Resend vs SendGrid
Compare Resend 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10M–25M | 1st of 10 → | 7 | 26 |
| 500M+ | 2nd of 10 → | 10 | 25 |
From February 10th to May 11th, Knock routed 10M–25M messages through Resend and 500M+ through SendGrid. Resend reported 26 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 February 10th to May 11th. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: Resend averaged 81ms compared to 22ms for SendGrid. Resend's highest daily p50 was 118ms; SendGrid's was 24ms. SendGrid is 59ms 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, Resend has a p90 of 133ms compared to 76ms for SendGrid. The highest daily p90 was 171ms for Resend and 98ms for SendGrid. SendGrid handles these slower requests 57ms 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, Resend reached 353ms at p99 while SendGrid reached 421ms. The highest daily p99 was 10020ms for Resend and 6069ms for SendGrid, indicating the worst-case response time during spikes or provider-side congestion. Resend 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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.07% | 2.45% | Feb 15 | 82 | 5 |
| 0.00% | 0.02% | Feb 18 | 85 | 3 |
Averaged across the date range, Resend shows a 0.07% daily error rate compared to 0.00% for SendGrid. The highest single-day error rate was 2.45% for Resend and 0.02% for SendGrid. SendGrid demonstrates a lower error rate, indicating slightly more consistent availability during this period. 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 Resend incidents
Recent status page incidents for Resend
Started May 6, 2026 — Resolved May 6, 2026
Status: Resolved This incident is resolved. All failed provisioning requests have been reprocessed, and custom tracking domain creation is operating normally.
Started May 5, 2026 — Resolved May 5, 2026
Status: Complete We've successfully completed our maintenance, and the logs page is now behaving normally. Affected components Dashboard (Operational)
Started Apr 28, 2026 — Resolved Apr 28, 2026
Status: Resolved This incident is resolved. Webhook deliveries and metrics page updates have been stable since our fix was deployed. Sending and receiving were unaffected throughout. Thanks for your patience. Affected components Email Events (Operational)
Started Apr 27, 2026 — Resolved Apr 27, 2026
Status: Resolved This incident is resolved. Email events are updating in real time and have been stable since our fix was deployed. Sending and delivery were unaffected throughout. Thank you for your patience. Affected components Email Events (Operational)
Started Apr 24, 2026 — Resolved Apr 24, 2026
Status: Resolved The processing backlog is fully cleared. All systems are operational. Affected components Email Events (Operational)
Recent SendGrid incidents
Recent status page incidents for SendGrid
Started May 8, 2026 — Resolved May 8, 2026
May 8, 01:09 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed the issue with Mail delay has been resolved. All services are now operating normally at this timeMay 8, 00:04 PDT Update - Our engineering team has identified the root cause of the issue and is actively working on a resolution. Please note that new Mail Send requests are processing as expected and are not impacted. We will share another update within the next two hours, or sooner if additional information becomes av
Started May 6, 2026 — Resolved May 6, 2026
May 6, 16:22 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed the issue with Twilio SendGrid invoices and the tax amounts has been resolved. All services are now operating normally at this time.May 6, 15:04 PDT Monitoring - Our engineers have implemented a fix and are monitoring system performance. We have resolved the tax calculation issue, and customer invoices have been corrected with the appropriate tax amounts. If you were overcharged, your refund will be automatically pr
Started May 5, 2026 — Resolved May 5, 2026
May 5, 09:17 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have successfully completed processing all delayed Engagement Tracking and Segmentation data for Legacy Marketing Campaigns. All contact engagement data and segmentation features are now fully up-to-date and functioning normally. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this delay caused. This issue is now resolved, but if you experience any further issues please reach out to our SendGrid Technical Support Team for further assistance.May 4, 09:43 P
Started Apr 23, 2026 — Resolved Apr 23, 2026
Apr 23, 14:18 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed the issue with module movement in the Design Editor has been resolved. All services are now operating normally at this time.Apr 23, 10:16 PDT Update - Our team is still investigating this issue, and we still don't have updates to provide. For now, latest recommendation persist: For the best experience, please use the latest version of Safari or Firefox while we work on a fix. We will provide another update as soon
Started Apr 18, 2026 — Resolved Apr 18, 2026
Apr 18, 13:07 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have investigated and resolved the issues with delayed delivery of emails for a subset of customers. From 12:05 pm PST to 12:45 pm PST customers may have seen a delay in the delivery of their emails. The issue has been resolved and all impacted services are operating normally.
Pros and cons
Resend
SendGrid
Pros
- Beautiful documentation with attention to detail and great developer experience
- Created and maintain React Email, the go-to framework for building email templates in React
- Minimalist, developer-optimized platform that avoids bloat with a focused UI
- Transparent observability with real-time visibility into sends, failures, and engagement
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
- Newer and less battle-tested compared to incumbents like Mailgun or SendGrid
- Fewer enterprise features than established providers
- Limited marketing email capabilities
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 Resend and SendGrid?
Resend is a modern email API built for developers, with React Email support and a focus on simplicity. SendGrid is a cloud-based email delivery platform owned by Twilio, known for high-volume transactional and marketing email. Resend is best suited for developer-first, react teams, while SendGrid is geared toward high-volume transactional + marketing.
Which is cheaper, Resend or SendGrid?
Free tier includes 3,000 emails per month and 100 emails per day. Paid plans start at $20/month for 50,000 emails with overages at $0.90/1K on Pro, scaling down to $0.46/1K on Scale 2.5M. 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, Resend or SendGrid?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Resend has a median API response time (p50) of 81ms compared to 22ms for SendGrid.
Which is more reliable, Resend or SendGrid?
From February 10th to May 11th, Resend showed an error rate of 0.07% 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, Resend or SendGrid?
On the Knock platform, Resend handled 10M–25M messages from February 10th to May 11th compared to 500M+ for SendGrid. Resend volume has remained stable, while SendGrid volume has remained stable.
Can I use both Resend and SendGrid together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple email providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Resend 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 Resend vs SendGrid?
Resend strengths include beautiful documentation with attention to detail and great developer experience and created and maintain react email, the go-to framework for building email templates in react. 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, Resend drawbacks include newer and less battle-tested compared to incumbents like mailgun or sendgrid, while SendGrid drawbacks include extended email activity history requires a paid add-on.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Resend, 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.