Short answer
Resend is cheaper from 50,000 emails a month up ($20 vs $55 at 50,000, $35 vs $115 at 100,000, $650 vs $775 at 1M, cheapest plan on each side), has a much larger free plan (3,000 emails a month vs 100), lists official SDKs for nine languages and frameworks, and sells a dedicated IP as a $30/mo add-on on its Scale plan. Postmark is cheaper at 10,000 emails a month ($15 vs $20), keeps 45 days of history by default against Resend's 30, separates transactional and broadcast mail into message streams, and sells dedicated IPs at $50 each to senders above 300,000 a month on Pro or higher.
If you want transactional-only sending from a provider's own mail servers and IPs, with dedicated servers on offer, Groundmail is a third option at the same list prices as Resend.
On this page
Postmark vs Resend pricing
The two price differently. Resend has a Pro plan (50,000 or 100,000 emails) and a Scale plan with tiers from 100,000 to 2.5M. Postmark has fixed tiers (10,000, 50,000, 125,000, 300,000, 700,000 and 1.5M a month) on three plans, Basic, Pro and Platform, with more features and lower overage as you go up. The table shows the cheapest tier on each plan that covers the volume.
| Monthly volume | Resend | Postmark Basic | Postmark Pro | Postmark Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 | Free, $0 | $15 (10k tier) | $16.50 | $18 |
| 10,000 | Pro, $20 | $15 | $16.50 | $18 |
| 50,000 | Pro, $20 | $55 | $60.50 | $66 |
| 100,000 | Pro, $35 | $115 (125k tier) | $126.50 | $138 |
| 500,000 | Scale, $350 | $455 (700k tier) | $500.50 | $546 |
| 1,000,000 | Scale, $650 | $775 (1.5M tier) | $852.50 | $930 |
List prices, USD, monthly. Postmark's free Developer plan covers 100 emails a month; Resend's covers 3,000 (100 a day). Dropping a Postmark tier and paying overage costs more at these volumes (computed from published rates).
Last checked on each vendor's public page.
Resend is cheaper from 50,000 emails a month up, by $35 at 50,000, $80 at 100,000, $105 at 500,000 and $125 at 1M against Postmark Basic. Postmark is cheaper at 10,000: Basic is $15 against Resend Pro's $20, though Resend's $20 covers five times the volume.
Overage follows the same pattern. Resend charges $0.90 per 1,000 on Pro and $0.90 down to $0.46 across the Scale tiers, billed in buckets of 1,000 once pay-as-you-go is switched on. Postmark charges $1.80 per 1,000 on Basic's tiers up to 125,000 and $1.70 from 300,000; $1.30 down to $1.20 on Pro; and $1.20 down to $1.15 on Platform.
Features side by side
| Postmark | Resend | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 100 emails/mo, no overages, never expires | 3,000 emails/mo, 100/day, free forever |
| Data retention | 45 days by default on every plan, Free included; customizable 7 to 365 days (add-on from $5/mo, Pro and up) | 30 days on Free, Pro and Scale; flexible on Enterprise |
| Dedicated IP | $50 per IP per month, no setup fee; 300,000+ emails/mo; Pro plan or higher | $30/mo add-on; Scale plan only; for senders above 3,000 emails/day; automatic warmup |
| Marketing and broadcast email | Broadcast message stream, separate from transactional, with its own IP pool | Separate contact-based marketing plans (free to 1,000 contacts, from $40/mo for 5,000); broadcasts don't count against the transactional quota |
| Sending domains | Basic 5, Pro 10, Platform unlimited | Free 3, Pro 10, Scale 1,000; +100 domains for $20/mo |
| Official SDKs | Listed in Postmark's developer docs | Node.js, PHP, Laravel, Python, Ruby, Go, Java, Rust, .NET |
| SMTP | Yes, see Postmark's developer docs | smtp.resend.com, ports 25/465/587/2465/2587, username resend, API key as password |
| Send API | POST https://api.postmarkapp.com/email, X-Postmark-Server-Token header | POST https://api.resend.com/emails, Bearer re_... key |
Last checked on each vendor's public page.
Retention
If you debug delivery problems by looking back at what was sent, retention matters. Postmark keeps 45 days on every plan, including the free one, and lets you set anything from 7 to 365 days. Resend keeps 30 days on its self-serve plans, with flexible retention on Enterprise.
Marketing and broadcast mail
Both let you send more than transactional mail, in different ways. Postmark uses message streams: transactional and broadcast streams that it describes as parallel but completely separate sending infrastructure, with broadcast mail on its own IP pool. Resend sells marketing email as separate, contact-based plans next to its sending plans, and broadcasts don't count against the transactional quota.
