# Which email API has the best free plan in 2026?

> Free email API plans compared with numbers and sources (checked Nov 3, 2026): Pidgely 6,000 emails/month, Resend 3,000, SendGrid only a 60-day trial.

Source: https://pidgely.com/blog/best-free-email-api-2026/ · Published: 2026-11-03 · Updated: 2026-11-03 · Pidgely

**Pidgely has the largest permanent free plan among the three services compared here: 6,000 emails per month, up to 200 per day, no credit card.** Resend Free sends 3,000 per month (100 per day). SendGrid has no permanent free plan: only a 60-day trial of 100 emails per day. Numbers checked on Nov 3, 2026.

## How do the free email API plans compare?

| | Pidgely Free | Resend Free | SendGrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent free plan | Yes | Yes | No (60-day trial) |
| Free volume | 6,000 emails/month | 3,000 emails/month | 100 emails/day in the trial |
| Daily cap | 200 emails/day | 100 emails/day | 100 emails/day |
| Sending domains | 3 | 3 | see their docs |
| Credit card at sign-up | No | No | No (trial) |
| First paid plan | Starter R$ 39/month (50,000 emails) | Pro $20/month (50,000 emails) | Essentials from $19.95/month |

Sources: [Pidgely pricing](https://pidgely.com/#pricing), [Resend pricing](https://resend.com/pricing), [SendGrid pricing](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/products/email-api/pricing) and the [Twilio changelog](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/changelog/sendgrid-free-plan) (SendGrid retired its free plan on May 27, 2025). All checked Nov 3, 2026. Paid plans at the same volume are not exactly comparable: check features before you decide.

## What does the Pidgely Free plan include?

- 6,000 emails per month, up to 200 per day.
- Up to 3 sending domains, with SPF and DKIM verification.
- REST API and SMTP relay (`smtp.pidgely.com`, user `pidgely`, API key as the password).
- Campaigns and contacts in the same plan, so a newsletter does not need a second product.
- No credit card. At the limit sending stops; you are never billed by surprise.

## Is the free plan enough for my project?

A quick test: look at your busiest sending day in the last 30 days. If it is under 200 emails, and the month under 6,000, the free plan fits (sign-up, password reset, receipts, alerts). If you fire a burst of 1,000 at once, that is five days of sending on the free plan: use Starter instead.

Before sending real traffic, publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC for your domain (see the [SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide](/blog/spf-dkim-dmarc-explained/)). Coming from SendGrid? The [migration steps over SMTP](/blog/left-sendgrid-free-plan-alternatives/) take about an hour, and the [feature comparison](/compare/pidgely-vs-sendgrid/) has the details.

## Next step

[Create a free Pidgely account](https://app.pidgely.com/signup/) and send your first test email today: 6,000 emails a month, no card.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which email API gives the most free emails per month?

Among the plans we compared on Nov 3, 2026, Pidgely Free sends the most: 6,000 emails per month (up to 200 per day), versus 3,000 per month at Resend Free (up to 100 per day). SendGrid has no permanent free plan, only a 60-day trial of 100 emails per day.

### Is there a free email API that does not ask for a credit card?

Yes. Pidgely Free needs no credit card, and at the limit sending stops instead of billing overage. Resend Free also signs up without a card.

### Can I use a free email API over SMTP?

Yes. With Pidgely you use host smtp.pidgely.com, user pidgely and an API key as the password, on the free plan too. You also get a REST API.

### What is the catch with a free plan's daily cap?

The daily cap limits bursts. 200 per day adds up to 6,000 in 30 days, which fits transactional email. A single blast to a big list needs a paid plan (Pidgely Starter is R$ 39 a month for 50,000 emails).

### When is a free plan not enough?

When you need more than 200 emails on a single day, a dedicated IP, or more than 3 sending domains. Move to a paid plan before you hit the limit.