Most B2B email infrastructure vendors hide list prices behind "contact sales." Six discovery calls later the procurement team still does not have apples-to-apples numbers across HubSpot, Mailchimp, SendGrid, Klaviyo, and Postmark. EMP publishes the actual invoice prices for all 16 services. Four pricing models are documented openly: per-tier subscription, per-volume usage, per-event procurement, per-project fixed fee. SLA tiers, contract terms, audit rights, payment cycles, withholding tax handling, and cancellation rules are all in the catalog rather than in a custom proposal you cannot evaluate next to a competitor quote.
A monthly platform subscription has fixed infrastructure costs whose marginal cost per send is near zero, so subscription tier billing makes sense. A deliverability audit has a fixed scope with a fixed analyst time budget, so per-event billing makes sense. A dedicated SMTP server has both fixed costs (the box) and variable costs (bandwidth + IP reputation management), so a hybrid base+usage model makes sense. Lumping everything into "per contact monthly" the way Mailchimp does forces customers to subsidize one service with another and breaks the unit economics on both ends.
Fixed monthly fee tied to a feature tier ladder. Marginal cost per send near zero up to a documented soft ceiling. Predictable invoicing for finance, predictable resource allocation for ops. Standard for the marketing platform tiers and managed services.
Per-thousand-sends or per-thousand-events billing on top of a small base subscription. Used when the cost driver is the message volume and the customer wants to scale up or down without a tier change. Standard for transactional API, SMTP relay, omnichannel WhatsApp.
One-time fixed fee for a defined deliverable. Used for audits, assessments, IP warmup runs, forensic investigations. The customer pays once, gets a written deliverable in days or weeks, decides separately whether to engage ongoing services after.
One-time setup fee plus monthly retainer for ongoing operation. Used for PowerMTA and KumoMTA installation projects, white-label agency deployment, custom multi-tenant configurations. Setup is deliverable-based, retainer covers ongoing operational support.
No "request a custom quote" buttons. No marketing-contact tier creep. No mandatory non-refundable onboarding fees. The list below is the catalog finance and procurement teams can drop into a TCO spreadsheet next to HubSpot, Mailchimp, SendGrid, Klaviyo, and Postmark quotes. Pricing in USD monthly unless flagged otherwise. Annual prepay discount 8 percent applies across the catalog.
Up to 25K B2B contacts, 100K sends monthly, shared IP pool, baseline deliverability monitoring, Panama Scorer add-on $99 optional. SLA 99 percent. Month-to-month, no commitment.
Service detail →Up to 120K B2B contacts, 500K sends monthly, dedicated IP included, Panama Scorer included, audience access to verified Latin B2B, account manager assigned. SLA 99.5 percent. 12-month annual term.
Service detail →Up to 500K B2B contacts, 2.5M sends monthly, multiple dedicated IPs, Panama Scorer with custom rules, full audience access, dedicated DPO contact, SLA 99.9 percent quarterly with 25 percent monthly fee credit-back, 24-month standard term.
Service detail →Dedicated PowerMTA 5.0 deployment, 1 /28 IPv4 block, full SPF/DKIM/DMARC alignment, daily reputation monitoring, weekly tuning, monthly performance report. Setup 6-8 weeks. SLA 99.5 percent monthly.
Service detail →Dedicated KumoMTA 1.x deployment, 1 /28 IPv4 block, Lua policy customization, real-time event streaming, daily reputation monitoring, weekly tuning. Setup 6-10 weeks. SLA 99.5 percent monthly.
Service detail →Bare-metal or VM dedicated, single-tenant, 1 /29 IPv4, MTA preinstalled (PowerMTA or KumoMTA at customer choice), full root SSH access, 24/7 monitoring with on-call ops. SLA 99.5 percent monthly.
Service detail →SMTP relay endpoint, IPv4+IPv6, TLS 1.3 enforced, per-tenant queue isolation, real-time delivery webhooks, 7-day retention on event log. SLA 99.5 percent monthly.
Service detail →28-42 day warmup execution on a dedicated IP, gradual ramp from 50 to 250K daily sends, daily reputation monitoring with Sender Score and Talos, weekly client report, postmortem deliverable. Single-IP project.
