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Software · head to head

Klaviyo vs Resend

Klaviyo logo

Klaviyo

Software

The email and SMS marketing platform for ecommerce

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Resend logo

Resend

Software

Email API for developers to send transactional and marketing email

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Klaviyo the free plan caps active profiles at 250 and sends at 500 emails a month; Resend free tier is capped at 100 emails per day, which is restrictive for apps with bursty transactional volume.
  • They diverge on capability: Klaviyo covers Email marketing, Resend covers Email API and SDKs.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Klaviyo and Resend actually diverge.

Attributes where Klaviyo and Resend differ
AttributeKlaviyoResend
PlatformsWebweb, api
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Klaviyo

  • Email marketing
  • SMS marketing
  • Push notifications
  • Marketing automation
  • Segmentation
  • A/B testing
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Ecommerce integrations

Only in Resend

  • Email API and SDKs
  • Domain management
  • Audience and contacts
  • Automation workflows
  • Email analytics
  • Dedicated IPs

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Klaviyo

  • Email and SMS marketing automation for ecommerce storesnot Resend
  • Segmenting customers on purchase and behaviour datanot Resend

Resend

  • Sending transactional emails from a web appnot Klaviyo
  • Running marketing email campaigns to contact listsnot Klaviyo
  • Automating onboarding or lifecycle email sequencesnot Klaviyo
  • Tracking deliverability and engagement analyticsnot Klaviyo

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Klaviyo

  • The free plan caps active profiles at 250 and sends at 500 emails a month
  • Pricing scales with stored profile count rather than with messages sent, so an unengaged list costs the same as an active one
  • SMS is metered separately, with only $5 of mobile messages included on the free plan
  • Paid tier prices are not published on the pricing page and depend on profile count

Resend

  • Free tier is capped at 100 emails per day, which is restrictive for apps with bursty transactional volume.
  • Marketing and transactional plans are billed and priced separately, so a product needing both must budget for two tiers.
  • Dedicated IPs are only available on the Scale plan and require a minimum daily send volume.

Pricing, plan by plan

Klaviyo

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Up to 500 contacts
    • Unlimited campaigns
    • Basic automation
  • Pro$20/month
    • Unlimited contacts
    • SMS campaigns
    • Advanced automation

Resend

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3,000 emails/month
    • 100 emails/day
    • 3 domains
  • Pro$20/month
    • 50,000 emails/month
    • 10 domains
    • 100 AI credits/month
  • Scale$90/month
    • 100,000 emails/month
    • 1,000 domains
    • Slack and ticket support

Which should you pick?

Choose Klaviyo if

  • You need email marketing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want sms marketing.
Klaviyo review

Choose Resend if

  • You need email api and sdks.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, api.
  • You also want domain management.
Resend review

Questions people ask

Is Klaviyo or Resend better?
Neither clearly leads. Klaviyo starts at Free and Resend at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Klaviyo or Resend?
Klaviyo starts at Free and Resend at Free.
Does Klaviyo or Resend run on more platforms?
Klaviyo runs on Web. Resend runs on web, api.
Can I use Klaviyo for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Klaviyo best used for?
Klaviyo is most often used for email and sms marketing automation for ecommerce stores, segmenting customers on purchase and behaviour data. Of those, email and sms marketing automation for ecommerce stores and segmenting customers on purchase and behaviour data are not what Resend is typically brought in for.
What can Klaviyo do that Resend cannot?
Klaviyo covers Email marketing, SMS marketing, Push notifications, Marketing automation. Resend covers Email API and SDKs, Domain management, Audience and contacts, Automation workflows.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Resend: What does Resend cost?

Transactional email starts free for 3,000 emails/month, then Pro is $20/month for 50,000 emails and Scale ranges from $90 to $1,150/month for up to 2.5M emails. Marketing email is priced separately by contact count, starting free for 1,000 contacts.

Source
Resend: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

Yes, the free transactional plan allows 3,000 emails per month capped at 100 per day across 3 domains, and the free marketing plan allows up to 1,000 contacts.

Source
Resend: How is usage metered?

Transactional plans are metered by number of emails sent, with overage billed per 1,000 emails. Marketing plans are metered by number of contacts rather than emails sent.

Source
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