DEV Community: Sunil Sandhu

The cheapest transactional email APIs for side projects and vibe-coded apps (2026)

Sunil Sandhu — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 12:36:02 +0000

Disclosure: I build Notify, one of the APIs below. I've tried to be fair, and Notify isn't the right pick for everyone. Where another provider is the better choice, I've said so.

Every side project hits the same moment. You need a password reset email, or a "your export is ready" email, or a magic link, and suddenly you're reading pricing pages instead of shipping. If you're building with Lovable, Bolt or Cursor, it often comes even sooner, because the AI happily writes sendEmail() and leaves you to work out who actually sends it.

This post is the comparison I wanted when I was in that spot: what eight popular transactional email APIs actually cost at small volumes, and which one I'd pick for which situation.

The short version

Lowest cost per email at any volume: AWS SES, if you're comfortable in AWS.
Best free tier for a hobby project: Mailtrap (4,000/month) or Resend (3,000/month), as long as you stay under their daily caps.
Deliverability reputation above all: Postmark.
React Email and the biggest ecosystem: Resend.
Cheapest managed option around 3k to 10k a month: Notify ($10 for 10,000).
Cheapest managed option at 50k a month: SendGrid, Resend and Mailtrap are all around $20. Notify isn't the cheapest here.
Marketing and transactional in one place: Brevo.

What it costs (USD per month, as of Nov 2026)

I checked list prices on each vendor's public pricing page in early November 2026. These are the cheapest plans that cover each volume, for transactional sending only: no dedicated IPs, add-ons, tax or annual discounts. Plans change often, so check the linked page before you commit.

Provider	1k/mo	3k/mo	10k/mo	50k/mo	Free tier
AWS SES	~$0.16	~$0.48	~$1.60	~$8	None for SES itself; new AWS accounts may get credits
Notify	$0	$10	$10	$50	1,000/month
Resend	$0	$0*	$20	$20	3,000/month, 100/day
Mailtrap	$0	$0	$15	$20	4,000/month, 150/day
Mailgun	$0	$0*	$15	$35	100/day
Postmark	$15	$15	$15	$55	100/month (testing)
SendGrid	$19.95 (a)	$19.95 (a)	$19.95 (c)	$19.95	60-day trial, 100/day
Brevo	$0	$0	$17 (b)	$56 (b)	300/day

* Fits only if you never exceed 100 emails in a single day. A launch-day spike can push you over.

(a) Free for the first 60 days, then you need a paid plan.

(b) Brevo Starter, billed monthly (about 10% less if billed yearly). Brevo's volume counts campaign and transactional email together.

(c) SendGrid's cheapest paid plan, Essentials, is listed as "starting at $19.95/mo". The pricing page doesn't show a separate lower-volume tier, so check it for your volume.

SES notes: since July 2026, new SES accounts start on the Essentials plan at $0.16 per 1,000 emails. AWS says you can switch to the a la carte rate of $0.10 per 1,000, which brings 50k down to about $5. New accounts also start in the SES sandbox (verified recipients only) until AWS approves production access.

A few things jump out:

SES is in a league of its own on price. Nothing managed comes close per email. You pay in setup time instead: IAM, the sandbox request, and wiring bounce and complaint events through SNS or EventBridge yourself.
The free tiers aren't equal. Monthly numbers look generous, but daily caps (Resend 100, Mailgun 100, Mailtrap 150, Brevo 300) matter more for a launch than the monthly total.
The 10k-to-50k jump changes the ranking. Notify is cheapest among managed APIs at 3k to 10k. At 50k, Resend, Mailtrap and SendGrid are cheaper than Notify's $50 Scale plan (which covers up to 100k).
Postmark has no small paid tier. Above 100 a month you're on the $15 plan, which is fair if you value what Postmark is known for.

Best for: honest verdicts

AWS SES: lowest cost at scale. If you're already in AWS and sending a lot, use it. For a weekend project it's often more plumbing than it's worth, but the per-email maths is unbeatable.

Postmark: deliverability reputation. Postmark has a long track record on transactional-only sending and keeps transactional and broadcast mail on separate streams. If a password reset that lands in spam would really hurt your business, the $15 is easy to justify.

Resend: React Email and ecosystem. If you like writing emails as React components, Resend is the natural home. It has great docs, lots of tutorials and framework guides, inbound email and a hosted MCP server. Its free tier is good; the jump to $20 is the main reason people look around.

Mailtrap: biggest free tier, plus testing. 4,000 a month free, and if you already use Mailtrap's sandbox to catch emails in staging, keeping sending in the same place is convenient.

