When it comes to email marketing software, Sendgrid, and Emailoctopus are two of the most well-known platforms available, and in this comprehensive comparison article, we will evaluate both platforms across several key criteria to determine the better choice for most small business situations.
In this SendGrid vs Emailoctopus comparison, we will look at the market position, ease of use, and customization options, including features like blogging and e-commerce functionality, performance benchmarks like speed and uptime, the quality of support and community options, pricing models, overall reputation, and more.
Our goal is to give you, the reader, clear insights into the pros and cons of both tools so you can select the right email marketing platform with confidence. The sections ahead contain detailed side-by-side comparisons of what sets these two industry leaders apart.
1. Understanding the Basics
Founded in 2009 by Isaac Saldana, Jose Lopez, and Tim Jenkins, Sendgrid is an industry leader in email delivery and analytics. With over 80,000 customers, Sendgrid delivers over 63 billion emails per month, making it one of the most widely used email service providers.
Emailoctopus entered the market in 2014, created by Jonathan Bull and a small team with big dreams of making email marketing easy. Over 25,000 businesses now use Emailoctopus to send 3 billion emails per year.
While Sendgrid edges out Emailoctopus in longevity and total market share, Emailoctopus outpaces Sendgrid in year-over-year growth. Both tools have strong social followings, with Sendgrid boasting 46,000 Facebook followers versus Emailoctopus at 35,000 fans.
Both Sendgrid and Emailoctopus have solid market positions as email service providers. Sendgrid excels in large enterprise-scale delivery while Emailoctopus leads in self-serve simplicity for small businesses.
2. Features and Functionality
Automation
SendGrid
Sendgrid offers robust email automation features through its automation tool. Users can create triggered email workflows based on time delays, specific user actions, or integration-based events.
For example, you can set up a welcome series to onboard new subscribers, a cart abandonment flow to re-engage non-buying site visitors, or notifications when a contact fills out a form.
The visual drag-and-drop builder makes creating automation straightforward. You simply define triggers and connect a series of emails as needed.
Sendgrid also includes filters and limits so you can target automation to specific groups and prevent over-communication. Overall, it’s a powerful way to create personalized, event-based communication flows to activate and retain customers.
EmailOctopus
Emailoctopus also provides automated email functionality through its campaigns feature. You can craft timed or event-driven drip campaigns with a simple visual interface.
Use case examples include welcome sequences, subscriber re-engagement campaigns, win-back email flows for inactive contacts and more.
While Emailoctopus doesn’t allow quite the complexity or advanced conditional logic of Sendgrid Automation, its campaign builder is highly capable for most small business situations.
It’s easy to set up segmented lists, define triggers based on dates, inactivity periods, or custom field values, and then map out a multi-email journey complete with tracking.
One unique advantage is the ability to stagger campaign rollouts, which helps prevent sending too many emails to your list at once. Overall, it’s an automation tool made for simplicity and ease of use.
Winner: SendGrid
Sendgrid takes the prize for the best email automation tool due to having more advanced conditional triggers, filters, and workflow functionality.
While Emailoctopus provides impressive capabilities for basic timed and date-driven campaigns, Sendgrid unlocks more customization through its drag-and-drop automation builder. For users with more complex email sequencing requirements, Sendgrid is the winner.
Email Templates
SendGrid
Sendgrid offers hundreds of professionally designed email templates that users can customize for their brand.
Templates are sorted into categories like Marketing, e-commerce, Events, and Holidays to make finding relevant options simple. Most templates are responsive and optimized for mobile devices automatically.
When editing a template, Sendgrid’s drag-and-drop editor makes updating content seamless. You can easily reorganize page sections, swap images, change text styling, and add custom colors or fonts.
For further customization, developers can modify source code. Overall, Sendgrid templates provide beautiful out-of-the-box designs that are still flexible enough to personalize.
EmailOctopus
Emailoctopus also includes professionally designed templates for crafting on-brand emails easily. While their selection isn’t as robust as Sendgrid’s, the beautiful templates are sorted into intuitive categories like Welcome Series, Promotional, and Holiday to facilitate browsing.
