I'm building a side project and don't want to spend much on email. What are my options?

If you want to keep email costs low for a side project, your best options usually fall into a few buckets depending on what kind of email you mean:

1) Transactional email on the cheap

For things like:

• signup confirmations
• password resets
• receipts
• notifications

Good low-cost options:

• Amazon SES — usually the cheapest at scale, but a bit more setup work
• Mailgun — developer-friendly, decent free/low-cost tiers
• SendGrid — easy to start with, but pricing can climb as you grow
• Postmark — excellent deliverability for transactional email, not the cheapest, but simple

If your volume is very low, Amazon SES is often the best value.

2) Marketing/newsletter email

For things like:

• newsletters
• product updates
• campaigns

Low-cost options:

• Brevo (Sendinblue) — good free tier and affordable starter plans
• MailerLite — simple and popular for small lists
• ConvertKit — creator-focused, but can get pricier
• Buttondown — lightweight and often great for small newsletters

If you’re just starting, MailerLite or Brevo are usually strong budget choices.

3) Free or nearly free options

If your usage is tiny:

• Use the free tier of a provider
• Send only essential emails
• Avoid attachment-heavy emails
• Batch notifications instead of sending one per event

But beware: free tiers can be limited, and deliverability/support may be worse than paid plans.

4) Self-hosting your own email

Technically possible, but usually not recommended for a side project unless you enjoy email ops. Challenges:

• IP reputation
• spam folders
• DNS setup
• maintenance
• bounce handling

For most side projects, a managed provider is worth the small cost.

5) Best “cheap but reliable” setup

A common approach:

• Transactional email: Amazon SES
• Newsletter/marketing: MailerLite or Brevo

That gives you low cost without making your app fragile.

What matters most when choosing

Consider:

• monthly email volume
• whether it’s transactional or marketing
• need for templates/API
• deliverability
• how much setup complexity you can tolerate

Quick recommendation

• Lowest cost: Amazon SES
• Easiest budget-friendly newsletter: MailerLite or Brevo
• Best transactional reliability for small apps: Postmark

If you want, I can also give you:

1. a cheap provider comparison table, or
2. a recommendation based on your expected email volume and use case.