Quick answer
Resend - Resend wins for most builders because its free tier is much more complete for real email delivery work, while EmailJS is better only if you need a very small, no-card client-side form/email setup.
How the free tiers compare
These two free tiers serve different jobs. EmailJS is a lightweight client-side email relay: you wire up a service, use templates, and send a limited number of requests without running your own backend mail logic. Its free plan is narrow but simple, with only 200 monthly requests and 2 templates. Resend is a fuller email platform: it supports sending and receiving, REST and SMTP, SDKs, scheduled and batch sending, tracking, webhooks, automation runs, and one custom domain. Its free tier is capped at 3,000 emails per month and 100 per day, but it covers far more of the workflow a builder actually needs. The tradeoff is pricing shape: EmailJS stays flat and predictable, while Resend’s paid plans introduce usage-based overages and more room to scale. If you only need a small embedded mail trigger, EmailJS is enough. For anything closer to product email infrastructure, Resend is the better starting point.
EmailJS vs Resend free tier, side by side
| EmailJSFTV 44 | ResendFTV 30 | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan volumeEmailJS counts requests; Resend counts emails and also enforces a daily cap. | 200 monthly requests | 3,000 emails/month and 100/day |
| Templates | 2 email templates | Not listed on the free plan |
| Payload / message size | Requests up to 50Kb | Not listed in the provided free-plan data |
| Contacts history / retention | Limited contacts history | 30 days of data retention |
| Custom domain | Not listed | 1 custom domain |
| Automation runs | Not listed | 10,000 automation runs |
| Support | Not listed | Ticket support |
| Credit card required on free tierOnly state this because the field is explicitly present. | No | Yes |
After you outgrow the free tier
EmailJS uses simple flat monthly plans: Personal at $9, Professional at $15, and Business at $40. Resend starts at $20/month on Pro, but its pricing is usage-based with a 50,000 emails/month included allowance and $0.90 per 1,000 extra emails. That means EmailJS is cheaper at the low end if your needs are tiny and fixed, while Resend becomes more efficient when you need a broader email stack and can make use of the included volume. Resend also scales to Scale at $90/month and then Enterprise by sales.
Cost at real usage
| Usage | EmailJS | Resend |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 emails/moEmailJS cannot be compared directly on emails alone because it sells monthly requests, not email volume. | $9/mo | $20/mo |
| 5,000 emails/moEmailJS Professional includes 5,000 monthly requests; Resend Pro includes 50,000 emails/month. | $15/mo | $20/mo |
| 25,000 emails/moEmailJS Business includes 25,000 monthly requests. Resend Pro still covers this within its included 50,000 emails/month. | $40/mo | $20/mo |
| 100,000 emails/moResend Scale includes 100,000 emails/month. EmailJS's highest provided plan is Business at 25,000 monthly requests. | No matching paid quota provided | $90/mo |
Estimates, not quotes. Usage-based rates change - verify with the vendor's pricing page before committing.
When to pick each one
Pick EmailJS when…
- You are building a simple client-side contact form or prototype and do not want server-side mail logic.
- You only need a couple of reusable templates and can live within 200 monthly requests.
- You want a free tier with no credit card requirement.
- You are sending very low-volume transactional email from code and want a narrow, predictable tool.
Pick Resend when…
- You need a real email platform with REST, SMTP, SDKs, scheduled emails, batch sending, and tracking.
- You want to send and receive emails, not just trigger templates.
- You need a custom domain, webhook support, automation runs, or React Email.
- You expect to outgrow a tiny request cap quickly and want a free tier that covers 3,000 emails per month.
- You want a path to scale with paid plans that keep the same developer workflow and add higher limits.
Bottom line
For the most common builder use case, Resend is the better pick because it gives you a usable email delivery stack on the free plan and a clean upgrade path when volume grows. EmailJS only wins if your problem is narrowly sending a small number of client-side emails without standing up backend mail logic. If you expect to build anything beyond a tiny form or demo, Resend is the more practical starting point.
Read the full listings: EmailJS and Resend. Scores use the FTV methodology at /ftv. Browse more head-to-heads on /compare, or see the top-ranked free tiers on /top.