Customizing Emailoctopus templates is simple with their what-you-see-is-what-you-get editor. Non-technical users can swap images, colors, and text on a live preview to match their desired branding. You can also create templates from scratch or export and edit HTML templates externally if needed.
Winner: SendGrid
When it comes to volume and variety of professionally designed email templates, Sendgrid is the clear winner. With over 250 mobile-optimized options across nearly every use case, Sendgrid users will always find an elegant, polished starting point suited to their unique needs.
While Emailoctopus provides beautiful core templates, their more limited selection lacks the breadth many customers may demand over the long term. As a result, Sendgrid’s superior email template library gives it the win.
Segmentation
SendGrid
Sendgrid empowers deep subscriber segmentation with robust contact filtering tools. You can create dynamic segments based on built-in customer profile attributes like email activity, engagement metrics, purchase history, geolocation, and more.
Sendgrid also makes it easy to segment based on custom contact fields or transactional event data from integrated apps.
Segmenting an audience takes just a few clicks within Sendgrid’s contact management dashboard. Use the visual segment builder to set up the “if/then” filter logic and target extremely customized groups.
For example, you could target email subscribers in California who have opened in the past 30 days but haven’t clicked any links. The possibilities are vast.
Apply segments across email campaigns, automation workflows, and reports for targeted messaging. Overall, Sendgrid sets the bar for advanced subscriber segmentation capabilities.
EmailOctopus
Emailoctopus also provides flexible options for segmenting your subscriber list, albeit through a simpler interface. Easily create manual groups based on import lists, contact activity, geography, field values, or combinations thereof. Apply segments across email sends for more targeted campaign performance.
While Emailoctopus doesn’t allow the complex conditional segmentation logic of Sendgrid, you can still filter contacts using all the basic attributes needed for most small business situations. It’s an intuitive point-and-click process with less flexibility but an easier learning curve.
Winner: SendGrid
When it comes to advanced subscriber segmentation tools, Sendgrid earns the win for enabling users to leverage extremely customized filtering options.
The ability to segment multiple data attributes using “if X and Y but not Z” logic provides serious room for targeted email personalization and resonance. Emailoctopus matches expectations for basic segmentation capabilities but falls short of Sendgrid’s best-in-class flexible tools.
Analytics
SendGrid
Sendgrid provides robust email analytics to track and optimize campaigns. View standard metrics like deliverability rates, opens, clicks, unsubscribes, and more across all campaigns.
Data can be segmented by campaign, period, custom categories, and more to extract insights. Sendgrid also offers heat mapping tools to improve design and content engagement.
For deeper analysis, Sendgrid integrates with partners like Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Heap for event and journey tracking.
Measure the downstream ROI from your email programs. With 360-degree visibility from end-to-end, you have the analytics needed to continuously fine-tune messaging and email marketing strategy.
EmailOctopus
Emailoctopus also provides detailed email analytics and reports to inform campaign creation. View essential metrics like unique opens, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes, spam complaints, and more to gauge engagement.
Monitor statistics over time to spot trends. Data can also be segmented across campaigns, segments, and other parameters for further analysis.
While Emailoctopus covers the basic email analytics needs of most small businesses, it lacks some of the enterprise-scale capabilities of Sendgrid.
For example, there is no heat mapping functionality or deep integration with advanced business intelligence solutions. However, the self-serve reports sufficiently inform day-to-day email optimization for lighter email volume use cases.
Winner: SendGrid
When it comes to deep, customizable analytics across email activity, journeys, and business ROI, Sendgrid is the undisputed leader.
While Emailoctopus covers expected basic reporting, Sendgrid’s superior analytics capabilities, heat mapping tools, and advanced integrations provide a clear win for insight-driven optimization at scale. For larger or high-volume email programs, Sendgrid’s breadth of analytics is a must-have.
Unique Features
SendGrid
Sendgrid stands out for its HTML editor and unique email deliverability features. These include comprehensive inbox testing to optimize delivery rates, reputation monitoring to maintain good sender standing, and advanced tools to improve unsubscribe handling.
