Free plan: Yes. Up to 2,500 subscribers / 15,000 emails per month
Best for: Small lists, simple email campaigns, early-stage creators
Not ideal for: Scaling teams, behavior-based marketing, advanced automation
I used Sender.net for a full 12 months — not just for testing, but to actually run campaigns for real projects.
At first, it felt so nice! The pricing looked fair, the UI was simple, and I just wanted something simple to send automated emails and broadcasts.
But over time, a few cracks started to show.
Support was solid, I’ll give them that. But we ran into limits that slowed us down: missing features, subscriber caps, some annoying email quirks, and a few things that made us rethink if this tool could really scale with us.
That’s when we started looking at other options. Eventually, we built Encharge — because we needed something smarter and smoother for our own workflows.
In this review, I’ll break down what Sender.net is good at, where it falls short, and why we ultimately moved on. If you’re trying to figure out if it’s worth using, or if there’s a better way to grow and automate your emails — this will help.
No fluff. Just honest insight from someone who actually used the tool.
The team and I are not partnered with Sender, and we don’t get paid to praise or bash anyone. This review is based on our own experience using Sender for 12 months — plus real user feedback. We built Encharge because we’ve been in your shoes, and we care about what actually works.
Read our full review methodology →Contents
My Team’s Experience with Sender.net
When we started with Sender in March 2024, we weren’t looking for anything fancy — just a tool to send emails, set up a few automations, and not overpay while building our list.
And to be fair, Sender delivers on that promise… at the beginning.
You get a clean UI, decent templates, and good support — even on the free plan. We were able to launch newsletters and basic flows fast, without digging through documentation.
But once we got past the basics, things started to drag.
- Managing active subscribers became stressful → you’re hard capped by your plan, and going over means jumping to a new tier (sometimes just for a few extra subs).
- Email delivery felt shaky at times → open rates dropped with no clear reason.
- Automation is there, but shallow → you’ll outgrow it if you need anything more than time delays and link clicks.
It felt like we were patching together workarounds instead of building something scalable.
That’s when we realized: we needed more than “good enough.”
And that’s how we built Encharge, something we could trust long-term.
If you’re at that same turning point, I’ll break down the key features next — and where Sender holds up (or doesn’t).
Sender Screenshots
Sender.net Pricing
Sender branding • Email automation • Signup forms
Multi-user access • All email/popup templates
Countdown timers • Priority support
Good value for growing teams
Encharge alternative for medium lists
Premium features included
Enterprise readiness without custom pricing
SSO, SLA, advanced permissions
The most important thing to know about Sender’s pricing is that it’s based on email volume, not contact count — but you’re still capped by how many active subscribers
your plan allows. So even if you’re not sending often, hitting your subscriber limit means upgrading.
There’s no true “pay-as-you-go” option like you’ll find with some competitors. Plans scale in fixed jumps, and once you pass 60k emails/month or ~20k subscribers, costs rise quickly.
If you’re sending consistently and have a clean list, it can be cost-effective. But for anyone managing a larger or more active audience, Sender’s pricing structure can get tight fast.
Pros & Cons of Using Sender.net
Those are the main pros and cons I ran into at Sender. Even though it was a decent starting point, it became clear pretty fast that we’d outgrow it.
The boiling point?
We needed more control, better automation, and fewer limitations…
and Sender just wasn’t built for that.
That’s why we moved everything to Encharge. It’s what we wish we had from the start — and we’re improving it every week with the things we know real teams need.
Still trying to decide if Sender is right for you? Keep reading — I’ll break down its core features, pricing, and how it stacks up once you’re past the basics.
Is Sender.net the Right Email Marketing Software for You?
When to use Sender
Sender is a solid pick if you’re early in your email journey.
It’s great for small lists, lean budgets, and simple use cases — like sending newsletters or basic drip campaigns. The interface is beginner-friendly, and even the free plan includes automation and live chat support.
If you just need to get emails out the door and don’t need anything advanced, it’ll work fine.
When not
to use Sender
Sender starts to feel limiting once your email strategy grows.
You’ll run into strict subscriber caps, shallow automation, and missing tools like A/B testing, tagging, or proper integrations.
If that’s already happening to you — or you know it will — Encharge is built to handle the next level: advanced flows, real-time data, and flexible pricing that won’t punish you for growing.
Sender Review: My Rating Breakdown
1. Ease of Use
Sender is genuinely easy to get started with. You don’t need a manual, and the dashboard feels light and responsive. But once you move into managing larger lists or more complex campaigns, it becomes less intuitive. Some things take more steps than they should (like managing segments or lists).
2. Email Editor
Good enough for basic newsletters. You get standard content blocks and responsive layouts. But if you’re aiming for polished, branded campaigns — design flexibility is limited. No real styling depth or advanced layout tools. It does the job, but won’t wow you.
3. Automation & Flows
You can build simple workflows (welcome emails, time delays, etc.), but there’s not much logic beyond that. No branching, conditions are limited, and you’ll quickly run into friction if you want to build behavior-based journeys. It’s automation-lite.
4. Deliverability
No major issues from our campaigns. Emails landed well, and the platform seems stable. However, there’s no real-time visibility into sender reputation or inbox placement. You’re kind of in the dark unless something breaks — and that makes it hard to optimize.
5. Reporting & Analytics
You’ll get the basics: open and click rates, unsubscribes, bounces. But not much else. No click heatmaps, no breakdowns by segment, no journey-level data. If you care about deeper insight, it’s underwhelming. You’ll need external tools to go further.
