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It's a split decision.
Choose SMTP2GO for a lasting free plan, automatic SPF/DKIM, delivery reporting, and email testing. Choose Twilio SendGrid if you need both an Email API and SMTP service, or want campaign tools alongside delivery. At 100,000 emails per month, SendGrid Essentials is listed at $34.95, while SMTP2GO Professional is $75 and includes a dedicated IP and email testing. Compare the included history and features, not just the monthly price.
01Side by side
| SMTP2GO | Twilio SendGrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly tiers; annual billing on Starter and Professional | Monthly volume tiers; annual prices not published |
| Free tier | Free plan for as long as you like | 60-day trial; 100 emails per day |
| API and SDKs | API documentation; transactional email for apps | Email API and SMTP service |
| Docs and CLI | API documentation and setup guides | API documentation, Help Center, and status page |
| Integrations | Transactional apps and general email from Outlook | Application integration and partner-built solutions |
| Deployment model | Managed outgoing email service | Hosted Email API and SMTP service |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Limits and scaling | Plans include 10,000 to over 3,000,000 emails monthly | Plans list up to 2,500,000 monthly; Premier is custom |
SMTP2GO Choose SMTP2GO if
- Choose SMTP2GO if you want a free plan with no stated end date.
- Choose SMTP2GO if delivery reports and email testing are priorities.
- Choose SMTP2GO if automatic SPF/DKIM and Outlook sending fit your setup.
Twilio SendGrid Choose Twilio SendGrid if
- Choose Twilio SendGrid if your app needs an Email API and SMTP service.
- Choose Twilio SendGrid if you need campaign tools alongside email delivery.
- Choose Twilio SendGrid if its listed 100,000-email Essentials tier fits your budget.
02Pricing at real usage
SMTP2GO has a Free plan for as long as you like. Its Starter plan includes 10,000 emails monthly and costs $10 month to month or $100 annually. Professional includes 100,000 emails monthly for $75 monthly or $750 annually; annual billing is listed as two months free. Extra emails cost $1 per thousand on Starter and $0.85 per thousand on Professional.
SendGrid’s free trial lasts 60 days and allows 100 emails per day. Its Essentials plans list 50,000 emails for $19.95 monthly and 100,000 for $34.95. The 100,000-email Pro tier is $89.95 monthly and includes a dedicated IP; larger listed Pro tiers go up to 2,500,000 emails for $1,099 monthly. At 100,000 emails, Essentials costs less than SMTP2GO Professional, but includes three days of email history versus SMTP2GO’s 30 days. SendGrid annual prices are not published.
03API, SDKs and integration
SMTP2GO provides API documentation and describes sending transactional email from applications. Its homepage also mentions sending general email from Outlook. It presents itself as a managed outgoing email service with delivery reporting, tracking, spam-filter testing, and automatic SPF/DKIM for domain names.
SendGrid offers an Email API and an SMTP service, plus campaign tools for marketers. Its documentation covers integrating and sending with the APIs. The company also points to partners for Email API integration, deliverability work, and custom or pre-built solutions. Neither vendor’s pages specify SDK languages or CLI tooling, so check the current documentation for supported libraries and command-line workflows before choosing an implementation. For either service, keep templates, recipient state, and application-level delivery records outside the sending integration where practical; that makes changing providers less dependent on vendor-specific features.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
SMTP2GO and Twilio SendGrid are presented as managed email delivery services. Neither vendor publishes an open-source license or self-hosting option for these services, so plan for a hosted dependency rather than a mail server you can run in your own infrastructure. SMTP2GO’s API and SendGrid’s Email API or SMTP service are the integration points described by their vendors.
Neither vendor publishes a data-export procedure on the pages described here. Before committing, ask how to retrieve message events, suppressions, templates, and account configuration, and how long those records remain available. SendGrid’s listed plans include three or seven days of email history; SMTP2GO’s Starter and Professional plans include 30 days of reporting. Keep the application’s recipient and suppression data under your control, and isolate provider calls behind an adapter if migration matters.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper at 100,000 emails per month?
SendGrid Essentials is listed at $34.95 monthly for 100,000 emails. SMTP2GO Professional is $75 monthly for the same volume and includes a dedicated IP and email testing. SendGrid Essentials has three days of email history; SMTP2GO includes 30 days of reporting.
Does SMTP2GO or SendGrid have a free plan?
SMTP2GO lists a Free plan available for as long as you like. SendGrid lists a 60-day free trial with a limit of 100 emails per day. The trial also includes one additional teammate and one event webhook.
Can I send email through SMTP with both services?
SendGrid explicitly offers an SMTP service as well as its Email API. SMTP2GO describes an outgoing email service and provides API documentation, but its homepage does not specify an SMTP interface. Confirm the connection method you need with SMTP2GO before implementation.
Can I self-host either email service?
Neither vendor publishes a self-hosting option or open-source license for these email services. Both are presented as managed delivery products. If self-hosting or data portability is a requirement, ask each vendor about export procedures and plan a provider-independent storage strategy.