Mailgun: routing and inbound. Strong if you need to receive and route email by rules, validate addresses, or choose EU or US regions.

SendGrid: the big established option. A huge feature set, marketing as well as transactional, and Twilio behind it. It's cheap at 50k, but it can feel heavy if you only need three templates.

Brevo: one tool for campaigns and transactional. Good value if you also want newsletters, a CRM and SMS. If you only send password resets, much of it is surplus.

Notify: a small API at a low flat price. Notify is one send endpoint, domain verification, logs and webhooks, with an MCP server for coding agents. It's a good fit if you already render your own HTML, send somewhere between a few hundred and 10,000 emails a month, and don't want the $20 step. It isn't the right pick if you want React Email tooling, agent inboxes or receiving email, the cheapest option at 50k, or SMTP (Notify is HTTP only).

What actually matters for indie devs

The free tier, and how it's capped. A daily cap can make a "3,000 free" plan unusable on launch day. Look at both numbers.

Domain verification. Every serious provider makes you add SPF and DKIM records before you can send from your own domain. That's good for deliverability, but it's where most people stall. Check whether the provider shows exactly which record is missing, and whether there's a test address you can send from first. Most do; SES's sandbox is the strictest.

Developer experience. Count the lines of code from zero to a first email, and how readable the error messages are. Most of these APIs are a single HTTPS POST with an API key; try one before you choose.

Logs and webhooks. When a user says "I never got the email", you need a log to check. Retention on free plans ranges from a few hours to a few days, so check it.

MCP and agent support. If you build in Cursor, Claude Code or Windsurf, an MCP server lets the agent verify domains, send test emails and read logs without you pasting keys into chat. Resend has a hosted MCP; Postmark, Mailgun, Mailtrap and Notify (npx -y notifycx-mcp) have local ones. It's not essential, but it saves time while you build.

Adding email to a Lovable, Bolt or Cursor app

The pattern is the same whichever provider you choose:

Keep the key on the server. Put the API key in an environment variable, or in Supabase secrets if your app uses Supabase. Never put it in client-side code. AI builders sometimes do this, so check.
Send from a server route or edge function. For example, a Next.js route handler, a Supabase Edge Function or a Cloudflare Worker.
Verify a subdomain like mail.yourapp.com so your main domain's reputation stays separate.
Ask the AI for HTML, not a template builder. Prompt something like "write a plain, accessible HTML password reset email with a single button". Then send that HTML through the API.

With Notify, the whole send is one call:

await fetch("https://notify.cx/api/email/send", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "x-api-key": process.env.NOTIFY_API_KEY!,
  },
  body: JSON.stringify({
    to: user.email,
    from: "MyApp <hello@mail.myapp.com>",
    subject: "Reset your password",
    html: `<p><a href="${resetUrl}">Reset your password</a></p>`,
  }),
});

Resend, Postmark and Mailgun look much the same: one POST, a key in a header, a JSON body. If you use Supabase Auth, its built-in email service is rate-limited and meant for testing, so plan to plug in a real provider before launch.

So which should you pick?

Hobby project, under ~100 emails a day: Mailtrap's or Resend's free tier, or Notify's if 1,000 a month is enough.
Real side project sending a few thousand a month on a budget: Notify at $10, or Mailgun/Mailtrap at $15 if you need their extras.
Heavy React Email user: Resend.
Deliverability is everything: Postmark.
Lots of email and AWS skills: SES.
Newsletters as well: Brevo.

If you want to try Notify, it's free for 1,000 emails a month at notify.cx. If something above is wrong or out of date, tell me in the comments and I'll fix it. Pricing pages change faster than blog posts.

Top Medium Alternatives for 2024

Sunil Sandhu — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 09:55:11 +0000

Explore the pros and cons of the best Medium alternatives - HubPages, Differ, Substack, Hashnode, Hackernoon, Vocal Media, and more.

Initially, Evan Williams founded Medium with the vision of creating a long-form version of Twitter, providing a space for writers to share content beyond the limitations of 140 characters. While Medium has been a popular platform for many, exploring other options can offer unique features and benefits that may better align with your goals.

If you're a content creator, staying up-to-date with the best online blogging platforms is crucial to establishing your online presence, building your readership, and expanding your audience.

Here are some of the top Medium alternatives for 2024, each offering distinct features, whether free or paid to help you share your content, and reach and engage with your audience.

1. Differ

Differ.blog is a unique blogging platform that's completely free to use. It aims to create a more straightforward and engaging user experience for both writers and readers, and stands out for its transparency and control offered over content visibility, avoiding algorithmic curation along the way.

