Choosing an Email API When You Have Multiple Projects
How to evaluate email API pricing when you're an indie developer or agency with several low-traffic projects. A practical guide to avoiding overpaying for bundled capacity.
Most developers don't have just one project. You might have a SaaS app, a side project, a client site, and a personal blog—all needing transactional email.
The problem? Most email APIs price for high-volume senders, not multi-project developers.
The core question: Do you want to pay for bundled capacity or pay for what you use?
- Bundled plans (like Resend Pro at $20/mo) give you 50k emails + 10 domains. Great value if you'll use the volume.
- Usage-based plans (like SendPigeon) charge per domain/email. Better if you have many low-traffic projects.
The Multi-Domain Problem
Say you have 5 projects, each sending ~500 emails/month. That's 2,500 total emails.
With a bundled plan offering 50,000 emails for $20/month, you're paying for 20x what you need. The economics only work if you consolidate to high volume.
With usage-based pricing, you pay for 5 domains and 2,500 emails—often significantly less.
Pricing Models Compared
| Scenario | Bundled Plan (typical) | Usage-Based (SendPigeon) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 domain, low volume | Free tier | Free tier |
| 3 domains, 2k emails | $20/mo (50k emails included) | €7/mo (Starter) |
| 10 domains, 10k emails | $20/mo | €7/mo |
| 20 domains, 30k emails | $90/mo (100k emails) | €15/mo (Growth) |
| 50 domains, 100k emails | Custom | €29/mo (Pro) |
Neither model is "better." It depends on your usage pattern. High volume on few domains? Bundled wins. Many domains, low volume each? Usage-based wins.
What to Consider
1. How Many Domains Do You Need?
Free tiers typically limit you to 1 domain. If you have multiple projects on different domains, you'll hit paid tiers quickly regardless of email volume.
2. What's Your Volume Per Domain?
If you're sending 10k+ emails/month from a single project, bundled plans offer better value. If each project sends hundreds, not thousands, you're overpaying for capacity.
3. Do You Need Advanced Features?
Some features only matter at scale:
- Open/click tracking — useful for marketing, less so for transactional
- Multiple SDK languages — matters if you're not in the Node.js ecosystem
- Native React Email — nice-to-have vs render-then-send
4. How Fast Will You Scale?
If a project might explode to 100k emails/month, bundled plans protect you from per-email costs. If your projects stay small, usage-based keeps costs proportional.
Decision Framework
Choose bundled pricing if:
- You send 10k+ emails/month total
- You're consolidating email for one main product
- You want predictable costs at scale
- You need features like open/click tracking
Choose usage-based pricing if:
- You have 3+ projects needing email
- Each project sends < 5k emails/month
- You want to pay proportionally to usage
- You don't need marketing-style tracking
The Bottom Line
The "best" email API depends on your usage pattern, not feature checklists.
If you're a high-volume sender, bundled plans like Resend's $20/mo tier are excellent value—50k emails and 10 domains is generous.
If you're an indie developer or agency with multiple low-traffic projects, usage-based pricing means you're not subsidizing capacity you won't use.
SendPigeon is built for the second group: many projects, low volume each. €7/mo for 10 domains, €15 for 20 domains, €29 for 50 domains—pay for what you use.
Next Steps
- See the full SendPigeon vs Resend comparison with feature-by-feature breakdown
- Check our email deliverability checklist to ensure your emails reach the inbox
- See our framework guides for sending from Next.js, Remix, Astro, and more
- Browse our email templates for ready-to-use HTML
- Compare other providers: vs Mailtrap, vs Mailgun, vs Amazon SES
- Managing multiple projects? Read how to send from multiple domains