Mailchimp
Email Marketing
An old player, now bundled with AI and automation
From $13/mo
Mailjet
Developer-friendly email sending with a API and SMTP relay
Chandan KumarLast updated August 4, 2026
Mailjet sits closer to the developer end of the email marketing category than most tools here.
Alongside a drag-and-drop campaign editor, it offers a transactional email API, SMTP relay, and webhook support from the free plan up, plus MJML, an open-source markup language Mailjet's team originated for building responsive email templates in code. That combination makes it a fit for teams that want both marketing campaigns and transactional email running through the same infrastructure and API.
Pricing is structured around emails sent per month rather than contact count, and the free plan's 6,000 emails is generous in the free tier, though contacts are capped at 1,000. The Essential tier removes the contact cap, and Premium adds automation, landing pages, and team account management on top.
What Mailjet doesn't try to compete on is the creator-monetization or all-in-one marketing-suite angle that Kit, GetResponse, or HubSpot pursue. There's no course creator, no CRM, no funnel builder, the product stays focused on reliable sending, deliverability, and API access for teams that want that as infrastructure rather than a full marketing platform.
Inside Mailjet
Transactional and marketing email API
A real REST API and SMTP relay for transactional email (receipts, password resets), alongside standard marketing campaigns, on the same account.
MJML templating
Mailjet-originated open-source markup language for building responsive email templates in code, popular with developers building custom templates.
Unlimited contacts (Essential and up)
Removes the contact cap present on Free and Starter, useful for larger lists without volume-tier jumps.
AI-assisted content creation
AI content generation available from the Essential tier for campaign copy.
Deliverability monitoring (Premium+)
Dedicated IP options, blocklist monitoring, and deliverability reporting for senders at higher volume.
The trade-offs with Mailjet
Strengths
- Real transactional email API and SMTP relay, not just marketing campaigns
- MJML templating is genuinely useful for developers building custom responsive emails
- Free plan's 6,000 emails/month is generous for a free tier
- Essential tier removes contact caps entirely rather than scaling per-contact
Limitations
- No CRM, funnel builder, or course-creator tooling
- Marketing-side features (automation, landing pages) trail dedicated marketing suites
- Interface leans more technical than creator-friendly tools in this category
- Advanced statistics and automation require Premium
Mailjet plans and pricing
Free plan covers 1,000 contacts and 6,000 emails/month. Starter starts at $9/mo (2,000 contacts), Essential (most popular) at $17/mo (unlimited contacts), Premium at $27/mo, all for 15,000 emails/month. Custom enterprise pricing for high-volume senders.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual /mo | Includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free | 6,000 emails/mo · 1,000 contacts · APIs, SMTP relay, webhooks |
| Starter | $9 | $8.10 | 8,000 emails/mo · 2,000 contacts · brand kit |
| Essential | $17 | $15.30 | 15,000 emails/mo · unlimited contacts · segmentation · AI content |
| Premium | $27 | $24.30 | Advanced statistics · automations · landing pages |
Verified against the official pricing page on August 4, 2026.
Verdict
Use Mailjet
- Developers wanting a shared API for both transactional and marketing email
- Teams building custom email templates in code via MJML
- Businesses that want unlimited contacts without a hard cap
- SaaS products needing reliable transactional sending alongside campaigns
Skip Mailjet
- You want CRM, funnels, or course tools bundled in
- You're not comfortable with a more developer-oriented interface
- You need best-in-class marketing automation depth
How people rate Mailjet
Ratings from trusted review communities.
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