | $66 | $1.2 |
| Platform 125k | $138 | $1.2 |
| Platform 300k | $294 | $1.15 |
| Platform 700k | $546 | $1.15 |
| Platform 1.5M | $930 | $1.15 |
Volume tiers from the pricing-page slider (10k, 50k, 125k, 300k, 700k, 1.5M): Basic $15/$55/$115/$245/$455/$775 with $1.80 overage per 1k ($1.70 from 300k); Pro $16.50 to $852.50 ($1.30 to $1.20 overage); Platform $18 to $930 ($1.20 to $1.15). Basic is the cheapest at every volume; Pro and Platform add features. Higher volumes: contact sales. Dedicated IPs from $50/month per IP, require 300k+ emails/month on Pro or higher. Wildbit's Postmark was acquired by ActiveCampaign (Chicago) in 2022; data hosted in the US. DPA available.
Postmark plan limits, full rates and cheaper alternatives · official pricing page
Frequently asked questions
Is SendGrid cheaper than Postmark?
SendGrid has the lower estimated bill at every usage level we tested, from 100K emails / month to 100M emails / month. At 1M emails / month, the estimates are $8,868/yr for SendGrid and $9,300/yr for Postmark. Estimates use list prices and leave out features, support and operating costs.
Do SendGrid and Postmark offer EU data residency?
SendGrid offers EU data residency on a self-serve plan. Postmark doesn’t document it on a self-serve plan.
Do SendGrid and Postmark have a free tier or trial?
SendGrid: 60-day free trial, 100 emails/day; no permanent free plan. Postmark: Developer plan: 100 emails/month, no overages.
Where are SendGrid and Postmark based?
SendGrid is headquartered in the United States and owned by Twilio (the United States). Postmark is headquartered in the United States and owned by ActiveCampaign (the United States).