A Canadian alternative to SendGrid
Zedmail is a Canadian alternative to SendGrid that keeps your email data out of US jurisdiction entirely. It's a transactional email API operated by a Canadian company on Canadian servers — so your recipients' data is never reachable under the US CLOUD Act, whether you send from Canada, the UK, or the EU. The same REST API and SMTP relay you expect from SendGrid, billed in CAD at $0.15 per 1,000.
Short answer
If you want a SendGrid replacement that keeps email data out of the US — for Canadian data residency, or to avoid the GDPR US-transfer problem — Zedmail is the closest like-for-like: REST API + SMTP, webhooks, DKIM/SPF/DMARC done for you, 200 free emails a day, then $0.15 CAD per 1,000.
Zedmail vs SendGrid at a glance
| Feature | Zedmail | SendGrid |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1,000 emails | \$0.15 CAD | ≈ US$0.89 / 1,000 (lower tiers) |
| Free tier | 200 emails/day, forever | 100 emails/day |
| Operated from | Canada 🇨🇦 | United States 🇺🇸 (Twilio) |
| Reachable under US CLOUD Act | No | Yes (Twilio, US) |
| EU → provider transfer under GDPR | Canada has EU adequacy | US transfer (SCCs, Schrems II risk) |
| CASL compliance (Canada) | Built in | Self-managed |
| Billing currency | CAD | USD |
| REST API | Yes | Yes |
| SMTP relay | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks (delivered / bounce / complaint) | Yes | Yes |
| DKIM / SPF / DMARC | Configured for you | Self-serve |
*The US CLOUD Act applies to US companies regardless of where data is stored — including their EU regions. Pricing is approximate and current as of June 2026; check each provider for current rates.
Why choose an alternative hosted outside the US?
Your email never falls under US jurisdiction
Zedmail is a Canadian company on Canadian servers, so your recipients' data is never reachable under the US CLOUD Act — the law that lets US authorities compel American providers to hand over data wherever it is stored, including their EU regions. SendGrid is operated from the US.
Built for Canadian AND European senders
Canada holds an EU adequacy decision, so moving personal data from the EU to Canada is permitted under the GDPR without extra safeguards. Sending through a US provider is a transfer to the US, which since the Schrems II ruling requires Standard Contractual Clauses and remains legally contested. Zedmail sidesteps that.
CASL compliance, handled
Every message includes a CASL-compliant unsubscribe, one-click (RFC 8058) unsubscribe is supported, and hard bounces and spam complaints are automatically suppressed.
Billed in Canadian dollars
No USD conversion fees. $0.15 CAD per 1,000 emails, with 200 free every day.
When SendGrid still makes sense
SendGrid is a mature platform with a large ecosystem and global scale. If you have no requirement about where your data falls under jurisdiction, no CASL obligation, and you rely on SendGrid-specific features, it remains a solid choice. Zedmail focuses on one thing: keeping transactional email outside US jurisdiction.
The API, in one call
curl -X POST https://zedmail.io/v1/email/send \ -H "Authorization: Bearer ses_your_api_key" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "from": "Your App <noreply@yourdomain.ca>", "to": "customer@example.com", "subject": "Welcome!", "html": "<p>Thanks for signing up.</p>" }' → 202 { "message_id": "msg_3a7f9c...", "status": "queued" }
How to switch from SendGrid to Zedmail
- Create a free Zedmail account and verify your sending domain (publish two CNAME records — we handle DKIM/SPF/DMARC from there).
- Generate an API key in the dashboard.
- Swap your SendGrid API call for Zedmail's — same idea, one endpoint and a JSON body. Or point your existing SMTP integration at our relay on port 587.
- Send a test email, confirm delivery in the dashboard, and switch your traffic over.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Canadian alternative to SendGrid?
Zedmail is a Canadian alternative to SendGrid: a transactional email API operated by a Canadian company on Canadian servers, outside US CLOUD Act jurisdiction, CASL-compliant, and billed in Canadian dollars at $0.15 CAD per 1,000 emails. It provides a REST API and an SMTP relay, the same way SendGrid does.
Where is my email data stored with Zedmail?
In Canada, by a Canadian company. It is never processed on US infrastructure and is not reachable under the US CLOUD Act.
Can European senders use Zedmail — is it GDPR-friendly?
Yes. Canada holds an EU adequacy decision, so EU → Canada transfers are permitted under the GDPR without Standard Contractual Clauses — unlike US providers since the Schrems II ruling.
Does Zedmail handle CASL compliance?
Yes. Every message includes a CASL-compliant unsubscribe, one-click (RFC 8058) unsubscribe is supported, and bounces and complaints are auto-suppressed.
How much does Zedmail cost compared to SendGrid?
Zedmail is $0.15 CAD per 1,000 emails with 200 free per day. SendGrid: ≈ US$0.89 / 1,000 (lower tiers). Zedmail bills in Canadian dollars, so there are no currency-conversion fees.
How hard is it to migrate from SendGrid?
For most senders it takes minutes: verify your domain with two CNAME records, generate an API key, and swap your send call (or repoint SMTP). DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are configured for you.
Keep your email out of the US
Start sending in minutes — 200 free emails a day, then \$0.15 CAD per 1,000.
Last updated: 2026-06-04