SendGrid is a dedicated email service with superior deliverability (99.94% uptime guarantee) and advanced features, while Amazon SES is a cost-effective, bare-bones option starting at $0.10 per 1,000 emails with lower default sending limits but no deliverability guarantees.
SendGrid vs Amazon SES — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Enterprise email platform with extensive integrations, highest uptime guarantee, and 1M+ users.
Lightweight, pay-as-you-go email service integrated with AWS infrastructure.
Starting Price Per 1,000 Emails. Default Sending Limit (First 24hrs). Uptime Guarantee (SLA). Built-in Email Templates. Dashboard Analytics & Reporting. Authentication Setup (SPF/DKIM). Free Trial / Sandbox
Choose SendGrid if you prioritize ease of use, professional templates, guaranteed uptime, and advanced deliverability features—ideal for small-to-mid businesses and marketers who want a complete email platform. Choose Amazon SES if you're AWS-native, cost-sensitive, sending millions of emails monthly, and have technical expertise to handle manual configuration and monitoring via CloudWatch.
SendGrid: 0 (trial only) | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Multiple continents (15+) | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Full suite included | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: AI-assisted drag-and-drop | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: $1.00 per 1K emails | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: 0 (100 emails/day only) | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: No, basic contacts only | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Highly advanced, enterprise-grade | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: 60-120 minutes | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Unlimited (pay-per-use after quota) | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: 1 channel (Email) | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: $25 for 50k emails | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: 100+ countries | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: 100-150ms average | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Yes, 24/7 with premium tiers | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Advanced drag-and-drop builder with presets | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Unlimited with proper infrastructure | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: $19.95 | Amazon SES: $0 (pay-per-email)
SendGrid: $29.95-$99.95 (bundled) | Amazon SES: $10
SendGrid: Drag-and-drop visual editor | Amazon SES: None (code only)
SendGrid: Full (A/B testing, branching, delays) | Amazon SES: None (API-controlled)
SendGrid: 14,400 (varies by plan) | Amazon SES: 14 (production tier)
SendGrid: $9.95 (or free 100k/month) | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Requires third-party integration | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: 50+ generic templates | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: 500 req/s | Amazon SES: 14 (configurable to 240)
SendGrid: 4-5 basic trigger types | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Not advertised | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: $29.95/month (Pro plan) | Amazon SES: $0 (pay-as-you-go only)
SendGrid: 100 emails | Amazon SES: 200 emails
SendGrid: 70+ responsive templates | Amazon SES: 0 templates
SendGrid: 30 days | Amazon SES: 62 days sandbox (200 emails/day max)
SendGrid: 90 days (all tiers) | Amazon SES: Unlimited (CloudWatch, manual setup)
SendGrid: 2-3 minutes (1-click) | Amazon SES: 15-20 minutes (manual DNS)
SendGrid: 3,000 emails | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: 25+ event types | Amazon SES: 4 core event types
SendGrid: API-driven only | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Unlimited at scale | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: Built into enterprise plans | Amazon SES: N/A
SendGrid: N/A | Amazon SES: Syntax validation only
SendGrid: N/A | Amazon SES: No, separate service
SendGrid: N/A | Amazon SES: $3.10 (31,000 emails)
SendGrid: N/A | Amazon SES: 62,000 (first 12 months)
SendGrid: N/A | Amazon SES: Manual handling via SQS/Lambda (not built-in)
SendGrid: N/A | Amazon SES: Business hours only (basic), 24/7 on paid AWS support
SendGrid: N/A | Amazon SES: Native integration with Lambda, S3, CloudWatch, SNS
How to choose between SendGrid and Amazon SES
SendGrid vs Amazon SES — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for SendGrid vs Amazon SES. Contains 96 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
SendGrid vs Amazon SES — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for SendGrid vs Amazon SES.
Which is cheaper for sending 1 million emails per month?
Amazon SES is significantly cheaper: ~$100/month vs SendGrid's $299/month. However, SES increases to $0.01/recipient for external lists, while SendGrid's per-email cost decreases with volume ($0.09/1K). For 10M+ emails, both platforms cost roughly the same due to volume discounts.
Does Amazon SES have a sandbox mode, and how long does it last?
Yes, Amazon SES places all new accounts in sandbox mode for 62 days. In sandbox mode, you can send up to 200 emails per 24-hour period to verified email addresses only. Once you request production access, limits increase to 50,000 emails/day. SendGrid's free trial is unrestricted for 30 days with 40,000 test emails included.
Which platform has better email deliverability rates?
SendGrid has superior deliverability metrics with a 99.94% uptime SLA and reputation monitoring tools. Industry reports show SendGrid achieves 95-98% inbox placement rates. Amazon SES provides no SLA and relies on AWS infrastructure; average inbox placement is 90-94% due to less sophisticated spam filtering.
Can I use both SendGrid and Amazon SES together?
Yes, many companies use both: SES for transactional emails (confirmations, receipts) due to cost, and SendGrid for marketing campaigns requiring better deliverability and analytics. You can configure both via DNS records and switch senders per email type.
What's the learning curve difference between the two platforms?
SendGrid is beginner-friendly with a no-code dashboard, pre-built templates, and intuitive SMTP configuration. Amazon SES requires intermediate AWS knowledge (CloudWatch, SNS, Lambda integration, manual DNS setup). SendGrid's API is also simpler, while SES's AWS API requires deeper integration work.
How to Choose Between SendGrid and Amazon SES
Consider: Starting Price Per 1,000 Emails
Starting Price Per 1,000 Emails: SendGrid has $0.09-$0.10, while Amazon SES has $0.10.
Consider: Default Sending Limit (First 24hrs)
Default Sending Limit (First 24hrs): SendGrid has 100 emails/day, while Amazon SES has 200 emails/day.
Uptime Guarantee (SLA): SendGrid has 99.94%, while Amazon SES has No SLA guarantee.
Built-in Email Templates: SendGrid has 70+ responsive templates, while Amazon SES has 0 templates (manual coding required).
Consider: Dashboard Analytics & Reporting
Dashboard Analytics & Reporting: SendGrid has Real-time + 90-day history, while Amazon SES has CloudWatch integration (manual setup).
Consider: Authentication Setup (SPF/DKIM)
Authentication Setup (SPF/DKIM): SendGrid has 1-click automated, while Amazon SES has Manual DNS configuration.
Free Trial / Sandbox: SendGrid has 30-day free trial (40K emails), while Amazon SES has 62-day sandbox mode (200 emails/24hrs).