Mailjet vs SendGrid
Compare Mailjet and SendGrid based on observed API performance, features, and pricing
Live performance comparison
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
| Provider | Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| <1M | 6th of 10 ↓ | 2 | 2 |
| 100M–500M | 2nd of 10 → | 25 | 25 |
From July 4th to October 2nd, Knock routed <1M messages through Mailjet and 100M–500M through SendGrid. Mailjet reported 2 status page updates over the last 90 days, while SendGrid reported 25.
Response time
Response time measures how long each provider takes to accept an API request from Knock, including connection overhead and any automatic retries. Lower values mean faster message hand-off.
The chart above shows each provider's daily median response time (p50) from July 4th to October 2nd. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: Mailjet averaged 403ms compared to 15ms for SendGrid. Mailjet's highest daily p50 was 489ms; SendGrid's was 21ms. SendGrid is 388ms faster at the median, which can add up at high volumes.
The 90th percentile (p90) captures the slowest 10% of requests, revealing how each provider handles moderate stress. Averaged across all days, Mailjet has a p90 of 584ms compared to 34ms for SendGrid. The highest daily p90 was 841ms for Mailjet and 66ms for SendGrid. SendGrid handles these slower requests 550ms faster, suggesting more consistent performance across the board.
The 99th percentile (p99) represents the long tail — the slowest 1% of requests. Averaged across all days, Mailjet reached 662ms at p99 while SendGrid reached 107ms. The highest daily p99 was 2503ms for Mailjet and 148ms for SendGrid, indicating the worst-case response time during spikes or provider-side congestion. SendGrid shows a tighter tail, which may matter for time-sensitive notifications like one-time passwords or real-time alerts where even rare delays can impact user experience.
Error rate
Error rate tracks the ratio of 5xx responses and timeouts to total requests. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
| Provider | Avg. daily error rate | Highest daily rate | Peak error date | Zero-error days | Days above 0.01% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00% | 0.00% | Jul 4 | 91 | 0 |
| 0.00% | 0.00% | Jul 4 | 91 | 0 |
Averaged across the date range, Mailjet shows a 0.00% daily error rate compared to 0.00% for SendGrid. The highest single-day error rate was 0.00% for Mailjet and 0.00% for SendGrid. Both providers show similar reliability levels, with error rates well within acceptable thresholds. Knock automatically retries failed requests to both providers, minimizing the impact of transient errors on end-user delivery.
About these metrics: Data represents messages sent through Knock during the specified period. Response time measures time from Knock to provider acceptance. Error rate includes only provider 5xx responses and timeouts.
Recent Mailjet incidents
Recent status page incidents for Mailjet
Started Sep 23, 2026 — Resolved Sep 23, 2026
Sep 23, 05:00 UTC Completed - The scheduled maintenance has been completed. Sep 23, 04:00 UTC In progress - Scheduled maintenance is currently in progress. We will provide updates as necessary. Sep 15, 08:10 UTC Scheduled - We’ll be performing scheduled infrastructure maintenance on Wednesday, September 23, starting at 4:00 AM UTC. The estimated impact duration is 30 minutes. During this window, you won't be able to log in or send new messages via SMTP or API. Don't worry, any emails alr
Started Sep 4, 2026 — Resolved Sep 4, 2026
Sep 4, 12:55 UTC Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Sep 4, 12:23 UTC Monitoring - Starting around 08:00 UTC, Microsoft began experiencing an incident causing an increased volume of deferred emails across all M365 regions. The affected responses are returning "451 4.7.500 Server busy". Our teams are actively monitoring the situation. Sending to other email providers is not affected.
Recent SendGrid incidents
Recent status page incidents for SendGrid
Ongoing since Nov 19, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Nov 18, 21:00 PST - Nov 19, 03:00 PST Sep 30, 16:04 PDT Scheduled - Our SMS carrier partner in the United States is conducting a planned maintenance from 18 November 2026 at 21:00 PST until 19 November 2026 at 03:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from United States handsets via subset of United States long codes.
Ongoing since Nov 17, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Nov 16, 21:00 PST - Nov 17, 03:00 PST Sep 30, 13:34 PDT Scheduled - Our SMS carrier partner in the United States is conducting a planned maintenance from 16 November 2026 at 21:00 PST until 17 November 2026 at 03:00 PST. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to and from United States handsets via subset of United States long codes.
