What email platform should I use if I need templates and APIs?

If you need both email templates and a solid API, the best platform depends on whether you’re sending:

• Transactional emails like receipts, password resets, alerts
• Marketing emails like newsletters and campaigns

Good options

1. SendGrid

Best all-around choice for many teams.

Pros

• Strong API
• Template management built in
• Good deliverability
• Widely used and well-documented
• Supports both transactional and marketing use cases

Cons

• Can feel a bit complex
• Pricing can rise as volume grows

2. Mailgun

Great if you want developer-friendly email sending.

Pros

• Excellent API
• Good for transactional email
• Template support
• Easy integration
• Flexible for custom apps

Cons

• Less marketing-focused than some competitors
• UI is not as polished as dedicated marketing tools

3. Amazon SES

Best if cost is a big factor and you’re comfortable with AWS.

Pros

• Very cheap at scale
• Reliable
• Works well with APIs
• Can be paired with templates

Cons

• More setup work
• Not as user-friendly
• Templates and workflow are more barebones

4. Postmark

Best for transactional email quality.

Pros

• Excellent deliverability
• Very clean API
• Built-in templates
• Fast and simple to use

Cons

• Not ideal for large marketing campaigns
• Fewer features outside transactional email

5. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)

Good if you want templates plus marketing features.

Pros

• Templates and API
• Marketing automation
• Easier for non-developers
• Good value

Cons

• API can be less elegant than developer-first tools
• Deliverability depends on setup

My recommendation

• For transactional email: Postmark or SendGrid
• For marketing + templates + API: SendGrid or Brevo
• For cheapest at scale: Amazon SES
• For developer-friendly flexibility: Mailgun

If you want, I can also recommend one based on:

• your use case,
• expected volume,
• budget,
• and whether you need marketing vs transactional email.