For high-volume email programs, Sendgrid is a powerful tool that also provides dedicated IP addresses to protect the sender’s reputation. Additional specialty offerings include behavioral email apps for dynamic content, email webhook triggers for custom automation, and SMTP relay for integrating with websites and applications.
With its exclusive focus on being an enterprise-grade email delivery platform, this email marketing tool invests heavily in unique email infrastructure capabilities that go above standard newsletter and campaign features.
EmailOctopus
While Emailoctopus covers the core email functionality needed by small and medium-sized businesses, they don’t offer as many proprietary email deliverability products as Sendgrid.
Instead, Emailoctopus focuses investment on ease of use – for example, exclusive integrations with web builders like Wix and automated social media posting.
Emailoctopus also provides SMS capabilities in some plans not found in competing tools. This combination of email and text marketing streamlines communications with contacts who prefer different channels at different times.
Winner: SendGrid
When it comes to unique innovations that provide strategic advantages, Sendgrid is the winner. From deliverability tools to dedicated IPs and infrastructures, Sendgrid’s exclusives give high-volume emailers the special sauce needed for long-term growth and impact.
While Emailoctopus has some unique integrations, their focus on simplicity over proprietary technologies leaves serious power users wanting more. As a result, Sendgrid takes the prize for unique value creation.
3. Ease of Use
SendGrid
Sendgrid provides a clean, modern user interface that makes managing email campaigns intuitive. The left nav menu organizes all tools logically, and core features like creating emails, segments, and reports are accessible in just 1-2 clicks from any screen.
Drag-and-drop builders for emails, landing pages, and automation simplify complex tasks.
For beginners, Sendgrid’s UI looks a bit busy at first glance. The breadth of available tools can seem overwhelming.
Expect a learning curve of 2-3 weeks to get fully comfortable even with the basic email campaign workflow of building subscriber lists, creating segments, designing templates, and sending broadcasts.
EmailOctopus
In contrast, Emailoctopus prides itself on quick starts for email marketing newbies. Their dashboard introduces core features like campaign creation, template customization, and contact management in a clean, distraction-free interface.
Emailoctopus cuts out the complexity of targeting those who just need to send newsletters from their website or store.
With guided walkthroughs and thoughtful information, hierarchy focused purely on essential email needs, expect an easier 1-week ramp up. Less powerful users may outgrow Emailoctopus’ capabilities over time unless needs remain straightforward.
Winner: EmailOctopus
When it comes to intuitive first experiences in email marketing, Emailoctopus wins for superior simplicity and ease of use.
While Sendgrid’s broader platform can delight power users over time, small business owners often want quick wins in communication.
For this audience, Emailoctopus delivers a frictionless path to sending beautiful, branded email newsletters quickly. Their crisp learning curve and focus purely on newbie education gives Emailoctopus the win.
4. Email Deliverability
SendGrid
Sendgrid prioritizes email deliverability through proprietary tools like inbox testing, spam testing, and dedicated IP addresses.
Advanced infrastructure protects your sender reputation across ISPs. Sendgrid captures industry-leading email delivery rates of over 99% ensuring that communication reaches the inbox.
Robust analytics provide visibility into deferrals, bounces, and blocks. Use this data to continuously optimize your sending domain, content, segmentation, and sender behavior. For large email volumes, Sendgrid’s deliverability toolkit is essential.
EmailOctopus
Emailoctopus also provides reliable email delivery and inbox placement, albeit through more standard solutions.
Lean on built-in spam testing tools and campaign analytics to optimize delivery. Emailoctopus leverages third-party partners to maintain the sender’s reputation rather than proprietary IP and domain infrastructure.
While Emailoctopus hits above-average inbox placement rates in the 95% range, some advanced users send enough emails to require Sendgrid’s premium deliverability products. For more modest email volumes, Emailoctopus often suffices with expected optimizations.
Winner: SendGrid
When it comes to email deliverability and inbox placement rates, Sendgrid is the clear standout. The unique proprietary inbox testing tools, dedicated IPs, advanced analytics, and internal email infrastructure combine to offer unmatched reliability for reaching customers.
