Mailchimp Transactional (formerly Mandrill) vs Twilio SendGrid
Mailchimp Transactional (formerly Mandrill)
mailchimp.com
Twilio SendGrid
twilio.comSide by side
| Figure | Mailchimp Transactional (formerly Mandrill) | Twilio SendGrid |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $10/mo | $19.95/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 12 | 5 |
| Spec score · Transactional email services | 8.8 (#5) | 9.1 (#2) |
| Spec score · Transactional Email Software | 8.6 (#10) | 8.2 (#19) |
| Dedicated IP option | Yes | Yes |
| Developer resources | It provides SDK repositories, guides, and a first-party MCP server. | Documentation, code samples, and a Developer Hub are listed. |
| Free plan | No | No |
Plans
Mailchimp Transactional (formerly Mandrill)
- 1–20 blocks$20 a month
- 21–40 blocks$18 a month
- 41–80 blocks$16 a month
- 81–120 blocks$14 a month
- 121–160 blocks$12 a month
- 161+ blocks$10 a month
- Free trialFree
- 121-160 blocks$12 a month
- 81-120 blocks$14 a month
- 41-80 blocks$16 a month
Twilio SendGrid
- Free TrialFree
- Pay as you goFree
- Essentials$19.95 a month
- Pro$89.95 a month
- PremierPriced on request
In their own words
Mailchimp Transactional (formerly Mandrill)
Mailchimp Transactional (formerly Mandrill) has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Twilio SendGrid
Twilio SendGrid Email API sends email through a cloud-based delivery service, so customers do not need to maintain their own email servers. Messages can be sent through its RESTful Web API, SMTP relay, or SMTP API, with open-source client libraries for C#, Go, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, and Ruby. Tools include dynamic templates, an Email Validation API, deliverability insights, and email testing. The Email Activity API, Event Webhook, and Activity dashboard track deliveries, opens, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes, and spam reports. Security features listed include SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS encryption, and API keys that can be limited or revoked. Twilio states a 99% deliverability rate. A 60-day free trial is listed at free, with limits of 100 emails per day and 100 contacts. Pay as you go is free; Essentials starts at $19.95 a month and Pro at $89.95 a month. Each email to one recipient uses a credit, even if deferred or sent to spam. Twilio says SendGrid does not natively support HIPAA-compliant data transmission.