Joonas Rotko · Founder, That Marketing Buddy
I assess marketing software through 10+ years of agency work, current product research, buyer needs, competing tools and total cost.
How this review was prepared
This is a research-based review. I checked Resend's current product pages, pricing, documentation and technical material, then assessed what those published limits mean for a marketing team or small agency. I have not presented vendor claims as personal testing.
This page may include affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you sign up (at no extra cost to you).
The Verdict
Is Resend right for you?
Resend is an email API for developers with two separately priced products: transactional email, with a free tier of 3,000 emails a month, and marketing email, with a free tier of 1,000 contacts.
Free caps sending at 100 emails a day and keeps 30 days of data. Pro at $20/month lifts the daily cap and allows 50,000 emails a month, and Scale at $90/month covers 100,000 with 1,000 domains. Marketing plans price by contacts, from $40/month at 5,000 contacts to $180 at 25,000.
It fits a team that builds product email in code and wants some marketing sends beside it. It fits poorly when non-developers need to build campaigns, or when the sender needs a dedicated IP below the Scale plan.
Who It's For
Who Resend is for (and who it isn't)
✓ Best for
- +Developers adding sign-up, receipt and reset emails to a product. The REST API, SDKs and SMTP path cover the usual transactional set. Resend lists DKIM, SPF and DMARC domain setup, automatic suppression lists and bounce detail in its logs.
- +SaaS teams that also send occasional announcements. Broadcasts and automations run on a separately priced marketing plan in the same account, so a product team avoids a second tool for launch emails while lifecycle needs stay light.
- +Agencies sending on behalf of several client domains. Scale supports 1,000 domains, and extra domains can be added. Sending from each client's own verified domain keeps reputation separate by client.
× Consider something else if
- −A marketer, not a developer, will build the campaigns. Resend's center of gravity is the API and code-first templates. A team whose campaign builder is a non-developer is better served by a tool made for product-led lifecycle email.Try Loops →
- −You want transactional, marketing and more from one suite. Resend keeps transactional and marketing on separate pricing. A team that wants one all-in-one plan with a visual builder and a free tier fits a broader platform.Try Brevo →
- −You prefer open-source and pay-per-email pricing. A developer who wants a self-hostable stack and usage-based billing without monthly tiers should check an open-source option first.Try Plunk →
What You Can Do
What can Resend do?
Send transactional email from code
Call the REST API, use an SDK or connect over SMTP. Verify a sending domain, then send receipts, password resets and notifications, with delivery events available in the logs and through webhooks.
Send a broadcast to a segment
On the marketing plan, contacts can be grouped into segments and topics, so a broadcast reaches one audience and unsubscribes are tracked per topic.
Trigger an automation from an event
Automations start from events your product sends. Resend counts automation runs, with 10,000 runs included on the free tier, so cost tracks activity rather than contacts.
Debug a bounce
The dashboard shows a per-email log with the delivery status and bounce reason, and suppressed addresses are held back automatically on later sends.
AI, API & MCP
Does Resend Have an API or MCP Server?
Resend is one of the more agent-ready email tools, with an official MCP server on top of a documented API.
AI agent workflow
A safe agent workflow
Let an agent draft templates, read logs and diagnose bounces, and create broadcasts as drafts for review.
Approval boundary: The MCP can send real email and manage API keys. Give an agent a restricted key and keep sends to a real list behind human approval.
MCP
officialOfficial remote and local MCP server
The vendor documents the server and its tool groups. Because the tools include sending and key management, scope the key before connecting a client.
Resend MCP server documentation →API
officialREST API and SDKs
The API and SDKs are documented by Resend, with per-team rate limits and plan quotas.
Resend API reference →Pricing
How much does Resend cost?
Resend is free for up to 3,000 transactional emails a month, and Pro starts at $20/month for 50,000.
| Plan | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Free | Free |
| Pro (transactional)Popular | $20/mo |
| Scale (transactional) | $90/mo |
| Marketing (5,000 contacts) | $40/mo |
| Enterprise | Custom |
Resend prices transactional and marketing email separately. Transactional plans are Free (3,000 emails a month, 100 a day), Pro at $20/month for 50,000 emails, and Scale at $90/month for 100,000. Marketing is priced by contacts: free up to 1,000, then $40/month at 5,000 and $180 at 25,000.