Emailoctopus puts up good delivery numbers through partnerships, but cannot match Sendgrid’s premium in-house technologies.
5. Customer Support and Community
SendGrid
Sendgrid provides 24/7 customer support via live chat, email tickets, and phone. As an enterprise-scale provider, they offer multiple tiers of technical support including self-serve knowledge base content, standard email support, and high-touch Premium Support. Sendgrid maintenance SLAs guarantee site reliability as well.
The Sendgrid support experience feels responsive with most simple issues resolved in under an hour. More complex questions and custom development requests may require Premium Support plans or outsourced professional services though. Self-serve help articles and documentation could be more robust.
EmailOctopus
Emailoctopus provides email-based customer support with fairly rigorous SLAs depending on plan level. Paid customers receive prioritized requests with next-business-day responses, versus free users waiting up to 72 hours. Self-help options include webinars, an online knowledge base academy, and docs.
While SLA times seem long compared to Sendgrid’s real-time chat channel access, in practice Emailoctopus response times are swift and the support team feels well-trained. Simple issues resolve smoothly while complex issues may require escalation or custom website development needs.
Sendgrid facilitates a community forum and active Facebook group of over 45,000 members for additional support and best practice sharing. Emailoctopus also fosters a growing user community on social media channels where the team can respond to your questions.
Winner: Tie
When it comes to customer support and community, Sendgrid and Emailoctopus deliver excellent experiences tailored to their key users. Both provide email ticket-based assistance with strong satisfaction ratings from most customers.
Their communities enable further ideas exchange for common issues. For this criterion, it’s too close to pick an outright winner – a tie satisfies.
6. Integrations
SendGrid
Sendgrid offers connection with hundreds of marketing, e-commerce, analytics, and business operations solutions through integrations and APIs. Native integrations with leading tools like Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce make Sendgrid a turnkey email solution for online stores.
The integration ecosystem also includes CRMs, webinar software, social media platforms, form builders, accounting systems, and more.
With robust APIs, developers can build custom workflows tying email to virtually any app. This positions Sendgrid as a hub connecting systems to streamline business processes.
EmailOctopus
While Emailoctopus has fewer open API options, they do provide core integrations suitable for most small businesses. Seamlessly connect your Wix website, online store platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, or CRMs like HubSpot using native connectors.
You can also sync subscriber data from WordPress, Mailchimp, and more. For workflows involving business tools outside the common Emailoctopus ecosystem, Leverage Zapier for broader connections. It covers the basics well with some limitations on proprietary API customizations.
Winner: SendGrid
With far more integrations across a broader variety of use cases, Sendgrid leads integration capabilities. Whether you want to connect email marketing automation tools, fuse email journeys with your warehouse inventory, or leverage custom data flows, Sendgrid unlocks more possibilities.
While Emailoctopus covers expected shop and CRM connectors, it lacks the deeper ecosystem supporting sophisticated workflows.
7. Pricing
SendGrid
Sendgrid bases pricing on the number of emails sent per month according to a tiered model. Their free tier allows up to 100 emails per day or 40,000 emails for 30 days.
After that, paid plans start at $15 per month for up to 40k emails monthly. Pricing scales up from there in 30k email increments with pricing per email dropping at higher tiers.
Volume discounts reach 50% off at the highest level which sends over 2.5 million emails monthly. Given their focus on high-volume programs, Sendgrid’s pricing favors big emailers. Small programs under 100k emails monthly pay a premium on a per-email basis.
EmailOctopus
In contrast, Emailoctopus’ pricing model targets smaller business customers not needing to send over 200k emails monthly. There’s a free plan for up to 10K emails per month, and premium plans are priced monthly per subscriber starting at $8 for up to 500 subscribers.
This model allows smaller companies to better control costs by only paying for committed subscriber scales. The downside is quickly rising fees if email bases grow faster than assumed for size upgrades. Still, the approach fits solopreneurs and lean teams well.
Winner: Tie
Ultimately, whether Sendgrid or Emailoctopus offers the most affordable pricing depends entirely on email volume and business size. Sendgrid shines for established businesses sending over 500k emails monthly.
