Bird Email (ex-SparkPost) vs Mailtrap Email API/SMTP: which is better? Comparison 2026
By our public methodology Bird Email (ex-SparkPost) scores 79 out of 100 and Mailtrap Email API/SMTP scores 74. Below: the factors and facts where they differ, each fact with its source.
Score breakdown
| Bird Email (ex-SparkPost) | Mailtrap Email API/SMTP | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 79 | 72 |
| Sending features | 100 | 92 |
| Data protection and reliability | 50 | 50 |
| Track record | 83 | 83 |
Pros and cons
Bird Email (ex-SparkPost)
- Low price per 1,000 emails
- Permanent free plan
- SMTP relay
- Documented sending API
Mailtrap Email API/SMTP
- Permanent free plan
- Generous free allowance
- SMTP relay
- Documented sending API
- No EU data storage found
Facts side by side
| Fact | Bird Email (ex-SparkPost) | Mailtrap Email API/SMTP |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1,000 extra emails | $0.40 bird.com | $1.00 mailtrap.io |
| Cheapest paid plan, per month | $15.00 bird.com | $15.00 mailtrap.io |
| Emails included in the cheapest paid plan | Not verified | 10,000 mailtrap.io |
| Permanent free plan | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| Free emails per month | 1,000 bird.com | 4,000 mailtrap.io |
| SMTP relay | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| Sending API | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| Event webhooks | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| Dedicated IP | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| Inbound email | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| Log retention on the cheapest paid plan | 30 days bird.com | 5 days mailtrap.io |
| Data kept in the EU | Not verified | No mailtrap.io |
| GDPR data processing agreement | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| SOC 2 report | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| ISO/IEC 27001 | Yes bird.com | Yes mailtrap.io |
| Founded | 2011 bird.com | 2011 mailtrap.io |
| Public status page | Yes status.bird.com | Yes status.mailtrap.info |
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