Transactional and marketing are separate bills
A product that sends receipts and a monthly newsletter pays for a transactional plan and a marketing plan. Price both before comparing with a single all-in-one tool.
The free tier has a daily cap
Free allows 3,000 emails a month but only 100 a day, which can block a launch-day burst even when the monthly total is fine.
Data retention is short on self-serve plans
Free, Pro and Scale keep 30 days of email data. A team that needs longer delivery history for support or audits should confirm this before committing.
Dedicated IPs are gated
A dedicated IP is a $30/month add-on for Scale customers who send more than 3,000 emails a day. The shared pool is the default below that.
Alternatives
When I'd choose something else
Three different buying priorities, and what I'd pick instead for each one.
If a marketer will own lifecycle email
Loops
Loops is built for SaaS lifecycle and product email with a visual editor, so a non-developer can build onboarding and campaign flows.
Trade-off: It is less of a raw sending API than Resend, so a team whose main need is code-driven transactional email may find the fit tighter.
Explore Loops for this use case →If one platform should cover email and more
Brevo
Brevo combines marketing email, transactional sending and other channels in one account with a free plan, which suits a small team that wants one login.
Trade-off: The developer experience is heavier than Resend's API-first design, and pricing follows Brevo's own send and feature structure.
Explore Brevo for this use case →If you want open-source, usage-based billing
Plunk
Plunk is an open-source email platform for developers with pay-as-you-go pricing, which can suit an app with uneven sending volume.
Trade-off: It is a smaller product with less documented scale and a shorter track record than Resend.
Explore Plunk for this use case →Keep going
- Compare Resend against the field: 15 Best AI-Native Email Marketing Software (2026)
- Put it to work: The State of AI-Agent Readiness in Marketing Software (2026)
Downsides
Limitations to consider before subscribing
Only 30 days of data retention on self-serve plans
Free, Pro and Scale keep email data for 30 days, so older delivery questions from support cannot be answered from the dashboard.
The free tier caps sending at 100 emails a day
A burst such as a launch announcement can hit the daily cap even when the 3,000-a-month total is fine.
Dedicated IPs sit behind Scale and an add-on
A sender that needs its own IP reputation must be on Scale and pay $30/month extra, and the vendor ties eligibility to sending above 3,000 emails a day.
Marketing prices climb with contacts
Marketing runs $40/month at 5,000 contacts and reaches $450 at 100,000, so a large list weighs on a marketing-led budget.
The MCP server can send email and manage keys
That reach is useful for agents and risky for shared clients. Restrict the API key and keep sends to real audiences behind approval.
My Recommendation
Should You Choose Resend?
Shortlist Resend if developers own email, transactional volume is moderate, and you want an official MCP server and clean API.
Choose Loops when a marketer builds the flows, Brevo for an all-in-one platform, or Plunk for open-source pay-as-you-go billing.
What to check during the trial
- –Verify your sending domain and send a test to Gmail and Outlook inboxes before migrating production traffic.
- –Check that your peak daily volume fits the free 100-a-day cap, or price Pro.
- –Confirm 30-day data retention is enough for your support process.
- –If you plan to connect the MCP server, create a restricted API key first.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Resend
Transactional email is free up to 3,000 emails a month (100 a day), $20/month for 50,000 on Pro and $90/month for 100,000 on Scale. Marketing email is free up to 1,000 contacts, then $40/month at 5,000 contacts and $180 at 25,000. Enterprise is custom.
Yes. Resend publishes an official MCP server, remote with OAuth or API key, and a local package. Tools cover emails, contacts, broadcasts, automations, domains, webhooks, API keys and logs.
Yes. Resend has broadcasts, segments, topics and automations on a marketing plan that is priced separately from transactional email.
Resend's pricing lists 30 days of data retention on Free, Pro and Scale.
Sources & References (3)
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