If you’re a small business owner looking for an email marketing platform, chances are Mailjet has appeared in your searches. It’s a solid tool, but it doesn’t always mean it’s the best fit. Especially when budget, flexibility, and growth potential are important for you. This is where Elastic Email comes into the game. In this article, we’ll put Elastic Email head-to-head with Mailjet to show you exactly why it deserves a serious look before you decide and why it’s the perfect Mailjet alternative for your business.
Table of Contents
- Understanding the two platforms
- Feature comparison - Elastic Email vs. Mailjet
- Why Elastic Email wins for small businesses as a Mailjet alternative
- Elastic Email as the perfect Mailjet alternative - wrapping up
- FAQ
Understanding the two platforms
Mailjet is a French email service provider founded in 2010, now owned by Sinch. It serves both developers and marketers, offering transactional email via API and SMTP alongside a marketing campaign interface. What defines Mailjet structurally is its volume-based pricing model: you pay based on how many emails you send per month, not how many contacts you store. This means unlimited contacts at every tier, but strict monthly sending caps that force plan upgrades as your sending frequency grows. Mailjet's feature set is also tiered in a way that reserves several core marketing tools - landing pages, advanced statistics, A/B testing, and priority support - exclusively for its Premium plan, which starts at $27/month for just 15,000 emails.
Elastic Email takes the opposite structural approach. It is a contact-based platform where the plan tier (Starter at $29/month or Pro at $49/month) is determined by the features you need, and the contact volume scales independently within that tier. Both paid plans include the full marketing feature set from day one: drag-and-drop editor, AI Template Designer, landing pages, signup forms, A/B testing, segmentation, and 24/7 support - none of it gated behind a higher tier. The email sending allowance is set at 15x the contact limit, so a 2,500-contact account can send 37,500 emails per month on either plan.
The practical implication of this difference is significant for small businesses. On Mailjet, growing your sending volume eventually forces a plan upgrade that also unlocks features you may not need yet, and vice versa - wanting a feature like landing pages forces you onto Premium regardless of your sending volume. On Elastic Email, features and volume scale independently, giving small businesses more predictable costs and more flexibility as they grow.
Feature comparison - Elastic Email vs. Mailjet
Feature |
 |
 |
Drag-and-drop editor |
|
|
AI Template Designer |
|
|
Pre-built templates |
|
|
A/B testing |
No |
|
Landing Pages |
No |
|
Signup Forms |
|
|
Campaign statistics |
Limited |
|
Segmentation |
|
|
Monetization features |
No |
|
Access to API & SMTP |
|
|
Multi-user management |
|
|
Private/Dedicated IPs |
No | $50/month |
Free plan available |
|
|
Integrations |
|
|
Customer support |
Ticket support; chat & phone support for 50,000+ plans Monday-Friday 9 AM - 6 PM CET | 24/7 live chat and email support |
Why Elastic Email wins for small businesses as a Mailjet alternative
Elastic Email presents several compelling advantages for small businesses, particularly those with budget limitations, who are looking for scalable pricing, an easy-to-use interface, landing pages builder, or have specific monetization needs.
Cost-effectiveness that actually scales
Pricing is often the first filter small businesses apply when searching for an email marketing platform. This is where Elastic Email makes a great opening argument as a Mailjet alternative. It offers a contact-based pricing model with generous email sending limits on both paid plans. In contrast, Mailjet operates on volume-based pricing, charging for emails sent and offering unlimited contacts. While the ability to upload as many contacts as you want looks attractive, Mailjet’s pricing penalizes you for actually sending to them, offering less attractive email sending limits. Also, its pricing structure includes three paid plans, which not only differ in the feature set but are also constrained by the number of emails you want to send.
To illustrate, Mailjet’s Starter plan offers only up to 8,000 emails/month, whereas the Essential plan ends at the 50,000 emails/month tier. If you want to send more than 50,000 emails/month, you have to upgrade to the Premium plan.
Elastic Email pricing structure
At Elastic Email, both the Starter and Pro plans start at the 2,500 contact limit and 37,500 emails/month and scale gradually, which makes it a great Mailjet alternative. At this tier, you’ll pay $29/month in the Starter plan or $49/month in the Pro plan. As your contact list or email sending needs grow, you can upgrade your plan to a higher tier. This way, you can even go up to 1,000,000 contacts and 15,000,000 emails per month. Even if your needs are bigger, you can always reach out to Elastic Email for a custom offer.
