Klaviyo is a specialized e-commerce email and SMS platform with advanced segmentation and automation built for high-volume merchants, while SendGrid is a general-purpose transactional and marketing email service designed for developers and broader use cases. Klaviyo excels at revenue-focused commerce tools, while SendGrid offers greater flexibility for non-commerce applications.
Klaviyo vs SendGrid — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Ecommerce-focused email and SMS marketing platform with advanced segmentation and predictive analytics for online retailers.
Email delivery and marketing automation platform owned by Twilio
Primary Use Case. SMS Capabilities. Starting Price (Monthly). Pre-built E-commerce Templates. API Rate Limits (requests/sec). Behavioral Trigger Automation Flows. Free Email Volume (monthly)
Choose Klaviyo if you run an e-commerce store and need sophisticated behavioral segmentation, SMS integration, and revenue-focused automation to maximize customer lifetime value. Choose SendGrid if you need cost-effective transactional email delivery, developer-friendly APIs for multi-purpose applications, or operate outside the e-commerce space where Klaviyo's specialized features won't provide ROI.
Klaviyo: All email features included | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: eCommerce-optimized templates | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Advanced behavior-led segmentation | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Unified customer data foundation | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Basic email features only | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Extensive custom via API | SendGrid: 50+
Klaviyo: Real-time behavioral graphs with continuous updates | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Email, SMS, push, in-app, direct mail | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Higher minimum investment required | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Mid-to-large ecommerce, Shopify Plus, data-driven brands | SendGrid: N/A
Average eCommerce Email Revenue Per Send
Klaviyo: $20/month (500 contacts) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Varies by plan features | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: B2C customer data platform | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Included in all plans | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: 4,200% ROI (industry average) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Email, SMS, push (native) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Limited 2-way capability | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Native email + SMS + pop-ups | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Yes, multi-channel A/B testing | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Smart scheduling with AI optimization | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Active profiles (contacts with behavior) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Limited (plan-dependent) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Included (higher plans only) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Advanced behavioral data segmentation | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: 3 (Email, SMS, WhatsApp) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Personalized send time optimization | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Built-in CDP as core foundation | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Steeper learning curve (data-focused) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Predictive send-time optimization (Q4 2025), AI-driven personalization | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Enterprise-grade, proven at scale with dedicated infrastructure | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Unlimited triggered sequences with advanced conditional logic | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: SMB to Enterprise (all Shopify store sizes) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: $72 per email sent | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Industry average 4,200% | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Deep native with purchase-event segmentation | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Behavioral purchase-event segmentation | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: North America eCommerce focus | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: $20+ (usage-based) | SendGrid: $25 for 50k emails
Klaviyo: Email, SMS, Web Push, Forms | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: 24/5 email, phone 9-5 EST | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Behavioral, predictive, e-commerce segments, custom attributes | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: 150,000+ e-commerce merchants | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: $0.01-0.03 (add-on) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Advanced multi-channel | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Native integration with major platforms | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: AI-powered with customer data platform | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Yes, native SMS | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: No, third-party required | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: $20-45 | SendGrid: $9.95 (or free 100k/month)
Klaviyo: Native SMS included | SendGrid: Requires third-party integration
Klaviyo: 200+ Shopify-optimized | SendGrid: 50+ generic templates
Klaviyo: Unlimited with predictive optimization | SendGrid: 4-5 basic trigger types
Klaviyo: 10-15% with predictive send time | SendGrid: Not advertised
Klaviyo: 500 | SendGrid: 0 (100 emails/day only)
Klaviyo: None (paid only) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: 5 active automations | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: 150+ with AI generation | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Yes (all plans) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: $20 (for 500 contacts) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: 1-2 weeks (visual setup) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Native built-in integration | SendGrid: N/A