Ongoing since Oct 29, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Oct 28, 20:00 PDT - Oct 29, 00:00 PDT Sep 29, 08:15 PDT Scheduled - Our SMS and MMS carrier partner in the United States is conducting a planned maintenance from 28 October 2026 at 20:00 PDT until 29 October 2026 at 00:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS and MMS to United States handsets via subset of United States long codes.
Ongoing since Oct 29, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Oct 28, 20:00 PDT - Oct 29, 00:00 PDT Sep 4, 00:24 PDT Scheduled - Twilio is conducting a planned maintenance from 28 October 2026 at 20:00 PDT until 29 October 2026 at 00:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays or failures delivering SMS and MMS to and from United States and Canada handsets when sending via long codes, short codes and toll free numbers.
Ongoing since Oct 28, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Oct 28, 13:00 - 17:00 PDT Oct 2, 07:46 PDT Scheduled - The Tele2 network in Russia is conducting a planned maintenance from 28 October 2026 at 13:00 PDT until 28 October 2026 at 17:00 PDT. During the maintenance window, there could be intermittent delays delivering SMS to Tele2 Russia handsets.
Pros and cons
Mailjet
SendGrid
Pros
- Hybrid support for both marketers and developers in a single platform
- Unique real-time collaboration features for team-based template editing
- EU-only data processing for companies with strict data residency requirements
- Powers email delivery for over 130,000 companies including Microsoft and DHL
Pros
- Comprehensive documentation with SDKs for most major languages
- Rich analytics tools with programmatic API access to engagement data
- Strong focus on deliverability with AI-powered intelligent delivery
- Trusted by Uber, Booking.com, and Yelp for high-volume sending
Cons
- Activated automation workflows cannot be edited, requiring new workflows for any changes
- Some analytics and deliverability tools are locked behind higher pricing plans
- Deliverability can lag behind specialists like Postmark
Cons
- Extended email activity history requires a paid add-on
- Pricing can become complex at higher volumes
- Support response times vary by plan tier
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Mailjet and SendGrid?
Mailjet is a collaborative email platform with real-time editing and combined transactional and marketing capabilities. SendGrid is a cloud-based email delivery platform owned by Twilio, known for high-volume transactional and marketing email. Mailjet is best suited for team collaboration + marketing, while SendGrid is geared toward high-volume transactional + marketing.
Which is cheaper, Mailjet or SendGrid?
Free tier includes 200 emails per day (6,000/month). Paid plans start at $17/month for 15,000 emails with no daily limit. Premium plans start at $105/month for 100,000 emails. Free tier includes up to 100 emails per day for 60 days. Paid plans start at $19.95/month for 50,000 emails on the Essentials plan, with an Essentials 100K tier at $34.95/month. Pro plans with dedicated IPs start at $249/month for 300,000 emails. The best value depends on your sending volume. Use the pricing calculator above to compare costs at your expected volume.
Which is faster, Mailjet or SendGrid?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Mailjet has a median API response time (p50) of 403ms compared to 15ms for SendGrid.
Which is more reliable, Mailjet or SendGrid?
From July 4th to October 2nd, Mailjet showed an error rate of 0.00% while SendGrid showed 0.00%. Both rates are within acceptable thresholds for production email delivery, and Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize the impact of transient errors.
Which is more popular, Mailjet or SendGrid?
On the Knock platform, Mailjet handled <1M messages from July 4th to October 2nd compared to 100M–500M for SendGrid. Mailjet is currently seeing declining volume, while SendGrid volume has remained stable.
Can I use both Mailjet and SendGrid together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple email providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Mailjet and SendGrid side by side, route traffic between them, or migrate from one to the other without changing your application code.
What are the main pros and cons of Mailjet vs SendGrid?
Mailjet strengths include hybrid support for both marketers and developers in a single platform and unique real-time collaboration features for team-based template editing. SendGrid strengths include comprehensive documentation with sdks for most major languages and rich analytics tools with programmatic api access to engagement data. On the other hand, Mailjet drawbacks include activated automation workflows cannot be edited, requiring new workflows for any changes, while SendGrid drawbacks include extended email activity history requires a paid add-on.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Mailjet, SendGrid, or any combination of email providers into a single notification workflow. Manage templates, orchestrate cross-channel delivery, and switch providers without changing your code.