Elastic Email vs. Mailjet - pricing example
Imagine you send 30,000 emails per month. In Elastic Email, you pay $29/month and can upload up to 2,500 contacts in the Starter plan. If you want to send that many emails with Mailjet, you’ll pay $37/month for the Essential plan. Now, let’s assume your sending needs increase to 60,000 emails per month. With Elastic Email, you can stay on the Starter plan and only upgrade to a higher tier - $59/month for up to 75,000 emails and 5,000 contacts, or you can upgrade to the Pro plan for $79/month for the same contact and email limit. With Mailjet, you need to change your plan from Essential to Premium and now pay $105/month for up to 100,000 emails per month.
| Email sending limit/month | |
|
| 15,000 | $17 (Essential) / $27 (Premium) | - |
| 37,500 | - | $29 (Starter) / $49 (Pro) for up to 2,500 contacts |
| 50,000 | $37 (Essential) / $55 (Premium) | - |
| 75,000 | - | $59 (Starter) / $79 (Pro) for up to 5,000 contacts |
| 100,000 | $105 (Premium) | - |
| 150,000 | - | $89 (Starter) / $119 (Pro) for up to 10,000 contacts |
| 225,000 | - | $129 (Starter) / $169 (Pro) for up to 15,000 contacts |
| 250,000 | $250 (Premium) | - |
Free plan
As for the free options, Elastic Email offers a free plan with almost all features and the ability to add your contacts. However, the free plan has limited sending, where you can send emails only to your email account. Mailjet also offers a free plan with a 1,000 contact limit and 200 emails per day, with a 6,000 email/month limit. The plan included only API, SMTP relay, webhooks, email editor, basic statistics, and form builder.
Ease of use from day one
Elastic Email is built with accessibility at its core. Once you create your account, you’re taken care of by a helpful onboarding process (in-platform and via email). Additionally, the AI Template Designer lets even first-time email marketers launch amazing campaigns in minutes. There’s no need to navigate complicated setup menus as the Elastic Email interface is very intuitive and user-friendly.
Also, users consistently praise Elastic Email for how quickly they can set up everything and start sending. It’s a critical factor for small businesses, especially without dedicated IT staff. The dashboard is functional and keeps the learning curve manageable.
Mailjet, while also user-friendly, has drawn some criticism for a steeper initial learning curve and an interface that can feel less intuitive for users new to email marketing platforms.
Landing pages
With Elastic Email, users can easily design high-quality landing pages to showcase offerings, promote content, and convert visitors into subscribers via integrated signup forms. The platform features an intuitive, no-code builder alongside a library of professional templates that are fully customizable. Also, users can launch pages without owning a personal domain, as all pages are hosted under the myelasticemail.com subdomain.
In contrast, Mailjet restricts this functionality to its higher-tier users. While Elastic Email keeps these tools accessible, Mailjet excludes landing pages from its Essential plan, making them available only to those on the Premium plan. It can be a significant limitation for growing businesses that rely on dedicated lead-generation pages to expand their subscriber base.
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Direct monetization features
This is where Elastic Email truly stands out as a Mailjet alternative. It includes built-in monetization tools, having content creators, bloggers, and small businesses in mind. The offered features are:
- Paid Newsletters - empowering users to charge subscribers directly for premium content through Elastic Email’s built-in subscription management.
- Checkouts - allowing users to sell digital goods (ebooks, templates, courses, tracks, software, etc.) directly through the platform.
Unlike Mailjet, Elastic Email offers both email marketing and direct monetization under one roof, eliminating both cost and complexity.
24/7 email & live chat customer support
Elastic Email provides 24/7 customer support via in-app chat and email on both free and paid plans. This way, you will always get a timely response and the assistance you need. An optional dedicated support add-on is available for businesses that need priority. Mailjet, by contrast, offers ticket support for all paying customers, but users on the free plan can only receive assistance during their first month. Also, chat and phone support are reserved only for plans of 50,000+ emails per month, only for the Premium plan. Even then, both options are available Monday through Friday from 9 am to 6 pm CET. It can be problematic when a time-sensitive campaign is on the line.
TL;DR - Key Takeaways on Elastic Email as a Mailjet alternative
On pricing:
- At 30,000 emails/month, Elastic Email Starter ($29) is $8 cheaper than Mailjet Essential ($37).
- At 60,000 emails/month, Elastic Email Starter ($59) saves $46/month over Mailjet Premium ($105) - a saving of $552/year.
- From 100,000 emails/month onwards, Elastic Email is consistently and significantly cheaper at every tier.
- Mailjet's volume-based model forces plan upgrades as sending grows, whereas Elastic Email separates features from volume so you never pay for a higher feature tier just because your list grew.