Mid-Tier Price (5K contacts/subscribers)
Enterprise Price (100K+ contacts/subscribers)
Klaviyo: Basic customer profiles only | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: $20 | SendGrid: $1.00 per 1K emails
Klaviyo: Basic behavioral and manual only | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Basic mobile only | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Native deep integration with pre-built flows | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Yes, included with segmentation | SendGrid: No - third-party required
Klaviyo: Advanced (20+ trigger types) | SendGrid: Basic (5 trigger types)
Klaviyo: $0.01-0.015 (add-on) | SendGrid: N/A
Mid-Tier Plan Monthly Cost (10k contacts)
Klaviyo: Subject, content, send time, segment split | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Paid add-on ($0.02 per view) | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Included in base | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: Customer profiles and purchase history only | SendGrid: N/A
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Multiple continents (15+)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Full suite included
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: AI-assisted drag-and-drop
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: No, basic contacts only
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Highly advanced, enterprise-grade
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Unlimited (pay-per-use after quota)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: 1 channel (Email)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: 100-150ms average
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Yes, 24/7 with premium tiers
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Advanced drag-and-drop builder with presets
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Unlimited with proper infrastructure
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: $29.95-$99.95 (bundled)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Drag-and-drop visual editor
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Full (A/B testing, branching, delays)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: 14,400 (varies by plan)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: $29.95/month (Pro plan)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: 70+ responsive templates
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: 90 days (all tiers)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: 2-3 minutes (1-click)
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: 25+ event types
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: API-driven only
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Unlimited at scale
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Built into enterprise plans
Klaviyo: N/A | SendGrid: Native with statistical significance calculator
How to choose between Klaviyo and SendGrid
Klaviyo vs SendGrid — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Klaviyo vs SendGrid. Contains 212 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Klaviyo vs SendGrid — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Klaviyo vs SendGrid.
Can I use SendGrid for e-commerce marketing like I would Klaviyo?
SendGrid can technically send marketing emails, but it lacks e-commerce-specific features that Klaviyo provides, such as product recommendation blocks, revenue attribution tracking, abandoned cart automation, and Shopify native integration. SendGrid is optimized for transactional emails and general marketing; for e-commerce ROI optimization, Klaviyo is the better choice.
SendGrid offers a significantly better free tier with 100,000 free emails/month forever on pay-as-you-go pricing ($0.0001 per email thereafter). Klaviyo has no free tier—minimum plans start at $20-45/month. For bootstrapped startups or testing, SendGrid is the clear winner.
No. SendGrid focuses exclusively on email delivery and does not offer native SMS. If you need SMS marketing, you'd need to integrate a third-party SMS provider (like Twilio) with SendGrid, whereas Klaviyo includes SMS natively in the platform with unified segmentation.
Which has better API documentation for developers?
SendGrid is widely recognized as having superior developer-friendly documentation with 15+ language SDKs, detailed code examples, and an active community. Klaviyo's API is solid but requires more marketing knowledge to implement effectively. For pure technical implementation, SendGrid wins.
What's the cost difference at scale (100,000 contacts)?
At 100,000 contacts, Klaviyo typically costs $350-500+/month depending on list composition, while SendGrid's cost depends on volume sent. If sending 1M emails/month via SendGrid, it would cost approximately $100-150 (at $0.0001/email after free tier). For large contact lists, SendGrid is significantly cheaper unless you need Klaviyo's e-commerce features to generate ROI.
How to Choose Between Klaviyo and SendGrid
Primary Use Case: Klaviyo has E-commerce email & SMS marketing, while SendGrid has Transactional & general marketing email.
SMS Capabilities: Klaviyo has Native SMS with advanced segmentation included, while SendGrid has No native SMS (third-party integration required).
Starting Price (Monthly): Klaviyo has $20-45 for up to 500 contacts, while SendGrid has $9.95-99+ per month or pay-as-you-go ($0.0001/email).
Consider: Pre-built E-commerce Templates
Pre-built E-commerce Templates: Klaviyo has 200+ Shopify-optimized templates included, while SendGrid has 50+ generic templates (limited e-commerce focus).
Consider: API Rate Limits (requests/sec)
API Rate Limits (requests/sec): Klaviyo has 500 requests/second, while SendGrid has 500 requests/second for Pro+ tier.
Consider: Behavioral Trigger Automation Flows
Behavioral Trigger Automation Flows: Klaviyo has Unlimited flows with predictive send time optimization, while SendGrid has Limited automation (4-5 basic trigger types).
Free Email Volume (monthly): Klaviyo has None (paid plans only), while SendGrid has 100,000 emails free forever (pay-as-you-go).