Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Sparkpost VS Return Path

Compare Sparkpost VS Return Path and see what are their differences

Sparkpost logo Sparkpost

Deliver your app and website emails on time and to the inbox. Trusted to send 25% of the world's non-spam email. Email delivery for companies big and small.

Return Path logo Return Path

Inbox placement solutions from Return Path helps improve email deliverability and increases email marketing ROI.
  • Sparkpost Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-22
  • Return Path Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-22

Sparkpost

$ Details
Release Date
2008 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
Maryland
City
Columbia
Founder(s)
George Schlossnagle
Employees
250 - 499

Sparkpost features and specs

  • High Deliverability
    SparkPost is known for its high email deliverability rates, ensuring that your emails are less likely to end up in spam folders.
  • Comprehensive Analytics
    Provides detailed analytics and insights on email performance, including bounce rate, open rate, and click-through rates.
  • Scalability
    Capable of handling large volumes of emails, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.
  • Advanced API
    Offers a robust and easy-to-use API for effective email integration into various applications and platforms.
  • Template Management
    Supports advanced template management features, including dynamic content and personalization.
  • Deliverability Tools
    Provides tools and support for maintaining good sender reputation, such as list hygiene and feedback loops.
  • Security
    Strong security features including TLS encryption, compliance with GDPR, and authentication mechanisms like DKIM and SPF.

Possible disadvantages of Sparkpost

  • Pricing
    Can be more expensive than some of its competitors, particularly for users with very high email volumes.
  • Learning Curve
    The platform has a steep learning curve, especially for users who are not experienced with email marketing tools.
  • Support
    While support options are available, some users have reported slow response times when dealing with issues.
  • User Interface
    The user interface can be considered less intuitive and harder to navigate for beginners compared to other email platforms.
  • Integration
    Integrations with third-party services can sometimes be challenging and may require additional technical expertise.

Return Path features and specs

  • Comprehensive Email Analytics
    Return Path provides in-depth email analytics, allowing users to gain valuable insights into their email performance and deliverability. This helps in optimizing campaigns and improving engagement.
  • Deliverability Monitoring
    The platform offers tools for monitoring deliverability rates across different ISPs and domains, enabling users to identify and address issues affecting inbox placement.
  • Reputation Management
    Return Path helps manage your sender reputation by providing data on feedback loops, blacklist monitoring, and sender score, which are crucial for maintaining a positive email reputation.
  • Industry Benchmarking
    Users can compare their email performance against industry standards and competitors, helping to contextualize their performance and adjust strategies accordingly.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The platform features a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for users to navigate through various features and data points without a steep learning curve.

Possible disadvantages of Return Path

  • Cost Considerations
    Return Path, as part of the Validity Everest suite, can be expensive, which may be a concern for small businesses or companies with limited budgets.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    The depth of data and features available can be overwhelming for beginners or users who are not familiar with email deliverability concepts, requiring a learning period.
  • Integration Challenges
    Integrating Return Path with existing email systems or CRM platforms may pose challenges, necessitating technical support or additional resources for smooth implementation.
  • Dependency on Third-Party Data
    The platform relies on third-party data for some of its insights, which might lead to occasional discrepancies or delays in data updates.

Sparkpost videos

SparkPost Overview

Return Path videos

(US) Designing the Signal Return Path Through the PC Board - Susy Webb - Expert Live Training

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Sparkpost and Return Path)
Email Marketing
68 68%
32% 32
Email Marketing Platforms
Email Delivery
100 100%
0% 0
Newsletter Marketing
45 45%
55% 55

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Sparkpost and Return Path

Sparkpost Reviews

10 Top Mailgun Alternatives | Most Affordable Competitors 2019
SparkPost has got great uptime which is backed by SLAs. In fact, SparkPost’s burst SLAs assure sending of 10,000 emails per second.
Source: www.formget.com
8 Most Reliable Mandrill Alternative SMTP Relays
The first of the Mandrill Alternative SMTP Relays is the Sparkpost. Since 2001, Message Systems (SparkPost parent company) has built quite a reputation in email marketing platform. It is because Message Systems easily outperforms any other cloud or on-premises email marketing alternative, and provides the flexibility, deliverability, and control that is an absolute must in a...
Source: easysendy.com

Return Path Reviews

We have no reviews of Return Path yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Sparkpost seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Sparkpost mentions (3)

  • The 7 best transactional email services for developers in 2023
    Sparkpost. Good deliverability and a robust set of analytics tools make this a solid choice. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • What to do about outbound emails customers and vendors don't get?
    One of our staff was following up on orders to vendors via phone, and several said they didn't get our email with the PO. Someone said that sparkpost.com, Netsuite's email sender, was blacklisted. Blacklistings are hard (for me) to track down, especially since they clear up quickly. But blacklistings can trump most client's SPF/DKIM/whitelist guards. We are getting pushed by management to help ensure... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Post STMP Email Log Error
    Yes pretty much. In theory, you could use godaddy directly but sending emails through your web host is not something you want to do (They won't help much other than telling you to live with it). For better delivery of emails, you need transactional email providers. Not sure of your budget but my top choices are mandrillapp.com, sparkpost.com and sendgrid.com (in that order). Source: over 3 years ago

Return Path mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Return Path yet. Tracking of Return Path recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Sparkpost and Return Path, you can also consider the following products

Mailgun - A set of powerful APIs that enable you to send, receive and track email from your app effortlessly whether you use Python, Ruby, PHP, C#, Node.js or Java.

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

SendGrid - Learn why more developers choose SendGrid for their email deliverability service to send transactional emails triggered by web apps. Get started for free

Litmus - litmus tests and tracks your email campaigns, so you can always put your best design forward.

Brevo - Innovative online Email Marketing solution to manage your contacts, create & send your newsletters and track your results. More than 80 000 clients. Best prices and attractive features.

250ok - 250ok offers a SaaS-based platform to monitor and measure the deliverability of email networks.