React Email changed how developers build email templates. Instead of writing raw HTML with inline styles and nested tables, you write JSX components that compile to email-safe HTML. Type safety, component reuse, preview in the browser, and a familiar development experience.

But React Email only generates HTML. You still need an email platform to send it. The question is which email platforms work well with React Email, whether that's native support, clean integration patterns, or just accepting the HTML output cleanly.

How React Email Works With Email Platforms

React Email renders JSX components to HTML strings. The integration with email platforms follows one of these patterns:

Native support: The email platform's SDK accepts React Email components directly (Resend)
HTML input: Render React Email to HTML, then pass the HTML string to the platform's send API
Template storage: Render React Email to HTML, store as a template in the email platform, and reference it when sending

Pattern 1 is the cleanest. Pattern 2 works with any platform that accepts HTML. Pattern 3 is best for templates that non-developers need to preview in the email platform's UI.

The 5 Best Options

1. Sequenzy

Best for: SaaS teams using React Email for lifecycle emails

Sequenzy's transactional email API accepts HTML, which means you render React Email to HTML and pass it to the send endpoint. For SaaS applications built with React/Next.js, this fits naturally into the existing development workflow.

The pattern works well for transactional emails triggered from your application code: welcome emails, receipts, notifications. You build the template in React Email, render it to HTML, and send it through Sequenzy's API. Sequenzy handles delivery, tracking, and analytics.

For marketing sequences and automated campaigns, you'd typically use Sequenzy's built-in email editor. But for developer-triggered transactional emails where you want full code control, React Email + Sequenzy's API works cleanly.

React Email support: HTML input (render then send) Pricing: From $29/month Pros: Transactional + marketing in one platform, SaaS lifecycle automations, event-driven Cons: No native React Email support, requires render step, marketing emails use built-in editor

2. Resend

Best for: The native React Email experience

Resend was built by the same team that created React Email. The integration is native: you pass React Email components directly to the Resend SDK, and it handles rendering and sending in one step.

import { Resend } from 'resend';
import { WelcomeEmail } from './emails/welcome';

const resend = new Resend('re_xxx');
await resend.emails.send({
  from: 'hello@example.com',
  to: 'user@example.com',
  subject: 'Welcome',
  react: WelcomeEmail({ name: 'John' }),
});

No separate render step. No HTML string handling. Just pass the component. Resend also provides a development server for previewing React Email templates locally, making the full development loop seamless.

React Email support: Native (first-party) Pricing: Free for 100 emails/day, from $20/month Pros: Native React Email support, same team, best DX, no render step needed Cons: Transactional email only, no marketing automations, limited campaign features

3. Postmark

Best for: React Email templates with the best deliverability

Postmark accepts HTML in its send API, so you render React Email components to HTML and pass them to Postmark. The integration is straightforward and Postmark's deliverability means your carefully crafted React Email templates actually reach the inbox.

Postmark also has a template system that stores HTML templates on the server side. You could render React Email to HTML, store it as a Postmark template, and then trigger sends with template variables. This gives you the development experience of React Email with Postmark's template rendering and deliverability.

React Email support: HTML input (render then send) or store as Postmark template Pricing: From $15/month Pros: Best deliverability, template storage, reliable infrastructure, excellent API Cons: No native React Email support, transactional focused, basic marketing

4. SendGrid

Best for: High-volume React Email sending at scale

SendGrid's Mail Send API accepts HTML content, so rendering React Email components and passing the HTML works fine. For high-volume sending, SendGrid's infrastructure handles the scale while React Email handles the template development.

SendGrid also supports Dynamic Templates that store HTML on their servers. You can render React Email to HTML, upload it as a SendGrid template, and use handlebars-style variables for personalization. This works for both transactional and marketing use cases.

React Email support: HTML input (render then send) or Dynamic Templates Pricing: Free for 100 emails/day, from $20/month Pros: Proven at scale, Dynamic Templates, broad SDK support, reliable infrastructure Cons: No native React Email support, API complexity, marketing features less polished

5. Amazon SES

Best for: The cheapest way to send React Email templates at volume

Amazon SES accepts raw HTML in its send API. Render React Email to HTML, pass it to SES, and you're sending emails at $0.10 per thousand. For applications that need to send a lot of email on a budget, React Email templates sent through SES is the most cost-effective option.

The trade-off is that SES is pure infrastructure. No delivery analytics in a nice dashboard, no click tracking out of the box (you need to configure it), and no marketing features. You're responsible for bounce handling, complaint processing, and deliverability management.

React Email support: HTML input (render then send) Pricing: $0.10 per 1,000 emails Pros: Cheapest at scale, AWS ecosystem, reliable infrastructure Cons: No native React Email support, raw infrastructure, complex setup, no marketing features

Development Workflow With React Email

Setup

React Email provides a dev server that renders your components in the browser:

npx create-email@latest
cd react-email-starter
npm run dev

This gives you a local preview environment where you can see how your email looks across clients. Changes hot-reload, so the development experience feels like building a web app.

Component Structure

Build reusable components for your email design system:

Layout components: Header, footer, container with consistent branding
Content components: Text blocks, buttons, images, dividers
Template components: Compose layouts and content for specific email types

Rendering

For platforms that need HTML strings (everything except Resend):

import { render } from '@react-email/render';
import { WelcomeEmail } from './emails/welcome';

const html = await render(WelcomeEmail({ name: 'John' }));
// Pass html to your email platform's send API

Testing

React Email components are React components, so you can:

Unit test with your existing React testing setup
Snapshot test the rendered HTML
Visual regression test with tools like Chromatic or Percy
Preview in the dev server before deploying

When to Use React Email vs. Built-in Editors

Use React Email when:

Your team is developer-heavy and comfortable with code
You need pixel-perfect, brand-consistent templates
You want templates version-controlled in Git
You're sending transactional emails from application code
You need dynamic, data-driven email content

Use the platform's built-in editor when:

Non-technical team members need to edit emails
You're iterating quickly on marketing campaigns
You need A/B testing without code changes
Templates change frequently and deploy cycles would slow you down

Most SaaS teams use both: React Email for transactional templates (developer-controlled, code-reviewed, version-controlled) and the platform's editor for marketing campaigns (marketer-friendly, quick iteration).

FAQ

Does React Email work with all email clients? React Email components compile to email-safe HTML with inline styles. The library handles the cross-client compatibility that makes email development painful (Outlook table layouts, Gmail CSS limitations, etc.). It's not perfect for every edge case, but it handles the common issues.

Can I use Tailwind CSS with React Email? Yes. React Email has a Tailwind component that lets you use Tailwind classes in your email components. The classes compile to inline styles in the rendered HTML, so they work in email clients.

Is React Email only for React developers? The components are JSX, so you need basic React knowledge. But you don't need a React application. You can use React Email standalone to generate HTML, then send that HTML through any platform's API. The rendering step is a build tool, not a runtime dependency.

How do I handle dynamic content (user names, product data)? React Email components accept props like any React component. Pass user data as props, and the component renders it into the email HTML. For template variables that resolve at send time (platform-side personalization), render placeholders that your email platform understands.

Can non-developers preview React Email templates? You can deploy the React Email preview server as a web app that non-developers access. Some teams build a preview endpoint in their application that renders templates with sample data. This lets marketers preview templates without running the dev environment.