MandrillvsMailerSend

Mandrill vs MailerSend

Mailchimp transactional add-on vs modern developer email API

TL;DR

Mandrill requires Mailchimp and is showing its age. MailerSend (by MailerLite) is a modern transactional email API with a generous free tier, SMS, and clean developer experience. MailerSend wins on modern DX, pricing, and free tier. Mandrill wins on Mailchimp integration.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Modern Developer Experience
MailerSend wins

MailerSend has official SDKs in 6+ languages, modern interactive documentation, and a clean API design. Mandrill's API and docs are functional but aging. Developer experience matters for integration speed.

Free Tier
MailerSend wins

MailerSend offers 3,000 emails/month free — one of the most generous free tiers for transactional email. Mandrill has a one-time 500-email trial. For startups and testing, this difference is massive.

Price
MailerSend wins

MailerSend at $28/month vs Mandrill at ~$40+/month for 50k emails. MailerSend is cheaper and includes SMS capability.

Mailchimp Ecosystem
Mandrill wins

Mandrill integrates with Mailchimp templates and audiences. If you're on Mailchimp for marketing, Mandrill adds transactional without a new vendor.

Pricing Comparison

At 50,000 emails/month

Mandrill
$30+/month

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

Visit Mandrill
MailerSend
$28/month

Starter plan. 50k emails/month, custom domains, inbound routing.

Visit MailerSend
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

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

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Mandrill
MailerSend
Sequenzy
Transactional Email
Transactional API
REST + SMTP
REST + SMTP + SDKs
REST + SMTP
SMS
Email Verification
Built-in
Inbound Routing
Developer Experience
SDKs
Community SDKs
Official (PHP, Node, Python, Ruby, Go, Java)
Node SDK
Template Builder
Code editor
Drag-and-drop + code
Drag-and-drop
API Documentation
Aging docs
Modern, interactive docs
Modern docs
Standalone
No (requires Mailchimp)
Value
Price at 50k emails
~$40+/mo
$28/mo
$49/mo
Free Tier
500 emails one-time
3,000 emails/month
100 subscribers
Marketing Email
Via Mailchimp
No (use MailerLite)
Built-in
Activity Log
30 days
Varies by plan
Full history

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Mandrill if you...
  • Mailchimp users wanting transactional email
Choose MailerSend if you...
  • Developers wanting modern transactional email API
  • Startups needing a generous free tier
  • Teams wanting transactional email + SMS
  • MailerLite users adding transactional email
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing Stripe-integrated email
  • Teams wanting transactional + marketing combined

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

SaaS-Specific

Neither Mandrill nor MailerSend is built for SaaS. Sequenzy combines transactional email with marketing campaigns and Stripe integration for subscription businesses.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Mandrill and MailerSend represent different eras of transactional email. Mandrill is a legacy Mailchimp add-on. MailerSend is a modern platform built by the MailerLite team with a developer-first approach. For our take on each, see our Mandrill comparison.

MailerSend's Modern Approach

MailerSend was built from scratch with modern developer experience in mind. Official SDKs in 6+ languages, interactive API documentation, a visual template builder, and SMS — all things Mandrill either lacks or does less well. The DX gap reflects MailerSend's newer codebase.

The Free Tier Gap

MailerSend offers 3,000 emails/month free, permanently. Mandrill offers a one-time 500-email trial. For startups testing transactional email, side projects, and low-volume apps, MailerSend lets you send for months before paying anything.

The Sequenzy Alternative

For SaaS founders wanting transactional email and marketing campaigns with Stripe integration, Sequenzy offers a unified platform at $49/month — combining transactional and marketing without separate subscriptions.

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