SendGrid

Overview

SendGrid is one of the oldest and most widely deployed email infrastructure platforms on the market. Acquired by Twilio in 2019, it powers email for companies ranging from early-stage startups to large enterprises, handling billions of emails per month. The platform offers both transactional email via its Web API and SMTP relay, and marketing email through its campaigns feature.

SendGrid's greatest strength is its proven track record. The infrastructure is reliable, the deliverability is well-established, and the API is comprehensive. If you need to send email at scale and want a platform that has handled virtually every edge case, SendGrid has been doing this longer than most of its competitors have existed.

Developer Experience

SendGrid's API is RESTful and well-documented, with official SDKs in seven languages including Node.js, Python, Java, and Go. The v3 API is consistent and covers everything from sending individual messages to managing contacts, templates, and suppressions. SMTP relay is also available for teams that prefer that integration path.

That said, the developer experience shows its age. The dashboard is functional but cluttered, the SDK ergonomics do not match modern alternatives like Resend, and some configuration flows involve more clicks than they should. The documentation is comprehensive but can be difficult to navigate, with legacy v2 content sometimes appearing alongside current v3 references.

The visual email builder works but feels dated compared to newer platforms. It supports drag-and-drop editing and dynamic template variables, but the editor is slow and the preview rendering is not always accurate. Developers who want code-level control can use the template API with Handlebars-style substitution, which is more reliable.

Best For

SendGrid is best for teams that need proven, scalable email infrastructure and are willing to trade modern developer ergonomics for battle-tested reliability. It is a particularly good fit for organizations already in the Twilio ecosystem, larger companies that need enterprise support agreements, and teams sending at volumes where infrastructure maturity matters more than interface polish.

If you are building a greenfield project and prioritize developer experience, newer alternatives may be more enjoyable to work with. But if you need to send millions of emails per day and want confidence in delivery, SendGrid is still a safe choice.

Verdict

SendGrid remains a solid email infrastructure choice, especially for high-volume senders who value reliability over aesthetics. The API is capable, the deliverability is strong, and the integration ecosystem is unmatched. The free tier is generous enough for development and small production workloads.

The downsides are real, though. The UI is overdue for a refresh, support quality has become a common complaint since the Twilio acquisition, and the pricing tiers can be confusing. For developers starting fresh in 2025, it is worth evaluating modern alternatives before defaulting to SendGrid — but for teams already invested in the platform, there is no urgent reason to migrate.