MessagedvsSendGrid

Messaged vs SendGrid

Abandoned platform vs transactional email giant

TL;DR

Messaged appears to have stalled or been abandoned since March 2022. The platform promised SaaS-focused features but never delivered. SendGrid is a transactional email powerhouse owned by Twilio, processing billions of emails monthly, with $20/month for 50k emails on marketing plans. Choose SendGrid for scale, or consider alternatives for SaaS-specific features.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Platform Existence
SendGrid wins

The fundamental difference: Messaged appears abandoned since March 2022. SendGrid is part of Twilio, processing billions of emails monthly. This is not really a comparison - only one platform is viable.

Infrastructure vs SaaS Focus
SendGrid wins

SendGrid is email infrastructure for developers. Messaged promised SaaS lifecycle features. SendGrid wins at scale but lacks the SaaS-specific features Messaged intended to build.

Pricing Complexity

SendGrid has separate pricing for Email API and Marketing Campaigns - you may need two subscriptions. Messaged promised unified pricing. For unified platforms, consider alternatives.

SaaS-Specific Features

Neither delivers native billing integration or prebuilt SaaS sequences. SendGrid relies on Twilio Segment for customer data. Messaged promised these but never shipped.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 emails/contacts

Messaged
N/A(inactive)

Announced $80/month at 10k contacts but never launched. Platform appears abandoned.

Visit Messaged
SendGrid
$20/month

Marketing Campaigns Essentials. Email API priced separately. High-volume discounts.

Visit SendGrid
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited sends, combined transactional + marketing, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Messaged
SendGrid
Sequenzy
Platform Status
Active Development
No (stalled 2022)
Yes, enterprise-scale
Yes, active
Company Status
Appears abandoned
Owned by Twilio
Active startup
Support Available
Unknown
Tiered support
Direct founder access
Documentation
Outdated
Extensive
Good
Scale Capability
None
Billions of emails
Growing
Transactional Email
Transactional Email
Promised, not delivered
Core strength
Included
API Quality
Never shipped
Industry standard
Good
Webhooks
Unknown
Comprehensive
SMTP Relay
Unknown
Dedicated IPs
Unknown
Included in Pro
Marketing Features
Marketing Campaigns
Promised, not delivered
Separate product
Integrated
Automation
Promised, not delivered
Basic
AI-generated sequences
Billing Integration
Promised, not delivered
Via Twilio Segment
Native Stripe OAuth
Subscriber Management
Promised, not delivered
Contact-based
Full CRM
Segmentation
Unknown
Good
Advanced

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Messaged if you...
  • We cannot recommend Messaged for any use case
  • Platform appears to be abandoned
  • Promised features were never delivered
  • No support or active development
Choose SendGrid if you...
  • High-volume transactional email
  • Enterprise-scale email infrastructure
  • Developers wanting industry-standard APIs
  • Companies in Twilio ecosystem
  • Teams needing dedicated IPs
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS needing unified transactional + marketing
  • Companies with Stripe billing needs
  • Teams wanting what Messaged promised
  • Founders preferring simpler pricing

SaaS-Focused, Unlike SendGrid or Messaged

Unified Platform

SendGrid bills Email API and Marketing separately. Messaged promised unified pricing but never shipped. Sequenzy combines transactional and marketing in one subscription.

Native Stripe Integration

Messaged promised Stripe integration but never delivered. SendGrid requires Twilio Segment. Sequenzy has native Stripe OAuth for payment-triggered emails.

Simpler Pricing

SendGrid pricing is complex with separate products and per-email overages. Sequenzy is $49/month at 10k contacts with unlimited sends.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Messaged was a SaaS-focused email platform that promised lifecycle campaigns and billing integrations. Development appears to have stalled in March 2022, and the platform never launched. SendGrid is an enterprise-scale email infrastructure platform owned by Twilio, processing billions of emails monthly. See our SendGrid comparison for more context.

The Critical Issue: Messaged Appears Abandoned

This comparison is asymmetric: only SendGrid is a viable option. Messaged showed no development activity since early 2022. Promised features like Stripe integration and prebuilt campaigns were never delivered. SendGrid is part of Twilio with massive scale and enterprise support.

SendGrid: Scale and Infrastructure

SendGrid is the choice for high-volume email infrastructure. Trusted by companies like Uber, Spotify, and Airbnb, it processes billions of emails. The Email API is developer-friendly with excellent documentation. Marketing Campaigns adds basic broadcast and automation capabilities.

What Messaged Promised vs SendGrid Reality

Messaged promised simple SaaS email with native billing integrations at $80/month. SendGrid is developer infrastructure - powerful but not SaaS-specific. It requires Twilio Segment for customer data orchestration and has complex pricing across multiple products.

The Pricing Complexity

SendGrid charges separately for Email API and Marketing Campaigns. If you need both transactional and marketing email, you may pay for two products. Marketing Campaigns starts at $20/month for 50k emails. Email API pricing depends on volume. Messaged promised unified pricing that never materialized.

SaaS-Specific Features

Neither SendGrid nor Messaged delivers native billing integration. SendGrid relies on Twilio Segment for customer data. For the Stripe integration and SaaS lifecycle features that Messaged promised, neither is the answer.

Our Recommendation

Do not use Messaged - it appears abandoned. For high-volume email infrastructure, SendGrid is reliable and proven. For SaaS-specific features with unified transactional + marketing and native Stripe integration, consider Sequenzy at $49/month for 10k contacts.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. Messaged appears to have stopped development in March 2022. The platform never fully launched, and promised features were never delivered. Choose an active alternative like SendGrid or Sequenzy.

SendGrid is excellent for transactional email at scale but lacks SaaS-specific features like billing integration or lifecycle sequences. It is developer-focused infrastructure, not a SaaS marketing platform.

For email sending, yes. For the SaaS lifecycle features Messaged promised (billing integration, prebuilt campaigns), no. Consider pairing SendGrid with a marketing tool, or use a unified platform like Sequenzy.

SendGrid Marketing Campaigns starts at $20/month for 50k emails. Email API has separate pricing. At higher volumes, costs can add up. Many companies need both products, meaning two subscriptions.

SendGrid has basic automation in Marketing Campaigns but it is not advanced. For sophisticated lifecycle automation, you may need additional tools or a platform like Customer.io or Sequenzy.

For email infrastructure at scale: SendGrid. For SaaS marketing with billing integration: Sequenzy. For general SaaS email: Loops or Customer.io. All are actively developed unlike Messaged.

Not natively. SendGrid relies on Twilio Segment for customer data orchestration, which can connect to Stripe. For native payment-triggered emails, Sequenzy is simpler.

Postmark has slightly better deliverability reputation. SendGrid offers more scale and is part of the Twilio ecosystem. See our [SendGrid vs Postmark](/xvsy/sendgrid-vs-postmark) comparison.

Export any subscriber data from Messaged. For transactional, integrate SendGrid's API. For marketing, set up Marketing Campaigns or consider a unified platform. Since Messaged's features were never built, you will be starting fresh.

SendGrid evolved from a pure transactional API. Marketing Campaigns was added later as a separate product. Many companies need both, requiring two subscriptions with different pricing models.

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