Why people leave Elastic Email

Elastic Email is genuinely cheap. At $0.09 per 1,000 emails, few platforms can compete on price. So why look elsewhere? To understand modern email platform expectations, read our guide to best email marketing tools for SaaS.

The deliverability gamble

Budget pricing attracts everyone—legitimate businesses and spammers alike. On shared IPs, your reputation depends partly on neighbors you can't control. Some users report great deliverability, others struggle. Platforms that vet customers (Postmark) or focus on specific niches have more consistent results.

The dated experience

Elastic Email's interface and developer experience feel 2015-era. If you've used Resend's clean API or Loops' modern dashboard, the difference is jarring. Modern tools make development faster and integration smoother. Check our Elastic Email comparison page for details.

The support lottery

On free and lower paid tiers, support response times can stretch days. When email is broken, waiting days isn't acceptable. Premium alternatives offer better support at every level. Use our SPF checker and DKIM checker to diagnose issues yourself.

The alternatives, honestly

If you want SaaS focus: Sequenzy

Sequenzy combines transactional emails, marketing campaigns, and automation in one platform. AI generates entire sequences from your product description. Stripe integration syncs billing data for automated trial/churn flows.

The tradeoff: $49/mo is 2-3x Elastic Email's price. See our pricing page for details.

If budget still matters: Amazon SES

At $0.10 per 1,000 emails, SES is the only real budget alternative. But you get zero features—no dashboard, no templates, no analytics. You build everything. Only choose SES if you have engineering resources and want full control.

If DX matters: Resend

Resend is what modern email API should look like. Beautiful React Email integration, clean SDKs, intuitive dashboard. More expensive than Elastic Email but significantly better experience. Transactional only though—no marketing.

If deliverability is critical: Postmark

Postmark's exceptional deliverability comes from strict customer vetting. They'll reject sketchy senders to protect IP reputation. For password resets, 2FA codes, order confirmations—emails that must arrive—Postmark is worth the premium. Check our DMARC checker to optimize your setup.

If you want full marketing: Brevo

Brevo offers unlimited contacts, transactional + marketing, and SMS—all at budget-friendly prices. Interface is dated like Elastic Email, but more features for the money. Good middle ground between budget and premium.

The pricing comparison

At 50,000 emails/month:

• Elastic Email API: $19/month
• Amazon SES: $5/month (DIY everything)
• Resend: $20/month (transactional only)
• SendGrid Essentials: $19.95/month
• Brevo: $29/month
• Postmark: $50/month (best deliverability)
• Sequenzy: $19/month for 10k emails (SaaS features + AI)

Note: Some prices are per email while others are per subscriber. Compare based on your actual usage.

When Elastic Email is still the right choice

Elastic Email wins if:

• Budget is genuinely your top priority
• You're sending high volume where $0.09/1k adds up to real savings
• You want a dedicated IP at $40/mo (cheaper than many)
• Your emails aren't critical—marketing newsletters where occasional spam folder isn't catastrophic
• You have engineering time to work around the dated DX

Don't switch just because something looks shinier. If Elastic Email's price works and deliverability is acceptable, the premium of alternatives may not be worth it. But if you're frustrated with inconsistent deliverability, slow support, or need SaaS-specific features, the alternatives are genuinely better options. Use our email validator tool to audit your list before migrating.