6. Pricing & Value
Sender’s value is where it shines, especially on smaller lists. You get automation and nice features even on the free plan. As your list grows, pricing gets steeper — but compared to many tools, it’s still competitive. Ideal for startups and lean teams.
7. Support
One of the most praised aspects by real users — and we agree. Live chat is fast, even for free users. You’re not stuck waiting days for help, and the support team is actually helpful. For budget-conscious users, this is a major win.
8. Integrations & Ecosystem
Sender works fine as a standalone tool, but its ecosystem is limited. Integrations are few and sometimes clunky. You’ll need Zapier for most connections. It’s not built to be the center of a tech stack — more of a plug-and-play solution.
If you need deep automations, advanced segmentation, or tight integration with other tools, Sender will feel too light.
Sender.net Email Marketing Features: An In-Depth Look
1. Email Campaign Builder
Sender’s drag-and-drop builder is clean and easy to use.
You can launch a newsletter in minutes without fighting the interface. Templates are simple but decent; enough to get started, but not made for polished brand designs.
You won’t find advanced layout controls or smart content blocks. If you’re aiming for design-heavy emails, you’ll feel boxed in fast.
But for plain-text or simple marketing emails, it works.
Want more flexibility without touching code? Encharge’s visual editor gives you full design control — with smart blocks, branded sections, and reusable components.
2. Segmentation & Tagging
Segmenting contacts in Sender is possible… but limited.
You can build basic filters like opened last email
or clicked link
, but don’t expect advanced logic or real-time behavior triggers.
Here’s what you get:
- Manual list filters
- Basic conditions (opens, clicks, unsubscribes)
- No tagging or dynamic updates
There’s no tagging system to layer extra info on contacts — and no dynamic segments that update automatically.
For small lists, it’s manageable.
For scaling teams, it’ll get messy fast.
3. Signup Forms & Popups
Sender includes built-in popups and forms, which is rare for a free plan.
You can create embedded forms or lightbox-style popups with a few clicks.
Styling is basic but passable.
You don’t get deep customization or behavior-based triggers like exit intent or scroll depth.
And analytics are minimal.
No insights into which form converts better.
If your forms are a key part of your growth loop, you’ll feel the limits.
With Encharge, you can connect high-converting forms to automations instantly — and track performance down to the source.
4. SMS Campaigns
Sender supports SMS — but only on paid plans.
You can send one-off SMS blasts or add them into automations. Setup is straightforward, but don’t expect personalization depth or delivery insights.
It feels more like a bonus add-on than a fully integrated channel.
If SMS is a core part of your strategy, you’ll probably want a tool with deeper controls.
5. Integrations & API Access
Sender has a few native integrations (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.), but most users will need Zapier to connect it with their stack.
Here’s what that means:
- Most integrations aren’t native
- Zapier = extra cost and setup time
- API is available, but not beginner-friendly
If you want to trigger emails based on in-app activity, sync CRM stages, or automate behavior-based flows — it’s going to feel like a patchwork.
Encharge, on the other hand, was built with native integrations and real-time triggers in mind.
Conclusion: Is Sender Really Worth It?
After using Sender for over a year and testing it across real campaigns, here’s the bottom line:
Sender is a great entry point for small teams that want to send newsletters, set up basic automations, and keep costs low. The free plan is generous, support is responsive, and setup is fast — which makes it ideal if you’re just starting out.
But once your list grows or your strategy demands more, you’ll start to feel the limits.
The automation is shallow, segmentation is basic, and scaling feels clunky.
It’s not a bad tool, it’s just not built for full growth.
If you’re reading this and you’re still early in your email journey, Sender could be a good first step.
But if you’re already running campaigns, want better control over flows, or hate hitting paywalls every time you try to level up — you’ll outgrow it fast.
That’s exactly where Encharge comes in. Try it for free and see how much smoother email marketing feels when the limitations are gone.
FAQ: Sender Review
1. Is Sender.net GDPR-compliant?
Yes — Sender.net states that they are fully GDPR-compliant.
They offer features like double opt-in forms, unsubscribe links, and user data controls that align with GDPR requirements. Users can access, edit, or delete their data, and Sender enforces rules against unsolicited emails.
They also highlight support for dedicated IPs, spam checks, and permission-based messaging, which are important for maintaining compliance and good deliverability in the EU.
Just make sure your own practices (like how you collect and store contacts) are compliant too — the tool helps, but you’re still responsible for how you use it.
2. Is Sender.net free?
Yes — Sender.net offers a Free Forever plan.
You can send up to 15,000 emails per month to a list of up to 2,500 subscribers, with no time limit on the plan. It includes access to core features like email automation, popups, basic segmentation, and analytics — but your emails will have Sender branding.
If you’re just starting out and want to test email marketing without spending money, it’s a solid deal.
Just know: once you hit the subscriber or volume limits, you’ll need to upgrade — and that’s where the pricing curve starts to rise quickly.
3. Sender.net deliverability – is it good?
Generally, yes, Sender.net has solid deliverability for most small business use cases.
Emails land in inboxes reliably, and most users report good performance out of the box. Sender also supports deliverability best practices like domain authentication (SPF/DKIM), double opt-in, and spam testing.
But here’s the catch: There’s no built-in deliverability dashboard or advanced visibility into inbox placement, bounce breakdowns, or sender reputation.
So if something does go wrong, you’re left guessing.
Good enough for basic campaigns. But if you’re managing high-volume sends or want tighter control over deliverability metrics — you’ll likely want more transparency (which tools like Encharge offer).
Thank you so much for reading this,
David Ch
Head of Marketing at Encharge