Comparison
tinysend vs SendGrid
Keep the workflow layer, send from your own Amazon SES account, and run the software on infrastructure you control.
Read the setup guide →What this open-source release covers
Your SES account
tinysend assumes a least-privilege IAM role and never stores long-lived AWS access keys.
The essential workflow
Transactional API, contacts, versioned templates, broadcasts, suppressions and optional tracking.
Agent-ready by design
Use the REST API, typed npm SDK, OpenAPI document, llms.txt and MCP server from the same installation.
Feature comparison
Enterprise email platform vs lean developer tool
| Feature | tinysend | SendGrid |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional email API | ||
| Email sequences / drip campaigns | ||
| Contact management | ||
| Audience segmentation | ||
| Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) | Amazon SES | |
| Sequences as code (CLI) | ||
| Usage-based pricing | Open source + AWS | |
| Webhooks | ||
| Free tier | ||
| Agent-native (AI automation) | ||
| Templates with variables | ||
| No seat-based pricing | Open source + AWS |
Pricing comparison
Software cost only; AWS and hosting are billed by their providers
tinysendMIT-licensed software
- Self-host on any Docker host
- Send through your own Amazon SES account
- No tinysend message or contact markup
per month
- Essentials plan caps at 100k emails/mo — Pro plan needed for more
- Marketing campaigns and automation require a separate plan add-on
- Dedicated IPs billed separately at $30/mo each
- No BYOK — locked into SendGrid/Twilio infrastructure
Who should use tinysend?
Teams that want to replace a managed transactional email bill with their own Amazon SES account.
Developers who need a small REST API, typed npm SDK, templates and delivery status without a large marketing suite.
Organizations prepared to operate PostgreSQL, a Docker deployment and their own AWS and DNS configuration.
AI agent builders who need explicit schemas, idempotent writes, dry runs and an MCP interface.
Exploring all your options?
See the best SendGrid alternatives →Please bring your own sender...
from: tinysend
to: you
with: love
Ready to start sending?
Self-host free. Connect your SES account. Keep your sending cost at AWS rates.