Migration
SendByte vs MailChannels
MailChannels was the default transactional sender for Cloudflare Workers, mostly because it was free from the edge. That free Workers tier has been retired, which means most teams sending through MailChannels now need a new home anyway. SendByte is a drop-in REST API and SMTP relay, priced in Naira and hosted in Africa.
The bottom line
If you were sending through MailChannels from a Cloudflare Worker and got cut off, you already need a new transactional sender. SendByte is a clean replacement: a simple API and SMTP relay, deliverability tuned for African inboxes, and a price fixed in Naira. The only reason to stay is a specific legacy Workers dependency, and for most senders that is exactly what changed.
At a glance
| SendByte | MailChannels | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing currency | Naira, fixed | US dollars |
| Payment methods | Paystack, Flutterwave, card | Dollar or international card |
| FX exposure | None, we absorb it | Yes, the price moves with the rate |
| Hosting and routing | Africa (Cape Town) | United States and global |
| Data residency in Africa | Yes | No |
| Free tier | 3,000 emails per month | Free Cloudflare Workers tier discontinued |
Pricing at a glance
SendByte
Free up to 3,000 emails a month, paid plans from ₦2,000, and pay-as-you-go at ₦300 per 1,000 emails. Fixed in Naira, billed via Paystack or Flutterwave.
MailChannels
Paid plans billed in US dollars since the free Cloudflare Workers tier was retired.
Want the real number for your volume? Run it through the cost calculator to see the all-in Naira cost side by side, including the dollar card funding fee.
The honest comparison
Where SendByte fits African senders
- A drop-in REST API and SMTP relay you can call from a Worker, a server, or any stack.
- Naira pricing billed via Paystack or Flutterwave, with a real free tier of 3,000 emails a month.
- African hosting for African latency and local data residency.
- Deliverability tooling, a domain audit, and a real dashboard out of the box.
Where MailChannels is the stronger choice
- Was deeply integrated with Cloudflare Workers.
- Simple to send from edge functions when the free tier existed.
- Established sending infrastructure.
Pick MailChannels when: Teams with a specific legacy Cloudflare Workers integration that still depends on MailChannels. For most senders that integration is what went away, which is why they are migrating.
Moving off MailChannels?
SendByte merges your SPF safely so you can dual-send during the cutover, then move traffic across once delivery looks healthy. The migration tool builds the exact records for your domain.
Common questions
What is the best MailChannels alternative now that the free tier is gone?
For transactional email, SendByte is a direct replacement. It exposes a REST API and an SMTP relay you can call from a Cloudflare Worker or any backend, includes a free tier of 3,000 emails a month, and is priced in Naira for African senders.
How do I send email from a Cloudflare Worker after MailChannels?
Call the SendByte REST API over fetch from your Worker, or use the SMTP relay from a backend. The docs include a Workers example. You keep your edge logic and only change where the send request goes.
How do I migrate off MailChannels without breaking delivery?
You add SendByte to your sending domain records, and SendByte merges your SPF so you can dual-send during the cutover, then move traffic over once delivery looks healthy. The migration tool generates the exact records for your domain.
Transactional email, priced in Naira and hosted in Africa.
The same REST API and SMTP relay, deliverability tuned for African inboxes, on a price that does not move when the Naira does.
MailChannels details are representative published information as of June 2026 and may change. Verify current pricing and features with each provider. This page is a comparison, not a quote.