On features:
- Landing pages, A/B testing, advanced statistics, and AI template design are all included on Elastic Email's Starter plan. On Mailjet, landing pages and A/B testing require the Premium plan.
- Elastic Email includes built-in monetization tools (Paid Newsletters and Checkouts). Mailjet has no monetization features at any tier.
- Elastic Email offers 24/7 live chat and email support on all plans. Mailjet restricts chat and phone support to Premium plan customers, Monday–Friday, 9 AM–6 PM CET only.
Who should choose Elastic Email over Mailjet:
- Small businesses that send regularly and want all core features without upgrading to a premium tier
- Content creators and newsletter operators who want to monetize their audience directly through email
- Businesses that need landing pages and signup forms without paying for the highest plan
- Teams that value always-available support regardless of plan level
Elastic Email as the perfect Mailjet alternative - wrapping up
Mailjet is a legitimate and capable email platform, but its pricing and feature structure are designed more around big enterprises. The features small businesses actually need most are locked behind its premium plan, which starts at $27/month for 15,000 emails. Elastic Email delivers all of that and more, starting at $29/month with 37,500 emails/month, 2,500 contacts included, landing pages, A/B testing, and built-in monetization tools that Mailjet simply doesn’t offer. If you are looking for a platform that balances sophisticated functionality with 24/7 support and cost-effectiveness, the choice is clear.
Whether you’re a solopreneur sending newsletters, an agency managing multiple clients, or a growing e-commerce brand that wants to turn subscribers into buyers, Elastic Email gives you the tools to do it. And the best news is that you get it at a price that scales with your business. As can be seen, the switch is worth making, as Elastic Email is the perfect Mailjet alternative. See for yourself why thousands of small businesses have already made the move.
FAQ
Is Elastic Email cheaper than Mailjet?
It depends on your sending volume. Below 15,000 emails/month, Mailjet's Essential plan at $17/month is cheaper than Elastic Email's Starter at $29/month. However, from around 30,000 emails/month onwards, Elastic Email becomes more affordable - $29 vs. $37 at that volume. The gap widens significantly at higher volumes: at 60,000 emails/month, Elastic Email Starter costs $59 while Mailjet Premium costs $105, a difference of $46/month or $552/year. For businesses that send regularly and grow their lists over time, Elastic Email delivers better long-term value.
Does Mailjet have landing pages?
Mailjet offers landing pages only on its Premium plan, which starts at $27/month for 15,000 emails. They are not available on the Essential plan. Elastic Email includes unlimited landing pages on both its Starter ($29/month) and Pro ($49/month) plans, with no plan upgrade required. Pages can be published under the myelasticemail.com subdomain without needing a personal domain.
What is the difference between Mailjet and Elastic Email pricing models?
Mailjet uses volume-based pricing, which means you pay based on how many emails you send per month, with unlimited contacts at every tier. Comparatively, Elastic Email uses contact-based pricing: you pay based on how many contacts you store, with a monthly sending allowance of 15x your contact limit included. For businesses with large lists and infrequent sends, Mailjet's model can be more economical. For businesses with moderate lists and regular sending cadences, Elastic Email's model is typically more affordable and more predictable.
Does Mailjet have an AI email designer?
No. Mailjet does not include generative AI tools for email design at any plan level. In turn, Elastic Email includes an AI Template Designer on both its Starter (40 prompts/month) and Pro (100 prompts/month) plans. Users can describe their campaign goal and tone in plain language, and the AI generates a complete, ready-to-edit email template. The result can then be refined further in the drag-and-drop editor.
Can I sell paid newsletters through Mailjet?
No. Mailjet has no built-in monetization features at any pricing tier. Elastic Email's Pro plan includes Stripe-powered Paid Newsletters, allowing users to charge subscribers recurring fees for premium content — and a Checkouts feature for selling digital products such as ebooks, templates, and courses directly through the platform. Both tools are fully managed within Elastic Email, with no third-party e-commerce integration required.
Does Mailjet offer 24/7 customer support?
No. Mailjet provides ticket support for all paying customers, but live chat and phone support are restricted to Premium plan users (50,000+ emails/month), and even then only available Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM Central European Time. Users on the free plan receive support only during their first month. Elastic Email offers 24/7 live chat and email support on all plans, including the free account, with no time or plan restrictions.
Ula Chwesiuk
Ula is a content creator at Elastic Email. She is passionate about marketing, creative writing and language learning. Outside of work, Ula likes to travel, try new recipes and go to concerts.