This approach (powerful filters placed in the user's hand, rather than the black box of an algorithm) allows readers to find the stories they want to read without being inundated with suggested content based on past behavior.

Alongside the standard rich-text editor, Differ fully supports markdown syntax. You can use markdown shortcuts like # for headings, > for blockquotes, and triple backticks (followed by a language) for code blocks. This is perfect for markdown enthusiasts, allowing you to effortlessly copy and paste your markdown content directly into Differ.

What's more, Differ's curation team will pick a number of articles weekly (from any topic; it just has to be good enough) to showcase on the homepage, increasing your chances of reaching more readers. Besides the showcase, the platform also offers a Trending section that ranks the top-performing articles by views, meaning if your article is getting more views, it can remain featured on the homepage for way longer than a week.

Users also get the ability to create publications that other users can follow and engage with. Like Medium, publications are essentially a hub for stories that are related by topic.

Differ is open to all topics ranging from pop culture to gaming, from politics to entertainment, tech to marketing, programming, storytelling, and more. Because of its intriguing approach, eschewing algorithmic content entirely, writers must add proper tags to their articles and adjust titles and metadata for SEO to increase reach, and readers need to filter their search based on appropriate tags. You'll have full control over your story, for better or worse.

Differ also regularly offers paid writing opportunities through writing contests that hand out cash prizes weekly.

👉For information on the writing challenge, check out their official publication.

Cost: Completely free to use. You can even create and customize your own publications for free.

Pros:

Transparent approach that enables freedom of expression: Differ does not use algorithms to suggest content, offering a more transparent and user-driven experience. Writers can post their content without worrying about algorithmic biases that might limit their audience.
User engagement: By focusing on user preferences rather than algorithms, Differ fosters a community where content visibility is more democratic.
Human curation team to find the best of the best: Differ showcases exceptional stories regularly on the homepage, hand-picked by its experienced, diverse, and multicultural team.
Ability to create publications: Much like Medium, Differ offers a publication feature to house articles related to similar topics.
A powerful rich-text editor that is markdown aware: Beneficial for anyone more familiar with markdown, or preferring to import their articles stored in markdown format.

Cons:

It's a fairly new platform: As Differ is a new platform it might take time initially to increase impressions. To help this along, you can share posts on various social media channels where you have more followers, or on platforms like Reddit.
Early in development: While Differ offers the basics needed for blogging, right now it might lack some advanced features like advanced analytics, or an archive that can be sorted and filtered datewise. However, it is constantly in development, with new features added each week.

Differ is truly unique compared to anything on this list and could be one of the breakout platforms in the coming months. Check it out yourself, by signing up for free.

2. HubPages

HubPages is a community-driven publishing platform that allows writers to publish articles on a variety of topics, from sports and politics to beauty and relationships. It provides an integrated platform for creating and sharing content without needing extensive setup.

Ideal for those seeking greater control over SEO and steady income opportunities, HubPages provides a modular interface for creating blog posts, though it may take some time to get accustomed to.

The monetization potential of HubPages is limited --- with ad and affiliate commission opportunities requiring significant traffic for meaningful income. As for traffic, the platform attracts a substantial monthly traffic of 1.9 million.

Cost: Free to use, with optional monetization programs available.

Pros:

Built-in community for instant engagement
Easy to start and use
No need for extensive setup

Cons:

Takes time to gain significant visibility
Limited design and customization options

3. Vocal Media

Vocal Media offers a diverse range of communities where writers can publish content on specific topics. It supports various forms of writing, including short stories, poetry, and personal essays.

For those seeking cash-prize writing challenges and quick exposure to a broad audience, this platform is an excellent choice. It boasts a simple, intuitive, and easily navigable interface, making it user-friendly for writers at all levels.

The monetization potential is decent --- with opportunities to earn through viral posts, writing challenges, and tips from readers. Additionally, with monthly traffic of 3 million, VocalMedia offers substantial visibility and engagement.

Cost: Free to use, with a premium Vocal+ membership available for additional benefits.

Pros:

Multiple communities for targeted audiences
Clean, ad-free user experience
Premium membership available for additional benefits

Cons:

Earnings depend heavily on readership
Limited control over content presentation

4. Steemit

Steemit is a blockchain-based platform similar to Reddit, allowing users to share both short and long-form content. It is particularly appealing to those interested in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

This platform is ideal for those who prioritize transparency and freedom in their work. While it requires users to have an understanding of blockchain and cryptocurrency, the potential rewards are significant.