Dedicated IPs
Both sell dedicated IPs as an add-on with an entry bar. Resend's needs the Scale plan and more than 3,000 emails a day, so the lowest list price with a dedicated IP is $120/mo (Scale at $90 plus $30). Postmark's needs 300,000 emails a month and the Pro plan or higher, so the lowest is $319.50/mo (Pro 300k at $269.50 plus $50). Both computed from published rates.
| Monthly volume | Resend Scale + dedicated IP | Postmark Pro + 1 dedicated IP |
|---|---|---|
| 500,000 | $380 | $550.50 |
| 1,000,000 | $680 | $902.50 |
Computed from published list prices, USD, monthly.
Last checked on each vendor's public page.
Neither pricing page lists a dedicated mail server, where the queue and configuration are yours as well as the IPs. For when an IP of your own helps at all, see shared vs dedicated IPs.
Which to choose
Choose Postmark if
- You send about 10,000 emails a month and want the cheapest paid plan.
- You want 45 days of history by default, or retention you can set up to a year.
- You want broadcast and transactional mail in one account, kept on separate streams.
- You need unlimited sending domains (Platform).
Choose Resend if
- You send 50,000 emails a month or more and price matters.
- You want a free plan you can run a small product on: 3,000 emails a month and three domains.
- You want the official SDK coverage Resend lists: Node.js, PHP, Laravel, Python, Ruby, Go, Java, Rust and .NET.
- You want a dedicated IP below 300,000 emails a month, as long as you send more than 3,000 a day.
- You want contact-based marketing email from the same vendor.
A third option: Groundmail
Groundmail is a transactional email API that sends from mail servers and IP space we own. Its list prices match Resend's at every tier. It differs from both in two ways: it carries transactional mail only, with no marketing or broadcast product at all, and it offers fully dedicated mail servers, which neither Postmark's nor Resend's pricing page lists.
| Monthly volume | Groundmail | Resend | Postmark (cheapest) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50,000 | $20 | $20 | $55 |
| 100,000 | $35 | $35 | $115 |
| 500,000 | $350 | $350 | $455 |
| 1,000,000 | $650 | $650 | $775 |
List prices for the cheapest plan covering each volume, USD, monthly.
Last checked on each vendor's public page.
- Our own mail servers and IP space, run by a team that has run mail servers at scale and worked with Google Postmaster and Spamhaus directly.
- Transactional only. Password resets, sign-in codes, receipts, alerts and invites. Marketing, newsletters and cold email aren't allowed on our IPs (Acceptable Use Policy), so the shared pool carries only the kind of mail you send.
- Dedicated IPs and dedicated servers. Dedicated IPs are quoted based on your volume, with no published minimum. The Dedicated plan is your own mail server and IPs, built, warmed and managed by us, from $299/mo including 250,000 emails.
- Free plan: 3,000 emails a month (100 a day) on one domain with every feature; a card on file is required but not charged.
- Node and Go SDKs plus SMTP. Fewer official SDKs than Resend; other languages use the HTTP API or the SMTP relay.
Groundmail isn't the pick if you want broadcasts or marketing email from the same vendor, or a published retention period. Detailed comparisons: Groundmail vs Resend and Groundmail vs Postmark.
Frequently asked questions
Is Resend cheaper than Postmark?
From 50,000 emails a month up, yes, at list price: $20 vs $55 at 50,000, $35 vs $115 at 100,000, $350 vs $455 at 500,000 and $650 vs $775 at 1M, comparing the cheapest plan on each side. At 10,000 emails a month Postmark Basic ($15) is cheaper than Resend Pro ($20).
Which has the better free plan?
Resend's free plan includes 3,000 emails a month (100 a day) and three domains. Postmark's free Developer plan includes 100 emails a month, with no overages, and never expires.
Which keeps email logs longer?
Postmark keeps 45 days by default on every plan and can be set from 7 to 365 days. Resend keeps 30 days on Free, Pro and Scale, with flexible retention on Enterprise.
Which is cheaper for a dedicated IP?
Resend's dedicated IP is a $30/mo add-on on Scale for senders above 3,000 emails a day, so it starts at $120/mo including the plan. Postmark's is $50 per IP per month for senders above 300,000 a month on Pro or higher, starting at $319.50/mo including the plan. Both computed from published prices.
Can I send marketing email with Postmark or Resend?
Both offer it. Postmark sends broadcasts on a separate message stream with its own IP pool. Resend sells contact-based marketing plans alongside its sending plans.
Sources
Facts on this page about other companies' products, prices and policies come from these public pages. They change, so check them before you decide.