MandrillvsElastic Email

Mandrill vs Elastic Email

Mailchimp transactional add-on vs budget-friendly email API

TL;DR

Mandrill requires Mailchimp and charges per block. Elastic Email offers both transactional and marketing email at extremely low prices — $0.10 per 1,000 emails on pay-as-you-go. Elastic Email wins on price and independence. Mandrill wins on Mailchimp integration.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Price
Elastic Email wins

Elastic Email at $29/month vs Mandrill at ~$40+/month for 50k emails. Or pay-as-you-go at $0.10/1,000 — meaning 50k emails costs just $5. The price gap is massive.

Flexibility
Elastic Email wins

Elastic Email offers both subscription and pay-as-you-go pricing. Mandrill forces blocks + Mailchimp subscription. For variable-volume senders, Elastic Email's flexibility is valuable.

Feature Depth
Elastic Email wins

Neither platform is feature-rich. But Elastic Email includes marketing email, landing pages, and email verification alongside transactional. Mandrill is transactional-only.

Mailchimp Integration
Mandrill wins

Mandrill's seamless Mailchimp integration is its only advantage. Templates, audiences, and analytics sync automatically.

Pricing Comparison

At 50,000 emails/month

Mandrill
$30+/month

2 blocks (50k emails) + Mailchimp Standard ($20+/mo). Total ~$40+/mo.

Visit Mandrill
Elastic Email
$29/month

Starter plan. 50k emails/month, SMTP + API, basic automation.

Visit Elastic Email
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k subscribers, unlimited emails, transactional + marketing, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Mandrill
Elastic Email
Sequenzy
Transactional Email
Transactional API
REST + SMTP
REST + SMTP
REST + SMTP
Marketing Email
Via Mailchimp (separate)
Built-in
Built-in
Pay-as-you-go
No (blocks + subscription)
$0.10/1,000 emails
Email Verification
Built-in
Platform
Standalone
No (requires Mailchimp)
Free Tier
500 emails one-time
100 emails/day
100 subscribers
Landing Pages
Contact Management
Via Mailchimp
Built-in
Built-in
Value
Price at 50k emails
~$40+/mo
$29/mo
$49/mo
Pricing Model
Block + subscription
Volume or pay-as-you-go
Subscriber-based
Dedicated IPs
$29.95/mo
From $1/day
Enterprise
Email Verification
Built-in credits

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Mandrill if you...
  • Mailchimp users wanting transactional email
Choose Elastic Email if you...
  • Budget-conscious teams wanting cheap transactional email
  • Companies with variable email volume (pay-as-you-go)
  • Teams wanting transactional + marketing in one platform
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe-integrated email
  • Teams wanting AI-generated sequences with transactional

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Specific

Neither Mandrill nor Elastic Email is built for SaaS. Sequenzy adds Stripe integration and subscription automation to transactional + marketing email.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Mandrill and Elastic Email are at different ends of the email market. Mandrill is a Mailchimp add-on. Elastic Email is one of the most affordable email platforms available. For our take on each, see our Mandrill comparison.

The Price Gap

Elastic Email's pay-as-you-go pricing is $0.10 per 1,000 emails. That means 50,000 emails costs just $5. Mandrill charges $10 per 25k-email block plus a mandatory Mailchimp subscription. For budget-focused teams, Elastic Email's pricing is hard to ignore.

What You Get for Less

Elastic Email includes transactional email, marketing campaigns, landing pages, and email verification — all in one platform. Mandrill is transactional-only and requires Mailchimp for everything else. You get more features at a lower price.

The Sequenzy Alternative

For SaaS founders wanting transactional email and marketing campaigns with Stripe integration, Sequenzy offers SaaS-specific features at $49/month.

Frequently Asked Questions

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) - 3k 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 (2,500 emails/month)

  • 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