Monetization is high and is based on user engagement, with payments made in cryptocurrency. With a monthly traffic of 4.2 million, it provides ample opportunities for visibility and interaction.

Cost: Free to use.

Pros:

Decentralized content management
Community voting influences content visibility
Earn cryptocurrency (STEEM) for participation

Cons:

Complex monetization system
Volatility of cryptocurrency can affect earnings

5. NewsBreak

NewsBreak focuses on local and national news, providing a platform for independent journalists and community bloggers. It distributes content to local readers, emphasizing local events and issues.

Ideal for news-style articles and topics on both local and national scales, this platform offers a straightforward and intuitive user experience, albeit with a somewhat cluttered interface due to ads.

The monetization potential is strong, particularly through the creation of viral news content. With a monthly traffic of 18.6 million, it provides significant opportunities for widespread visibility and audience engagement.

Cost: Free to use, with eligibility requirements for content creators.

Pros:

Strong focus on local news
Distributes content to relevant local readers
Free to use for eligible creators

Cons:

Eligibility requirements for content creators
Limited to news and community-focused content

6. Substack

Substack is a platform designed for creating and distributing email newsletters. It allows writers to build a subscriber base and share content directly through email, bypassing traditional social media algorithms.

Ideal for building direct relationships with readers through newsletters, this platform offers a simple and clean user experience. However, managing subscribers and analyzing data does require some learning.

The monetization potential is high, primarily through paid subscriptions. With a monthly traffic of 44.5 million, it provides extensive opportunities for engaging with a large audience and maximizing revenue.

Cost: Free to start, with a 10% fee on revenue from paid subscriptions.

Pros:

Direct engagement with subscribers
Easy to set up and use
Free to start

Cons:

10% fee on revenue from paid subscriptions
Limited to email newsletter format

7. Ghost

Ghost is an open-source blogging platform that offers advanced SEO tools and supports paid subscriptions for exclusive content. It is highly customizable and ideal for writers who want more control over their website design and functionality.

This platform is best for creating personalized blogs to market, curate, and distribute content. It features a clean user interface, though it does require technical knowledge for hosting.

The monetization potential is high, especially through paid subscriptions. However, specific monthly traffic data is not available.

Cost: Free to use with self-hosting, or paid plans available for hosted services.

Pros:

High customization and control
Strong SEO capabilities
Supports paid subscriptions for exclusive content

Cons:

Requires technical knowledge for setup
Costs associated with hosting (if not self-hosting)

8. WordPress

WordPress.org is a highly flexible content management system (CMS) that allows complete customization of your blog or website. It supports a wide range of plugins and themes, making it suitable for any type of content.

This platform is ideal for establishing a blog or website with extensive customization options. It is feature-rich, which means it requires learning and technical skills to navigate effectively.

The monetization potential is huge, offering opportunities through ads, affiliate marketing, and e-commerce. However, specific monthly traffic data is not available.

Cost: Free to use with self-hosting; WordPress.com offers paid plans with hosting included.

Pros:

Total control over design and functionality
Wide range of plugins for additional features
Strong SEO and analytics tools

Cons:

Steeper learning curve for beginners
Costs for hosting and premium plugins/themes

9. Hashnode

Hashnode is designed specifically for developers and tech enthusiasts, providing a dedicated space for publishing and sharing technical content. It offers a seamless blogging experience, where you can write articles directly on your domain or use Hashnode's domain for free. The platform supports markdown, making it easy to format code snippets and technical documentation.

For those looking to engage with a niche community of developers and tech professionals, Hashnode is an ideal choice. The platform integrates with popular tools like GitHub and offers features like custom domains, SEO optimization, and newsletter integration. Hashnode's interface is clean and user-friendly, catering to both new and experienced bloggers.

Hashnode provides an excellent platform for developers looking to share knowledge and build a portfolio. And with a monthly traffic of approximately 1.2 million, writers can engage with a big audience that's also a focused community of like-minded individuals

Cost: Free to use, with options for custom domains and additional features available through a premium plan.

Pros:

Tailored for technical and developer-focused content
Supports custom domains and SEO tools
Integration with GitHub and other developer tools
Active community for tech-related discussions and feedback

Cons:

Limited to tech and developer-related content
Monetization options are not as robust as some other platforms
Requires consistent, high-quality content to build a substantial audience

10. Dev.to

Dev.to is a vibrant online community for developers to share articles, tutorials, and discussions about various programming and tech-related topics. The platform is built with a focus on fostering a supportive and inclusive environment for developers of all skill levels.

