SendGrid is built
for developers.
It's a great transactional API. But Marketing Campaigns is a $249/mo bolt-on that still routes through SendGrid's shared infrastructure. SES Mailbox is the opposite: built marketing-first, sends through your own AWS SES.
SendGrid (now part of Twilio) is a developer-first email platform — a superb transactional API with dedicated IPs, email validation, and event webhooks. Marketing Campaigns is a separate, per-contact bolt-on that still routes through SendGrid's own infrastructure.
SES Mailbox is the opposite: built marketing-first and sending through your own AWS SES account. You get the campaigns, automations, segments, and analytics at a flat $9.99/mo plus $0.10 per 1,000 emails. Below is the honest comparison — including the transactional and developer features SendGrid does that we don't.
The full comparison, nothing hidden.
What you get on each platform — including where SendGrid still does more.
Reflects SendGrid Marketing Campaigns as of 2026. See every SES Mailbox feature →
Who should switch — and who shouldn't.
These tools solve different problems — pick the one that matches yours.
Switch to SES Mailbox if…
- Your main job is marketing campaigns and newsletters
- SendGrid's $249/mo Marketing add-on feels steep
- You want your own AWS SES sender reputation
- You're fine connecting an AWS account once (guided, ~10 min)
Stay on SendGrid if…
- You need a transactional email API for your app
- You rely on dedicated IPs or email validation
- You want one vendor for both transactional and marketing
SendGrid vs SES Mailbox FAQ
Common questions from teams considering the switch.
What is the difference between SendGrid and SES Mailbox for marketing email?
SendGrid is primarily a transactional email API; its marketing features cost $249/mo extra. SES Mailbox is built marketing-first — campaigns, subscriber management, segments, and analytics on your own AWS SES infrastructure.
How much does SendGrid marketing cost vs SES Mailbox?
SendGrid Marketing Campaigns starts at $249/mo. SES Mailbox Pro is $9.99/mo flat plus AWS SES at $0.10 per 1,000 emails — roughly $15/mo at 50k contacts. That is 94% less per month.
Is it hard to migrate from SendGrid to SES Mailbox?
No. You can export your SendGrid contact lists as CSV and import them directly into SES Mailbox in a few clicks. HTML templates paste straight in, and our deliverability setup wizard handles SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domain automatically.
Will my deliverability be better or worse on AWS SES vs SendGrid?
AWS SES has an excellent sending reputation with all major inbox providers. Because SES Mailbox sends from your own AWS SES account and domain — not a shared SendGrid IP pool — your sender reputation is isolated and fully under your control. Most senders see equal or better inbox placement after switching.
Does SES Mailbox support the same automation features as SendGrid Marketing?
Yes. SES Mailbox includes automation sequences for welcome series, onboarding, and re-engagement — triggered when a subscriber joins a list or after a campaign finishes. It covers the core lifecycle email use cases of SendGrid Automations at a fraction of the cost.
Does SES Mailbox do transactional email like SendGrid's API?
No — SES Mailbox is marketing-first (campaigns, automations, segments). For transactional sends you can still use the AWS SES API directly, or keep SendGrid for transactional and use SES Mailbox for marketing. Many teams do exactly that and save on the marketing side.
Compare other tools
Marketing email,
where marketing comes first.
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