Move off SendGrid SMTP after the free plan ended

SendGrid's free plan is gone (60-day trial at 100/day, then paid). If you were sending over SMTP, you do not need a new library. Change host to smtp.unitpost.com, username to unitpost, password to a Unitpost API key with emails:send, and send from a domain you verify. Nodemailer, PHPMailer, Django, and Laravel keep working. Cut over after DKIM/SPF on the new side pass.

Unitpost · August 27, 2026

SendGrid retired the free plan in 2025. If SMTP was how you sent, the app does not have to change — the relay does.

Swap the connection

Same values as every Unitpost SMTP guide:

Host `smtp.unitpost.com`
Port 587 STARTTLS (not 25)
Username `unitpost`
Password = API key with `emails:send`
From = an address on a domain you verify in Unitpost

Walkthroughs: Nodemailer, PHPMailer, Django, Laravel, hub at /docs/smtp.

Verify before you cut DNS traffic

Add the domain in Unitpost, wait until DKIM/SPF checks pass (SPF for us is on `unitpost.yourdomain.com`, not an apex `include:spf.unitpost.com`), send one test, then change production SMTP settings. Comparison and “choose them if” live on /alternatives/sendgrid.

HTTP API users

If you called SendGrid's REST API rather than SMTP, keep SMTP as the fast path for many apps, or use Migration Assistant with a read-only SendGrid key to preview contacts, templates, and suppressions. Domain DKIM keys will be new. Webhook signing secrets will be new.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to rewrite my SendGrid SDK code?

Not if you were on SMTP. Keep Nodemailer / PHPMailer / your mailer. Only the connection settings change. If you used SendGrid's HTTP API, the Migration Assistant imports contacts, templates, and suppressions; sending code still needs an API swap.

Will SendGrid keep sending while I set up Unitpost?

Yes. Verify the domain on Unitpost first, send a test, then switch the SMTP host. Nothing in Migration Assistant turns SendGrid off.

Is Unitpost cheaper at every volume?

No. At high volume SendGrid's discounts can win, and we don't pretend otherwise. The reason to move is the rest of the bill: transactional and marketing in one product, unlimited contacts (not priced per contact), a permanent 5,000/month free tier, and SMTP plus the REST API and MCP on the same send gate — without rewriting Nodemailer/PHPMailer.