Dev.to supports markdown for easy formatting and code snippet inclusion, making it straightforward for developers to write and publish technical content. The platform's tagging system helps categorize articles, making it easy for users to find and engage with content that matches their interests. Additionally, dev.to offers integrations with GitHub, enabling seamless sharing and collaboration on projects.

If you're seeking a highly interactive and engaged developer community, dev.to is an excellent choice. The platform emphasizes community interaction, allowing users to comment, react, and engage with posts, fostering meaningful discussions and knowledge sharing. And with a monthly traffic of approximately 2.5 million, this is a good platform if you want to maximize the reach of your articles.

Cost: Free to use, with no premium plans, making it accessible to all developers.

Pros:

Designed specifically for developers and tech enthusiasts
Supports markdown for easy formatting of technical content
Strong community interaction with comments and reactions
Integration with GitHub for project sharing and collaboration
Free to use with no premium plans

Cons:

Limited to tech and developer-related content
No built-in monetization options
Requires consistent engagement to build a significant following

11. HackerNoon

HackerNoon is a technology-focused platform where technologists, software developers, and industry professionals share stories, insights, and tutorials about the latest in tech and programming. The platform offers a modern, clean interface that supports both markdown and rich text, making it easy to format and publish detailed technical articles.

HackerNoon is ideal for you if you want to delve into deeper tech topics, with a strong emphasis on long-form content. It features an active community of tech enthusiasts and professionals, providing ample opportunities for networking and feedback. The platform also supports integrations with various tools and offers robust analytics to track your article's performance.

If you're looking to reach a broad and engaged tech audience, HackerNoon is an excellent choice. The platform's editorial team often features standout articles, providing additional visibility to high-quality content. With a monthly traffic of around 4 million, HackerNoon offers substantial reach and engagement potential.

Cost: Free to use, with options for featured listings and other promotional tools available.

Pros:

Tailored for technology and programming content
Supports both markdown and rich text formatting
Strong emphasis on long-form, in-depth articles
Active community with opportunities for networking and feedback
Robust analytics to track article performance

Cons:

Limited to tech-related content
Requires high-quality, in-depth content to stand out
Monetization options are limited compared to other platforms
Only approved stories are published on the platform

Conclusion

Choosing the right platform depends on your specific needs and goals.

HubPages and Vocal Media offer community-focused environments with built-in support for various types of content.

Steemit and NewsBreak provide niche platforms for specific interests like cryptocurrency and local news.

Substack focuses on direct email engagement, while Ghost and WordPress offer extensive customization and control.

Hackernoon, Hashnode, and dev.to with their developer audience are better suited if you're a developer looking to share your experience, document your coding journey, write tutorials, and connect with fellow professionals in the tech space.

Finally, if you want more transparency and control over selecting the content you want to see and want SEO and tags to be the only factors that determine the visibility of your stories, choose Differ.

Each platform has its unique strengths, whether it's community engagement, advanced SEO tools, or direct subscriber interaction. By understanding these features, you can choose the best Medium alternative to share your content and connect with your audience in 2024.

This might be the most ambitious project I've ever taken on...

Sunil Sandhu — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 16:08:01 +0000

I don’t talk about it often, but I really enjoy teaching.

A few kind words on a video or article I’ve made will sit with me for long after the comment was posted. Here in Italy, I volunteer as an English teacher and it warms my heart whenever a student uses a new word they had been taught the previous week.

2020 was a tough year and, so far, 2021 appears to be no different. To try and add some positivity into the world, I wanted to figure out what I could do to help more people in 2021. More so, was there a way that I could help people learn to code beyond a simple YouTube video or article?

And with that, I am proud to introduce Stackademic. An initiative in conjunction with In Plain English.

The past decade has seen an influx of coding bootcamps. Some bootcamps cost more than the price of university. Coding bootcamps may provide a portal to the industry, billions of people are still priced out.

To counter this, the Stackademic initiative plans to teach the next generation of coders, for FREE. We will teach a curriculum — that is at least equivalent to those expensive bootcamps — to students via remote video classes.

We’ve already received over 50 applicants from all over the world, along with messages from companies interested in sponsoring the initiative.

This may be the most ambitious project I’ve ever taken on.

If you’re interested in getting involved, whether as a student, a teacher, a volunteer, or a contributor, get in touch with me over Twitter — you can reach me at twitter.com/sunilsandhu.

We would also really appreciate it if you could share details about this initiative with as many people as possible on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Remember, this is not about ego, this is about helping people.

Let’s start changing some lives! ❤️