Communication & Collaboration · head to head
Novu vs SendGrid
Novu
Communication & Collaboration
Open-source notification infrastructure for multi-channel messaging
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
SendGrid
Email Marketing
Email at scale, proven deliverability, and so much more
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Novu free plan activity feed retention is limited to 24 hours, restricting how far back teams can debug delivery issues.; 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
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Novu and SendGrid actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Novu
- Multi-channel workflows
- Advanced email editor
- Activity feed
- Multi-environment support
- Role-based access control
- Self-hosting
Only in SendGrid
Nothing recorded that Novu does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Novu
- Building multi-channel notification workflows for a SaaS productnot SendGrid
- Self-hosting notification infrastructure for data controlnot SendGrid
- Managing separate notification environments for staging and productionnot SendGrid
- Tracking notification delivery history and activitynot SendGrid
SendGrid
No use cases recorded yet. See the SendGrid review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Novu
- Free plan activity feed retention is limited to 24 hours, restricting how far back teams can debug delivery issues.
- Overage on Pro and Team plans is billed at $1.20 per 1,000 additional workflow runs, which can add up at scale.
- HIPAA BAA compliance and dedicated SSO are Enterprise-only and require custom pricing.
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
Novu
Free- FreeFree
- 10,000 workflow runs/month
- All channels included
- Up to 20 workflows
- Pro$30/month
- 30,000+ workflow runs/month
- Advanced email editor
- Remove Novu branding
- Team$250/month
- 250,000+ workflow runs/month
- Up to 10 environments
- 90-day activity feed retention
SendGrid
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the SendGrid review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Novu if
- You need multi-channel workflows.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want advanced email editor.
Questions people ask
- Is Novu or SendGrid better?
- Neither clearly leads. Novu 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, Novu or SendGrid?
- Novu starts at Free and SendGrid at Free.
- Does Novu or SendGrid run on more platforms?
- Novu runs on web, api. SendGrid runs on Web.
- Can I use Novu for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Novu best used for?
- Novu is most often used for building multi-channel notification workflows for a saas product, self-hosting notification infrastructure for data control, managing separate notification environments for staging and production, tracking notification delivery history and activity. Of those, building multi-channel notification workflows for a saas product and self-hosting notification infrastructure for data control are not what SendGrid is typically brought in for.
- What can Novu do that SendGrid cannot?
- Novu covers Multi-channel workflows, Advanced email editor, Activity feed, Multi-environment support.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Novu: What does Novu cost?
Novu offers a Free plan for 10,000 workflow runs per month, Pro from $30/month for 30,000+ runs, Team from $250/month for 250,000+ runs, and custom Enterprise pricing for 10M+ runs.
SourceNovu: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?
Yes, the Free plan includes 10,000 workflow runs per month, all messaging channels, up to 20 workflows, 2 environments, and up to 3 team members.
SourceNovu: How is usage metered?
Billing is based on the number of workflow runs per month rather than per user or per message, with overage on paid plans charged at $1.20 per 1,000 additional runs.
SourceRelated pages
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