Emailoctopus hits the sweet spot for bootstrapped startups serving under 50k subscribers. At different business lifecycles, either platform could present superior affordability making this category a true tie.
8. Reviews and Reputation
SendGrid
Sendgrid earns stellar reviews across industry analysts and customer experience benchmarks. G2 scores Sendgrid 4.6 out of 5 stars based on 930 user reviews.
Positive feedback touts excellent deliverability, strong customer support, and powerful analytics. Users also love the built-in tools to manage your list effectively. Complaints cite complex interfaces and users notice steep learning curves which make the job harder for beginners.
Capterra rates Sendgrid 4.5 out of 5, similarly praising features but noting onboarding challenges. Overall, most reviewers value Sendgrid as an enterprise-grade email leader worth learning for scaling goals. See Sendgrid reviews on G2 and Capterra.
Read SendGrid user reviews on G2.
EmailOctopus
Emailoctopus also maintains high satisfaction marks with a Trustpilot score of 4.5 out of 5 averaged across 330+ reviews.
Users compare it to platforms like Salesforce for managing prospects and highlight ease-of-use, good deliverability, and quality support as positives. Some risk outgrowing certain basic capabilities over time as subscriber lists expand.
Capterra gives Emailoctopus a 4.7 out of 5 based largely on its simplicity and intuitive interface for solopreneurs newer to email. As a basic but powerful newsletter solution, it delights core small business segments nicely.
Read Emailoctopus Reviews on G2.
Winner: SendGrid
When it comes to industry reputation and customer satisfaction benchmarks, Sendgrid narrowly wins for pleasing power email users despite slightly steeper learning curves.
Both platforms earn glowing reviews overall but target slightly different users – Sendgrid servicing sophisticated high-volume programs, and Emailoctopus fulfilling simple newsletter needs. Depending on the use case, either could top expectations but Sendgrid claims more versatile value.
9. FAQ’s
SendGrid
- What types of emails can I send with Sendgrid?
Sendgrid enables email marketing campaigns, targeted segmentation, complex transactional emails, and automated customer journeys at high volumes. - Is there a minimum subscriber count or email requirement?
No; Sendgrid can scale from very small email lists up to billions of monthly emails for enterprise users. - How does SendGrid handle deliverability?
Proprietary testing tools, dedicated IPs with reputation monitoring, and an internal infrastructure optimize inbox placement at industry-leading rates. - What 3rd-party systems can Sendgrid integrate with?
Hundreds of apps for email, e-commerce, marketing, CRM, analytics, and more can connect natively or via API.
EmailOctopus
- What types of emails can I send with Emailoctopus?
Emailoctopus focuses on beautifully designed email newsletters, automated welcome series, and basic targeted campaigns. - Is there a minimum subscriber count or email requirement?
No minimums; scale starts small then upgrades based on 25k or 500k subscriber packages as you grow. - How does Emailoctopus handle deliverability?
Reliable deliverability leveraging blacklist monitoring and partnerships rather than proprietary infrastructure. - What 3rd-party systems can Emailoctopus integrate with?
Shopify, WooCommerce, HubSpot, WordPress, and more CRMs and web builders connect natively.
Choose SendGrid if…
If you send more than 100,000 emails per month, value advanced features like sophisticated automation and analytics, or expect to outgrow basic email functionality quickly, choose Sendgrid.
Their industry-leading deliverability, expansive integrations, segmentation precision, and enterprise-oriented feature set justify small learning curves for high-impact email at scale.
Choose EmailOctopus if…
If you’re a startup or small business serving under 50,000 subscribers, prefer an intuitive interface to start sending quickly, or don’t expect to leverage complex workflows, choose Emailoctopus.
Their ease of use, beautiful templates, reliable performance, and just-the-basics feature set make professional email simple for lean yet mighty teams.
Ultimately the “right” provider comes down to your business goals, email volumes, workflows, and appetite for complexity.
We hope this complete comparison has illuminated key similarities, differences, and use cases to empower your buying decision between these two impressive email marketing platforms. Please leave any remaining questions in the comments below and we’ll help determine the ideal solution!