Sparkpost
performance benchmarks
Browse Sparkpost's observed email API response time, error rates, and incident history over the last 90 days.
Live performance metrics
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
| Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|
<1M | 10th of 10 ↓ | 3 | 6 |
From July 4th to October 2nd, Knock routed <1M messages through Sparkpost. For adoption, Sparkpost ranks 10th of 10 providers based on new channel connections, with adoption slowing over the period. Sparkpost reported 6 status page updates over the last 90 days, 3 of which were in the last 30 days.
Response time
Response time measures how long Sparkpost takes to accept an API request from Knock, including connection overhead and any automatic retries. Lower values mean faster message hand-off.
| Median (p50) | p90 | p95 | p99 |
|---|---|---|---|
335ms | 558ms | 583ms | 727ms |
From July 4th to October 2nd, Sparkpost averaged a daily median response time (p50) of 335ms across all days in the range, meaning half of all requests on a typical day complete in under 335ms. The 99th percentile averaged 727ms, with a peak daily p99 of 901ms. This is slightly higher than some providers, which may reflect additional processing Sparkpost performs on message acceptance.
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.
| 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 |
From July 4th to October 2nd, Sparkpost averaged a 0.00% daily error rate for 5xx responses and timeouts, with the highest single-day error rate reaching 0.00%. This is one of the lowest error rates among providers on Knock, indicating strong reliability and consistent uptime. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
About these metrics: Data represents messages sent through Knock to Sparkpost during the specified period. Response time measures time from Knock to provider acceptance. Error rate includes only provider 5xx responses and timeouts.
Recent Sparkpost incidents
Recent status page incidents for Sparkpost
Started Oct 1, 2026 — Resolved Oct 1, 2026
Oct 1, 13:36 EDT Resolved - This issue has been resolved. Since our changes went in, we've seen no further delivery delays, including through peak sending periods. Email is being delivered normally. We apologize for the disruption and thank you for your patience. Oct 1, 13:16 EDT Monitoring - We've made changes to address the intermittent delivery delays. Since then, email has been delivered without delay, including during peak sending periods that previously caused the slowdowns. We're wa
Started Sep 17, 2026 — Resolved Sep 17, 2026
Sep 17, 06:00 EDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Sep 17, 05:47 EDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Sep 17, 05:06 EDT Investigating - We are investigating an increase in delivery latency for some outbound messages. (NOTE: This does not impact our customers hosted in the EU.)
Started Sep 14, 2026 — Resolved Sep 14, 2026
Sep 14, 12:46 EDT Resolved - The data has all been posted. We apologize for the delay. Sep 14, 12:31 EDT Monitoring - Data is reprocessed and loads are completing. Full data recovery expected in the next 30 minutes. Sep 14, 10:59 EDT Identified - We know what has caused the data delay and are working to get the data posted. Sep 14, 10:19 EDT Investigating - Health score and Cohort data is delayed.
Started Aug 27, 2026 — Resolved Aug 27, 2026
Aug 27, 18:56 EDT Resolved - The Apple bounce levels have maintained at pre incident levels during our monitoring phase. Our clean up of the bad suppressions has finished. This incident is resolved. Aug 27, 15:28 EDT Monitoring - We have seen recovery of the Apple private relay domain to pre-event bounce levels. Our team is actively working on automatically removing any suppressions that were created by this event. We anticipate the cleanup to be completed by 6PM EDT. Aug 27, 15:10 EDT
Started Aug 19, 2026 — Resolved Aug 19, 2026
Aug 19, 15:58 EDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Aug 19, 15:44 EDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Aug 19, 14:52 EDT Investigating - We are investigating an increase in delivery latency for some outbound messages. (NOTE: This does not impact our customers hosted in the US.)
Compare Sparkpost with other providers
About Sparkpost
SparkPost is a data-driven email delivery platform with advanced analytics and predictive tools for high-volume senders.
Pros
- Delivers nearly 40% of all commercial email worldwide
- Subaccount support for isolated sending streams under one billing account
- On-premise mail sending solution available for very high volume workloads
- Great analytics tools with predictive health scores for email deliverability
Cons
- Documentation can be hard to navigate with less beginner-friendly getting started content
- Higher price point than basic providers
- Now part of Bird (formerly MessageBird), which may affect product direction
Frequently asked questions
What is Sparkpost?
Sparkpost is an email service provider commonly used for high-volume transactional email, data-driven email optimization, enterprise email delivery. SparkPost is a data-driven email delivery platform with advanced analytics and predictive tools for high-volume senders.
How much does Sparkpost cost?
Free tier includes 500 emails per month with community support. Paid plans start at $20/month for 50,000 emails with premium deliverability features. Sparkpost offers a free tier with up to 500 emails, with a hard sending limit on that plan.
How fast is Sparkpost?
Based on real-world data from messages sent through Knock, Sparkpost accepts API requests with a median response time of 335ms (p50) and 727ms at the 99th percentile.
How reliable is Sparkpost?
From July 4th to October 2nd, Sparkpost showed an error rate of 0.00% for 5xx responses and timeouts across <1M messages sent through Knock. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
What are the pros and cons of Sparkpost?
Key strengths include delivers nearly 40% of all commercial email worldwide and subaccount support for isolated sending streams under one billing account. On the other hand, documentation can be hard to navigate with less beginner-friendly getting started content and higher price point than basic providers.
Does Sparkpost work with Knock?
Yes. Knock has a native Sparkpost integration that enables you to send email notifications through Sparkpost as part of a cross-channel workflow. You can combine Sparkpost with other channels like in-app feeds, push, SMS, and Slack from a single API call.
Use Sparkpost with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Sparkpost alongside other notification channels, manage templates, and orchestrate cross-channel workflows from a single platform.