MERU Inbound vs SendGrid: The Better Way to Handle Inbound Email

If you’ve been searching for inbound email parsing or email to webhook integration, chances are you’ve come across SendGrid. While SendGrid is best known for outbound email delivery, inbound email is a secondary product bolted on later.

At MERU (meruhook.com), inbound email is our entire focus. We built the first inbound-only, API-first platform designed for developers who need to turn emails into structured data in real time.

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Feature Comparison

Feature	MERU	SendGrid
Primary Focus	Inbound-first design	Outbound email + inbound addon
Data Format	Structured JSON payloads	Raw MIME messages
Address Provisioning	Instant API provisioning	Static domains + routing rules
Setup Complexity	Single API call	DNS config + S3 + routes
Content Storage	No long-term storage (SOC 2)	Logs and stores content
Spam Filtering	Built-in optional pipeline	Manual implementation required
Webhook Security	HMAC signatures + replay protection	Basic webhook support
Per-address Webhooks	✅ Native support	❌ Complex routing required

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Use Cases Developers Search For

”How can I get inbound emails as JSON into my app?”

SendGrid: You typically receive raw MIME messages, manage DNS routes, or write parsing logic.

MERU: Every email is delivered instantly to your webhook as structured JSON—attachments, headers, spam scores, and optional enrichment included. No extra parsing required.

{
  "event_id": "evt_01H...",
  "headers": {"subject": "Support request", "from": "user@example.com"},
  "text": "I need help with...",
  "attachments": [{"filename": "screenshot.png", "content": "base64..."}],
  "spam": {"score": 1.2, "verdict": "not_spam"}
}

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”Can I create unique inbound email addresses for each of my users?”

SendGrid: Requires static domains or complex routing rules that map back to your application logic.

MERU: You can provision unique inbound addresses on demand via API. Each address maps directly to its own webhook, so replies from your users flow into your app without extra code.

POST /inbound/addresses
{
  "webhook_url": "https://api.example.com/user/123/email",
  "ttl_hours": 720
}

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”Is inbound email secure and SOC 2 compliant?”

SendGrid: Most providers log or store message content, which can raise compliance concerns.

MERU: Designed for SOC 2 from the start:

• No long-term storage of message bodies or attachments
• Stream-and-purge processing with short retention windows
• Metadata only is kept for audit trails
• HMAC-signed webhooks with replay protection

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”Do you support spam filtering and data enrichment?”

SendGrid: Leaves spam detection and enrichment up to you.

MERU: Includes optional spam filtering and data enrichment pipelines that run automatically before delivering data to your webhook. You get clean, actionable data without building extra services.

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”How fast can I set up inbound email?”

SendGrid: Requires DNS configuration, S3 buckets, or route rules.

MERU: Developer-first approach:

POST /inbound/addresses

That’s it. You have a new inbound email address and webhook in seconds.

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Why Developers Choose MERU Over SendGrid

🎯 Inbound-first design

Built for receiving and parsing email, not bolted onto an outbound product

⚡ Instant provisioning

Create inbound addresses via API in real time

🔗 Unique per-address webhooks

Simplify mapping inbound mail to your app logic

🛡️ SOC 2 + compliance ready

Stream-and-purge, no long-term content storage

🧠 Spam filtering & enrichment

Optional add-ons baked into the pipeline

💰 Predictable pricing

$10 for 1,300 inbound emails/month, with simple scale-up tiers

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Pricing That Makes Sense

Unlike SendGrid, who bundles inbound with outbound sending and marketing features you may not need, we keep pricing simple and transparent:

MERU Pricing

• Starter: $10/month → 1,300 inbound messages
• Growth: Scalable tiers as your app grows
• Add-ons: Spam filtering and enrichment when needed

SendGrid Pricing

• Complex bundled pricing with outbound quotas
• Inbound parsing requires higher-tier plans
• Additional costs for storage and processing

No hidden fees. No outbound quotas. Just inbound email, done right.

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Code Examples

MERU Implementation

// Create unique address for user
const address = await meru.createAddress({
  userId: 'user_123',
  webhookUrl: 'https://api.example.com/inbound/user_123'
});

// Handle webhook
app.post('/inbound/:userId', (req, res) => {
  const event = meru.verifyWebhook(req.body, req.headers);
  console.log('Subject:', event.headers.subject);
  res.send('OK');
});

SendGrid Implementation

// Complex DNS setup required first
// Then parse raw MIME data
app.post('/inbound', (req, res) => {
  const data = req.body;
  // Manual parsing of MIME data
  const subject = data.subject;
  const text = data.text;
  // Handle attachments manually
  // Implement spam filtering
  res.send('OK');
});

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Migration from SendGrid

Switching from SendGrid to MERU is straightforward:

1. Replace webhook endpoint with MERU’s structured JSON format
2. Remove MIME parsing code - we handle it for you
3. Simplify address management with our provisioning API
4. Add security with built-in HMAC verification
5. Enable compliance with stream-and-purge processing

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Customer Success Stories

“We migrated from SendGrid’s inbound parsing to MERU and eliminated 200+ lines of MIME parsing code. Setup time went from days to minutes.”
— Engineering Team, SaaS Startup

“SendGrid’s inbound was an afterthought. MERU made reply-by-email our core feature.”
— Product Manager, Support Platform

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Final Verdict: MERU vs SendGrid

If your use case involves inbound email parsing, reply-by-email features, ticketing systems, or real-time workflows, MERU is the faster, safer, and more developer-friendly choice.

When to Choose MERU:

• ✅ You need inbound email as a core feature
• ✅ You want structured data without parsing
• ✅ You require SOC 2 compliance
• ✅ You need unique addresses per user/tenant
• ✅ You want simple, predictable pricing

When to Consider SendGrid:

• You primarily need outbound email sending
• You already have complex SendGrid integration
• You have dedicated DevOps for DNS management

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Ready to Switch?

👉 Stop forcing inbound into an outbound tool. Choose the only inbound-first email platform.

Start your free trial and see why developers are switching to MERU for inbound email processing.

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