A Resend alternative for SMTP and API email
Comparing Resend alternatives? Both Resend and tinyRelay send over SMTP and an email API, with signed webhooks you can replay. Resend is self-serve, with a free tier and official SDKs. tinyRelay is set up with you, documents 19 bounce categories and pairs with tinyEmail for campaigns.
Resend details from Resend's public pages, numbered in the sources below.
tinyRelay vs Resend
Five categories. Resend facts come from Resend's public pages, numbered in the sources below.
| Capability | tinyRelay | Resend |
|---|---|---|
| SMTP | tinyRelayYes SMTP relay; credentials issued at onboarding | ResendYes 1 SMTP service |
| API | tinyRelayREST APIPOST /email/campaign, 202 with a requestId | ResendYes 2 Email API |
| Per-recipient data in one request | tinyRelayYes Merge attributes and metadata per recipient | ResendSee Resend's docs 3 |
| Tracking controls | tinyRelayPer request Opens and clicks on by default; off per request; optional link wrapping | ResendSee Resend's docs 3 |
| Marketing email | tinyRelaytinyEmail Sister product: tinyEmail | ResendYes 8 Marketing emails, broadcasts and audiences |
| Capability | tinyRelay | Resend |
|---|---|---|
| Signed webhooks | tinyRelaySvix svix-id, svix-timestamp, svix-signature (HMAC-SHA256) | ResendYes 4 Signature verification |
| Retries | tinyRelayAt least once Retried on timeout or 5xx | ResendYes 4 Retries |
| Replay | tinyRelay5 days Payloads kept 5 days for redelivery | ResendYes 4 Replay of webhook events |
| Duplicate suppression | tinyRelay24 hours Documented | ResendSee Resend's docs 4 |
| Bounce detail | tinyRelay19 categories Hard or soft, plus the server's text and DSN status | ResendSee Resend's docs 3 |
| Your IDs on events | tinyRelay10 keys Metadata on every event | ResendSee Resend's docs 3 |
| Step | tinyRelay | Resend |
|---|---|---|
| How you start | tinyRelaySet up with you Get started form; our team sets up your sending domains with you | ResendSelf-serve 3 "Start sending emails in minutes" |
| Testing | tinyRelayAsk our team | ResendTest mode 3 resend.dev addresses that simulate delivered and bounced mail |
| API security | tinyRelayKey + IP allowlist API key in a header; calling IPs allowlisted | ResendSee Resend's docs 3 |
| Compliance | tinyRelayAsk our team | ResendSOC 2 Type II 6 |
| Question | tinyRelay | Resend |
|---|---|---|
| How it's priced | tinyRelayQuote Based on monthly sending volume; request a quote | ResendPublished plans 5 |
| Free tier | tinyRelayAsk our team | ResendFree tier 5 3,000 emails a month, 100 a day |
| Highest volumes | tinyRelayQuote Quote on your volume | ResendEnterprise 5 Custom |
| Dedicated IPs | tinyRelayAsk our team | ResendPaid add-on 5 |
| Tool | tinyRelay | Resend |
|---|---|---|
| SDKs | tinyRelayPlain HTTP No packages to install; works with any language that can make HTTP requests | Resend9 official SDKs 2 Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go, Java, Laravel, Rust, .NET |
| Language guides | tinyRelay6 guides Guides for cURL, Node.js, Python, PHP, Go and Ruby | Resend23 pages 8 Language and framework pages, plus send-with guides in the docs |
| Changelog | tinyRelayYes | ResendYes 7 Changelog |
| Status page | tinyRelayAsk our team | ResendYes 2 Status page |
| DNS checker | tinyRelayFree | ResendSee Resend's site 2 |
Competitor details from their public pages; check their site for current terms.
Resend or tinyRelay?
Both are good at the core job. These are the reasons to lean one way. In one line: close on sending and webhooks; different on how you start, how you pay and how you integrate.
- You want to sign up and send yourself, with a test mode to try things first
- You want a free tier and published prices
- You want an official SDK for your language or framework
- You want a provider that publishes SOC 2 Type II
- You'd like your domains, credentials and webhook endpoint set up with you
- You want webhook delivery spelled out: at least once, 24-hour duplicate suppression, 5-day replay
- You want 19 documented bounce categories in every BOUNCED event
- You'd rather call plain HTTP from any language than add a package
- You want tinyEmail for campaigns, from the same company
Parity on replay. The full contract, written down.
Resend documents signature verification, retries and replay of webhook events. tinyRelay offers the same three, and writes down the rest of the contract. Tap through it.
Verify webhook signatures →svix-id, svix-timestamp and svix-signature. The signature is HMAC-SHA256 over id, timestamp and the raw body, with your endpoint's own secret.
Delivery is at least once. Every retry repeats the same svix-id, so deduplicate on it.
A repeat of an event you were already sent is suppressed for 24 hours. A genuine second open or click still reaches you.
Event payloads are kept for 5 days. After that they are gone.
- DELIVEREDmetadata { order_id: SO-1001 }signed ✓
- BOUNCEDSOFT_BOUNCED · category 22signed ✓
Example events · illustrative
Resend alternative: questions
Both offer SMTP and an email API with signed webhooks. Resend is self-serve with published pricing, a free tier and official SDKs. tinyRelay is set up with you, documents 19 bounce categories and its webhook delivery semantics, and works alongside tinyEmail from the same company.
No. There are no packages to install. tinyRelay's API works with any language that can make HTTP requests, and the docs include examples for Node.js, Python, PHP, Ruby, Go and cURL.
Yes. Event payloads are kept for 5 days, so a missed event can be redelivered within that window. Resend also documents replay of webhook events.
tinyRelay pricing is based on your monthly sending volume, and we prepare a quote for what you send. Ask our team about your use case. Resend publishes its free tier on its pricing page.
Reference: tinyRelay webhook docs · SMTP relay service · Request pricing
Sources
Public pages- Resend SMTP service: resend.com/features/smtp-service
- Resend homepage (email API, SDKs, status link): resend.com
- Resend docs, send test emails: resend.com/docs/dashboard/emails/send-test-emails
- Resend docs, webhooks: resend.com/docs/webhooks/introduction
- Resend pricing: resend.com/pricing
- Resend security: resend.com/security
- Resend changelog: resend.com/changelog
- Resend sitemap (product, feature and language pages): resend.com/sitemap.xml
- tinyRelay facts: docs.tinyrelay.com (introduction, send email, webhook responses, bounce categories, validate DNS)
Send transactional email with a service that reports back.
SMTP relay or REST API, standalone or alongside tinyEmail. Tell us what you send and our team sets you up.