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Software · head to head

Resend vs Klaviyo

Resend logo

Resend

Software

Email API for developers to send transactional and marketing email

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Klaviyo logo

Klaviyo

Software

The email and SMS marketing platform for ecommerce

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

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

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Resend and Klaviyo actually diverge.

Attributes where Resend and Klaviyo differ
AttributeResendKlaviyo
Platformsweb, apiWeb
FoundedUnknown2012

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 Resend

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

Only in Klaviyo

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

What people use each for

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

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

Klaviyo

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

Where each one falls short

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

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.

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

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Klaviyo

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

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Klaviyo if

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

Questions people ask

Is Resend or Klaviyo better?
Neither clearly leads. Resend starts at Free and Klaviyo at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Resend or Klaviyo?
Resend starts at Free and Klaviyo at Free.
Does Resend or Klaviyo run on more platforms?
Resend runs on web, api. Klaviyo runs on Web.
Can I use Resend for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Resend best used for?
Resend is most often used for sending transactional emails from a web app, running marketing email campaigns to contact lists, automating onboarding or lifecycle email sequences, tracking deliverability and engagement analytics. Of those, sending transactional emails from a web app and running marketing email campaigns to contact lists are not what Klaviyo is typically brought in for.
What can Resend do that Klaviyo cannot?
Resend covers Email API and SDKs, Domain management, Audience and contacts, Automation workflows. Klaviyo covers Email marketing, SMS marketing, Push notifications, Marketing automation.

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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