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 → | 0 | 0 |
From January 22nd to April 22nd, Knock routed <1M messages through Sparkpost. For adoption, Sparkpost ranks 10th of 10 providers based on new channel connections, with adoption holding steady over the period. Sparkpost reported no status page incidents over the last 90 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
285ms | 348ms | 388ms | 551ms |
From January 22nd to April 22nd, Sparkpost averaged a daily median response time (p50) of 285ms across all days in the range, meaning half of all requests on a typical day complete in under 285ms. The 99th percentile averaged 551ms, with a peak daily p99 of 31566ms. 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% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
0.19% | 3.41% | Feb 24 | 90 | 1 |
From January 22nd to April 22nd, Sparkpost averaged a 0.19% daily error rate for 5xx responses and timeouts, with the highest single-day error rate reaching 3.41%. This is slightly above average compared to other providers on Knock, though still within acceptable thresholds for production email delivery. 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
No incidents reported in the last 90 days
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 285ms (p50) and 551ms at the 99th percentile.
How reliable is Sparkpost?
From January 22nd to April 22nd, Sparkpost showed an error rate of 0.19% 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.