MailerSendvsCustomer.io

MailerSend vs Customer.io

Transactional vs behavioral automation

TL;DR

MailerSend ($25/mo for 50k emails) specializes in transactional with email verification. Customer.io ($100+/mo for 5k profiles) offers sophisticated behavioral automation. Choose MailerSend for pure transactional. Choose Customer.io for advanced product-led automation.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Platform Focus

MailerSend is transactional-only. Customer.io is a behavioral automation platform. Completely different use cases.

Email Verification
MailerSend wins

MailerSend includes email verification. Customer.io doesn't. For validated addresses, MailerSend wins.

Behavioral Automation
Customer.io wins

Customer.io has sophisticated event-driven automation. MailerSend has no automation. For product-led growth, Customer.io wins.

Cost
MailerSend wins

MailerSend is much cheaper for transactional. Customer.io is expensive but offers sophisticated automation.

Pricing Comparison

At 5,000 profiles

MailerSend
$15-25/month

Transactional with email verification.

Visit MailerSend
Customer.io
$100/month

Behavioral automation, event-driven.

Visit Customer.io
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$19/month

SaaS-focused with Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
MailerSend
Customer.io
Sequenzy
Email Types
Transactional
Specialized
Included
Included
Behavioral automation
Advanced
Event-based
Email verification
Built-in
Automation
Event tracking
Advanced
Stripe events
User segments
Behavioral
Attribute-based
Multi-channel
SMS add-on
Email, push, SMS, in-app
Email only
Pricing Model
Pricing basis
Per email
Per profile
Per contact
Cost at 5k
~$15/month
$100/month
$19/month

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose MailerSend if you...
  • Pure transactional needs
  • Email verification requirement
  • Cost-conscious teams
  • Simple sending needs
Choose Customer.io if you...
  • Product-led companies
  • Sophisticated automation
  • Multi-channel messaging
  • Event-driven campaigns
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS with Stripe billing
  • Payment-triggered automation
  • Cost-conscious SaaS
  • Simpler automation needs

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Stripe Integration

MailerSend has no automation. Customer.io lacks native Stripe. Sequenzy connects directly to Stripe for payment-triggered automation.

Better Value for SaaS

Customer.io is $100+/month. Sequenzy offers SaaS-focused email at $19-49/month with Stripe integration.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

MailerSend and Customer.io serve completely different needs. MailerSend is a transactional specialist. Customer.io is a behavioral automation platform for product-led companies.

Different Categories

MailerSend sends password resets and receipts. Customer.io sends behavioral campaigns based on user actions. Not really competitors—different purposes entirely.

Email Verification

MailerSend includes email verification. Customer.io doesn't. For transactional with validated addresses, MailerSend is more complete.

Behavioral Automation

Customer.io has sophisticated event-driven automation with multi-channel support. MailerSend has no automation. For product-led growth, Customer.io wins.

Cost Comparison

MailerSend is much cheaper. Customer.io starts at $100/month for 5k profiles. For pure transactional, MailerSend offers better value.

For SaaS with Stripe

Neither has native Stripe integration. Sequenzy offers Stripe integration for subscription businesses at lower cost than Customer.io.

Making the Choice

Use MailerSend for transactional with email verification. Use Customer.io for sophisticated behavioral automation. Or use Sequenzy for SaaS with Stripe integration.

Frequently Asked Questions

For sophisticated behavioral automation and multi-channel messaging, yes. For pure transactional, MailerSend is much better value.

No. MailerSend includes email verification. You'd need a separate service with Customer.io.

No. MailerSend is transactional-only. For automation, use Customer.io, Loops, or Sequenzy.

Customer.io for sophisticated product-led automation. MailerSend for pure transactional. Sequenzy for unified with Stripe.

Yes. Email, push notifications, SMS, and in-app messages. MailerSend is email and SMS only.

Export contacts. Import into Customer.io as profiles. Set up event tracking. Build behavioral automations.

Export profiles. Import into MailerSend. Note that automations and behavioral data won't transfer.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com