Softwr

Email Marketing · head to head

Klaviyo vs SendGrid

Klaviyo logo

Klaviyo

Email Marketing

The email and SMS marketing platform for ecommerce

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SendGrid logo

SendGrid

Email Marketing

Email at scale, proven deliverability, and so much more

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; SendGrid free plan caps at 100 emails per day and expires after 60 days, per twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing (Aug 2026), after which sending requires a paid plan
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Klaviyo and SendGrid actually diverge.

Attributes where Klaviyo and SendGrid differ
AttributeKlaviyoSendGrid
Founded2012Unknown

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

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 SendGrid

Nothing recorded that Klaviyo does not also cover.

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 SendGrid
  • Segmenting customers on purchase and behaviour datanot SendGrid

SendGrid

  • Marketing email campaigns and transactional email deliverynot Klaviyo
  • Password reset and account confirmation emailsnot Klaviyo
  • Newsletter distribution and subscriber engagementnot Klaviyo
  • Automated email notifications for SaaS applicationsnot 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

SendGrid

  • Free plan caps at 100 emails per day and expires after 60 days, per twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing (Aug 2026), after which sending requires a paid plan
  • Dedicated IP addresses are only included from the Pro plan at $89.95 per month; Essentials at $19.95 per month lacks a dedicated IP, per Twilio's own pricing page

Pricing, plan by plan

Klaviyo

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

SendGrid

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the SendGrid review.

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 SendGrid if

  • You want to start without paying.
SendGrid review

Questions people ask

Is Klaviyo or SendGrid better?
Neither clearly leads. Klaviyo starts at Free and SendGrid at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Klaviyo or SendGrid?
Klaviyo starts at Free and SendGrid at Free.
Does Klaviyo or SendGrid run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 SendGrid is typically brought in for.
What can Klaviyo do that SendGrid cannot?
Klaviyo covers Email marketing, SMS marketing, Push notifications, Marketing automation.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Klaviyo: Is Klaviyo free?

Klaviyo has a free tier covering up to 250 active profiles, 500 email sends per month and $5 of mobile messages per month, with 10,000 Composer credits. Email support on the free tier lasts only the first 60 days.

Source
SendGrid: How much does SendGrid cost?

SendGrid email API pricing is usage-based. Twilio SendGrid offers a free tier for new users and scales with email volume. Customers should check the Twilio SendGrid pricing page for current rates and plan options.

Source
Klaviyo: How much does Klaviyo cost?

Klaviyo does not publish a paid rate card on its pricing page. Paid tiers are priced by active profile count and message volume, and a figure is produced through the plan estimator rather than shown as a list price.

Source
SendGrid: Is there a free tier for SendGrid?

Yes, SendGrid offers a free tier for new users to get started with email API delivery. The free plan includes limited monthly emails and is suitable for getting started with transactional email.

Source
Klaviyo: What counts as an active profile in Klaviyo?

Klaviyo defines active profiles as the contacts eligible to receive marketing, and the free tier is limited to 250 of them. Profile count is the main input to what a paid plan costs.

Source
SendGrid: What support is included with SendGrid?

SendGrid includes technical documentation and email support for users. Customers can access the help center, API documentation, and send emails to support for assistance with integration and troubleshooting.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Klaviyo

More on SendGrid

Keep looking

Other head to heads