nodemailer vs sendgrid vs sparkpost
Email Sending Libraries for Node.js Comparison
1 Year
nodemailersendgridsparkpostSimilar Packages:
What's Email Sending Libraries for Node.js?

Email sending libraries in Node.js provide developers with the tools to send emails programmatically from their applications. These libraries simplify the process of composing, sending, and managing emails, allowing for features like templating, attachments, and integration with email services. They are essential for applications that require user notifications, password resets, and other email communications. Each library has its own strengths, catering to different use cases and preferences, from local SMTP servers to cloud-based email delivery services.

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nodemailer4,557,76216,931508 kB17a month agoMIT-0
sendgrid51,0233,015-737 years agoMIT
sparkpost14,804179-295 years agoApache-2.0
Feature Comparison: nodemailer vs sendgrid vs sparkpost

Ease of Use

  • nodemailer:

    Nodemailer is known for its simplicity and ease of integration. It allows developers to send emails with minimal setup, using just a few lines of code. The API is intuitive, making it accessible for beginners and quick to implement for experienced developers.

  • sendgrid:

    SendGrid provides a user-friendly API and a comprehensive dashboard for managing email campaigns, templates, and analytics. Its extensive documentation and libraries for various programming languages make it easy to integrate into applications.

  • sparkpost:

    SparkPost also offers a straightforward API for sending emails, with additional features for tracking and analytics. Its integration process is designed to be user-friendly, although it may require more initial setup compared to Nodemailer.

Delivery and Reliability

  • nodemailer:

    Nodemailer relies on your SMTP server for email delivery, which means the reliability depends on your server's configuration and performance. It is suitable for low-volume email sending but may not be ideal for high-volume or mission-critical applications.

  • sendgrid:

    SendGrid is a cloud-based email delivery service that specializes in high deliverability rates. It handles the complexities of email delivery, including reputation management and bounce handling, ensuring that emails reach their intended recipients reliably.

  • sparkpost:

    SparkPost is also a cloud-based service known for its high deliverability and advanced analytics. It provides features like predictive analytics to optimize email delivery and engagement, making it a strong choice for businesses focused on email marketing.

Features and Functionality

  • nodemailer:

    Nodemailer supports rich features such as HTML content, attachments, and templating. However, it does not provide built-in analytics or tracking capabilities, which means developers need to implement these features themselves if needed.

  • sendgrid:

    SendGrid offers a wide range of features, including email templates, A/B testing, and detailed analytics on email performance. It also supports dynamic templates that allow for personalized content, making it suitable for marketing campaigns.

  • sparkpost:

    SparkPost provides advanced features like real-time analytics, recipient validation, and template management. It excels in providing insights into email performance and engagement, making it a great choice for data-driven email strategies.

Cost and Pricing

  • nodemailer:

    Nodemailer is free to use, but you will incur costs associated with your SMTP server, especially if you are using a third-party service. This makes it a cost-effective solution for small-scale projects or personal use.

  • sendgrid:

    SendGrid offers a free tier with limited email sends per month, making it accessible for startups and small applications. However, pricing can scale up significantly based on usage, especially for high-volume sending.

  • sparkpost:

    SparkPost also provides a free tier with a limited number of emails per month. Its pricing model is competitive, but costs can increase with higher volumes and additional features, so it's important to evaluate your needs.

Support and Community

  • nodemailer:

    Nodemailer has a strong community and extensive documentation, making it easy to find help and resources. However, support is primarily community-driven, with no official support channels.

  • sendgrid:

    SendGrid offers professional support options, including dedicated account managers for higher-tier plans. Its extensive documentation and community forums provide additional resources for troubleshooting and learning.

  • sparkpost:

    SparkPost provides customer support options based on the pricing plan, along with a wealth of documentation and community resources. Their support is generally well-regarded, especially for enterprise users.

How to Choose: nodemailer vs sendgrid vs sparkpost
  • nodemailer:

    Choose Nodemailer if you need a simple, straightforward solution for sending emails directly from your Node.js application. It is ideal for small projects or when you want to send emails using your own SMTP server without additional costs.

README for nodemailer

Nodemailer

Nodemailer

Send emails from Node.js – easy as cake! 🍰✉️

NPM

See nodemailer.com for documentation and terms.

[!TIP] Check out EmailEngine – a self-hosted email gateway that allows making REST requests against IMAP and SMTP servers. EmailEngine also sends webhooks whenever something changes on the registered accounts.

Using the email accounts registered with EmailEngine, you can receive and send emails. EmailEngine supports OAuth2, delayed sends, opens and clicks tracking, bounce detection, etc. All on top of regular email accounts without an external MTA service.

Having an issue?

First review the docs

Documentation for Nodemailer can be found at nodemailer.com.

Nodemailer throws a SyntaxError for "..."

You are using an older Node.js version than v6.0. Upgrade Node.js to get support for the spread operator. Nodemailer supports all Node.js versions starting from Node.js@v6.0.0.

I'm having issues with Gmail

Gmail either works well, or it does not work at all. It is probably easier to switch to an alternative service instead of fixing issues with Gmail. If Gmail does not work for you, then don't use it. Read more about it here.

I get ETIMEDOUT errors

Check your firewall settings. Timeout usually occurs when you try to open a connection to a firewalled port either on the server or on your machine. Some ISPs also block email ports to prevent spamming.

Nodemailer works on one machine but not in another

It's either a firewall issue, or your SMTP server blocks authentication attempts from some servers.

I get TLS errors

  • If you are running the code on your machine, check your antivirus settings. Antiviruses often mess around with email ports usage. Node.js might not recognize the MITM cert your antivirus is using.
  • Latest Node versions allow only TLS versions 1.2 and higher. Some servers might still use TLS 1.1 or lower. Check Node.js docs on how to get correct TLS support for your app. You can change this with tls.minVersion option
  • You might have the wrong value for the secure option. This should be set to true only for port 465. For every other port, it should be false. Setting it to false does not mean that Nodemailer would not use TLS. Nodemailer would still try to upgrade the connection to use TLS if the server supports it.
  • Older Node versions do not fully support the certificate chain of the newest Let's Encrypt certificates. Either set tls.rejectUnauthorized to false to skip chain verification or upgrade your Node version
let configOptions = {
    host: "smtp.example.com",
    port: 587,
    tls: {
        rejectUnauthorized: true,
        minVersion: "TLSv1.2"
    }
}

I have issues with DNS / hosts file

Node.js uses c-ares to resolve domain names, not the DNS library provided by the system, so if you have some custom DNS routing set up, it might be ignored. Nodemailer runs dns.resolve4() and dns.resolve6() to resolve hostname into an IP address. If both calls fail, then Nodemailer will fall back to dns.lookup(). If this does not work for you, you can hard code the IP address into the configuration like shown below. In that case, Nodemailer would not perform any DNS lookups.

let configOptions = {
    host: "1.2.3.4",
    port: 465,
    secure: true,
    tls: {
        // must provide server name, otherwise TLS certificate check will fail
        servername: "example.com"
    }
}

I have an issue with TypeScript types

Nodemailer has official support for Node.js only. For anything related to TypeScript, you need to directly contact the authors of the type definitions.

I have a different problem

If you are having issues with Nodemailer, then the best way to find help would be Stack Overflow or revisit the docs.

License

Nodemailer is licensed under the MIT No Attribution license


The Nodemailer logo was designed by Sven Kristjansen.