What Happened to Pepipost?

First, the context: Pepipost was acquired by Netcore in 2020 and rebranded to Netcore Email API. If you're searching for "Pepipost alternatives," you're really looking for alternatives to Netcore Email API.

Netcore is a broader customer engagement platform, and the Email API is their transactional email product. They've kept the technology but integrated it into their larger ecosystem.

Why People Look for Alternatives

The Acquisition Changed Things

When a smaller company gets acquired, things change. Pricing, support, product direction—all can shift. Some users prefer platforms with more predictable futures. Learn more in our Pepipost comparison page.

Marketing Features Are Separate

Netcore Email API focuses on transactional delivery. If you need marketing automation, email sequences, or subscriber management, you'll need to add another tool or switch to an all-in-one platform like Sequenzy or Brevo.

The Pricing Model Is Unique

Netcore's "opened emails free" model sounds great, but it makes budgeting complex. You need to predict open rates to estimate costs. Some teams prefer straightforward per-email or per-subscriber pricing.

The Alternatives, Honestly

If you want marketing + transactional: Sequenzy

Netcore is transactional-only. If you've grown to need welcome sequences, drip campaigns, and subscriber segmentation, you need a full platform.

Sequenzy combines both with AI content generation and Stripe integration. Our AI writes content; Netcore's AI optimizes delivery—different purposes.

If you want modern developer experience: Resend

Netcore's API works, but Resend has the best developer experience in email. React Email templates, modern SDKs, beautiful documentation. Transactional only, though—no marketing features.

If deliverability is critical: Postmark

Postmark's exceptional deliverability comes from strict customer vetting. They reject questionable use cases to protect IP reputation. If password resets and 2FA codes must arrive, Postmark is purpose-built for this.

If cost is everything: Amazon SES

At $0.10 per 1,000 emails, nothing beats SES on raw cost. But you get zero help—no templates, no dashboard, no deliverability tools. Only choose this if you have engineering resources to build everything yourself.

If you want budget + features: Elastic Email

Elastic Email at $0.09/1k is even cheaper than Netcore. Both transactional and marketing included. The DX is dated and deliverability can be inconsistent, but for budget-conscious teams, it works.

The Pricing Comparison

At 50,000 emails/month:

• Netcore: ~$25/month (with "opened emails free" credits)

• Amazon SES: $5/month (DIY everything)

• Elastic Email: ~$9/month (budget with features)

• Resend: $20/month (transactional only, best DX)

• SendGrid: $19.95/month (transactional + marketing)

• Sequenzy: $19/month for 10k emails (marketing + transactional + AI)

Note: Some prices are per subscriber (Sequenzy) while others are per email (Netcore, Resend). Compare based on your actual usage. See our pricing page for details.

When Netcore/Pepipost is Still the Right Choice

Netcore wins if:

• You need enterprise-scale transactional (50B+ platform volume)

• The "opened emails free" model significantly reduces your costs

• AI send-time optimization improves your delivery metrics

• You have strong Asia-Pacific audience (regional infrastructure)

• You only need transactional, no marketing features

Don't switch just because alternatives exist. If Netcore's unique features are saving you money or improving deliverability, the switching cost might not be worth it. But if you need marketing features or prefer more modern DX, the alternatives are solid.

Use our email validator tool to ensure list quality before migration, and check our SPF checker to verify your DNS is ready for any new provider.