Elastic Email features: what you get on each plan
Elastic Email publishes two ladders, Email Marketing and Email API, and a feature can sit on different rungs depending on which one you buy. Sending is not the gate: SMTP and the HTTP API are on the free tier of both. The developer features are, and they cluster on Pro, where webhooks, sub-accounts and custom rDNS unlock together. Sources checked 27 August 2026, the Elastic Email pricing pages and the Elastic Email Help Center.
Feature matrix
| Feature | Included | From plan | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMTP relay and HTTP API | Yes | Free | Both ladders, no send gate |
| Monthly email allowance | Partial | Free | 3,000 a month, 100 a day cap |
| Contacts stored | Partial | Free | 1,000 free, 2,500 from Starter |
| Contact and list management | Yes | Free | On the free tier already |
| Drag and drop designer | Yes | Free | Template gallery included free |
| Campaign scheduling | Yes | Free | No scheduling upsell |
| Open and click tracking | Yes | Free | Basic analytics from the start |
| Email verification | Partial | Free | Single checks free, 5x limit on Pro |
| AI template prompts | Partial | Free | 10 a month, 100 on Pro |
| Email log storage | Partial | Free | 3 days, 7 days on Pro |
| Landing pages | Yes | Starter | Marketing ladder only |
| A/B split campaigns | Yes | Starter | First paid marketing unlock |
| Webhooks | Yes | Pro | Top tier on both ladders |
| Sub-account management | Yes | Pro | Agencies and resellers pay for it |
| Custom rDNS (PTR) | Partial | Pro | Needs a private IP as well |
| Unlimited users and permissions | Yes | Pro | Seat limits lift only at the top |
| Unlimited custom fields | Yes | Pro | Marketing ladder, top tier |
| Private IP address | Partial | Paid add-on | Never in a plan, any tier |
| Priority and premium support | Partial | Paid add-on | Email and in-app on every plan |
| Automations | Partial | — | Named on one surface only |
| Segmentation | Yes | — | Named on one surface only |
| Send-time optimization | Yes | — | Named on one surface only |
| Signup forms | Yes | — | Editor surfaces disagree on tier |
| Paid newsletters | Yes | — | Editor surfaces disagree on tier |
What the matrix does not show
The two ladders are the thing to hold on to. An Email API plan and an Email Marketing plan can share a name and a price band while carrying different capabilities, so a plan name alone does not answer the question. Webhooks, sub-accounts and custom rDNS behave the same way on both, all three arriving on Pro. Landing pages, split campaigns and custom fields exist only on the marketing side.
Five rows carry a dash. Signup forms and paid newsletters are dashed because the surfaces contradict each other on where they unlock, the free tier on one and Starter on the other. Automations, segmentation and send-time optimization are dashed because only the pricing page names their tier, and one editor surface is not enough to state where a feature begins.
Continue reading
Plan costs across both ladders are on the Elastic Email pricing page. The overall assessment is in the Elastic Email review, endpoints and limits are under Elastic Email API, hostnames and ports under Elastic Email SMTP settings, and comparable platforms under Elastic Email alternatives.
This review follows our email infrastructure testing methodology. We disclose affiliate relationships in our editorial independence policy.
