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Email Marketing · head to head

SendGrid vs Sendy

SendGrid logo

SendGrid

Email Marketing

Email at scale, proven deliverability, and so much more

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sendy logo

Sendy

Email Marketing

Self-hosted newsletter app bought once for $69 that sends through your own Amazon SES account

From
$69/one-time
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only SendGrid has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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; Sendy free updates run only to the next major version, so the one-time purchase is really one purchase per major release and the long-term cost is not zero.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SendGrid and Sendy actually diverge.

Attributes where SendGrid and Sendy differ
AttributeSendGridSendy
Starting priceFree$69/one-time
Pricing modelfreemiumOne-time purchase
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWebWeb, Linux

Identical on both: 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 SendGrid

Nothing recorded that Sendy does not also cover.

Only in Sendy

  • One-time licence
  • Amazon SES delivery
  • Multiple brands
  • Autoresponders
  • Segmentation
  • Bounce and complaint handling
  • Reporting
  • Client access

What people use each for

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

SendGrid

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

Sendy

  • A publisher with a large list sending frequently, where a hosted platform bills by subscriber count month after monthnot SendGrid
  • An agency managing newsletters for several clients who each get their own brand and login under one licencenot SendGrid
  • A business that must keep subscriber data on its own infrastructure for privacy or contractual reasonsnot SendGrid
  • A developer wiring signups from a custom application into a mailing list without paying platform API feesnot SendGrid

Where each one falls short

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

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

Sendy

  • Free updates run only to the next major version, so the one-time purchase is really one purchase per major release and the long-term cost is not zero.
  • Deliverability becomes entirely your problem: SES gives you a raw sending pipe and no warm-up guidance, reputation dashboards or deliverability consultants when a campaign starts landing in spam.
  • Amazon SES requires production access approval and will suspend accounts on high bounce or complaint rates, which can take a list offline mid-campaign with little warning.
  • The template editor and design tooling are basic next to Mailchimp or Klaviyo, so anything visually ambitious means hand-written HTML email.
  • You own the server: PHP upgrades, database backups and patching are yours, and an unmaintained Sendy install holding a subscriber list is a data breach waiting to happen.

Pricing, plan by plan

SendGrid

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the SendGrid review.

Sendy

$69/one-time
  • Sendy licence$69/one-time
    • One-time purchase, no subscription
    • Free updates only up to the next major version
    • Unlimited lists, subscribers and campaigns
  • AI Assistant bundle$39/one-time
    • Optional add-on, listed at a discount from $49
    • AI writing assistance inside the campaign editor
  • Installation service$79/one-time
    • Optional one-off setup by the vendor
    • For buyers who do not want to configure hosting and SES themselves

Which should you pick?

Choose SendGrid if

  • You want to start without paying.
SendGrid review

Choose Sendy if

  • You need one-time licence.
  • You work on Web, Linux.
  • You also want amazon ses delivery.
Sendy review

Questions people ask

Is SendGrid or Sendy better?
Neither clearly leads. SendGrid starts at Free and Sendy at $69/one-time, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SendGrid or Sendy?
SendGrid has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for SendGrid and $69/one-time for Sendy.
Does SendGrid or Sendy run on more platforms?
SendGrid runs on Web. Sendy runs on Web, Linux.
Can I use SendGrid for free?
Yes. SendGrid has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sendy starts at $69/one-time.
What is SendGrid best used for?
SendGrid is most often used for marketing email campaigns and transactional email delivery, password reset and account confirmation emails, newsletter distribution and subscriber engagement, automated email notifications for saas applications. Of those, marketing email campaigns and transactional email delivery and password reset and account confirmation emails are not what Sendy is typically brought in for.
What can SendGrid do that Sendy cannot?
Sendy covers One-time licence, Amazon SES delivery, Multiple brands, Autoresponders.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Sendy: What does it actually cost to send?

The licence is $69 once. Delivery is Amazon SES at roughly $1 per 10,000 emails, plus your own hosting, so a 50,000-contact weekly newsletter costs a few dollars a month to send.

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
Sendy: Are updates free forever?

No. Updates are free up to the next major version, for example within 7.x. Moving from 7.x to 8.x is a paid upgrade.

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
Sendy: Do I need to know how to set up a server?

Standard PHP and MySQL hosting is enough and the vendor compares it to installing WordPress, but the SES side needs AWS configuration. An $79 installation service is offered if you would rather not.

Sendy: What happens if Amazon suspends my SES account?

Your sending stops until you resolve it with AWS. There is no alternative delivery route built in, and this is the single biggest operational risk of the model.

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