Service detail →3-week engagement: full audit of existing MTA configuration, queue tuning, throttle policy review, DNS authentication validation, ISP-specific delivery optimization, written report with before/after metrics. Single-server project.
Service detail →Dedicated deliverability ops person, daily monitoring across Gmail/Microsoft/Yahoo/Apple, spam-trap detection, blocklist remediation, monthly executive report. Replaces in-house deliverability engineer at 40 percent cost.
Service detail →2-week diagnostic: SPF/DKIM/DMARC validation, IP reputation pull, content scoring, list hygiene check, ISP relationship review, 40-page written report with prioritized remediation plan. Stand-alone deliverable, no monthly commit.
Service detail →RUA + RUF report aggregation, 90-day historical retention, alerts on policy violations, BIMI VMC procurement assistance, monthly enforcement progression report. Path from p=none to p=reject in 6-8 weeks typical.
Service detail (ES) →Court-admissible forensic analysis: header chain reconstruction, DKIM signature verification, sender authentication forensics, written dictamen pericial signed by certified investigator. Used in BEC fraud cases, e-discovery, regulatory inquiries.
Service detail (ES) →REST + GraphQL API, idempotency keys (Stripe pattern), webhooks with HMAC signature, exactly-once retry semantics, 95th percentile latency <2s, SDKs for Node.js/Python/PHP/Go/Ruby/Java/.NET. Compatible with most existing transactional implementations.
Service detail (ES) →Multi-tenant ESP rebranded under agency domain, dedicated sub-account architecture, agency dashboard for client management, wholesale pricing 25 percent off list to allow agency margin, branded support channel. Minimum 5 active client accounts.
Service detail (ES) →Coordinated email + WhatsApp Business API messaging through single platform, contact unification across channels, channel preference management per recipient, WhatsApp Cloud API integration with Meta conversation pricing pass-through. Latam-specific use case.
Service detail (ES) →EMP applies tiered bundle discounts based on the count of distinct services contracted simultaneously. The math below applies on top of any annual-prepay or multi-year commitment discount, additively up to a 25 percent total ceiling. Above 25 percent the cost-of-service floor breaks the SLA economics, so further discount is not negotiable on the standard catalog.
Two distinct services with separate SLA. Common combination: Latin Platform Pro plus Deliverability audit (one-time). Total list $640 + $1,890; bundle price $2,403.
Three services. Common: Latin Platform Pro plus Dedicated email server plus Deliverability managed. List $640 + $1,890 + $890 = $3,420; bundle price $3,146 monthly.
Four or more services. Common: Latin Enterprise plus PowerMTA managed plus DMARC monitoring plus Deliverability managed. List $2,400 + $890 + $340 + $890 = $4,520; bundle price $3,978 monthly.
Above 500K contacts on platform tier: 6 percent additional automatic discount. Above 1 million contacts: 10 percent additional. Triggered at the contracts table level, not negotiated.
Scenario: Latin B2B SaaS with 8,000 marketing contacts growing to 14,000 by year 3, 200K monthly sends, dedicated IP required, transactional layer for in-app emails, deliverability operations. The same operational scope priced 5 ways below using each vendor's published pricing as of April 2026. Numbers reflect list pricing; achievable negotiation discount range noted in footnotes.
| Cost line item · 3-year horizon | EMP Latin Pro | HubSpot Marketing Hub Enterprise | Mailchimp Premium | SendGrid Pro + Mailchimp | Klaviyo Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base subscription (36 months) | $640 × 36 = $23,040 | $3,600 × 36 = $129,600 | $350 × 36 = $12,600 | $104 × 36 = $3,744 | $220 × 36 = $7,920 |
| Mandatory onboarding fee Year 1 | $0 | $7,000 non-refundable | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Marketing contact tier creep (8K→14K) | $0 (within Pro ceiling) | ~$8,400 over 3 years | ~$5,400 over 3 years | ~$3,200 | ~$6,800 |
| Dedicated IP add-on | Included | $300 × 36 = $10,800 | Not standard offering | Included Pro $89 | Not standard |
| Transactional layer (in-app emails) | Included via API | $600 × 36 = $21,600 | $200 × 36 = $7,200 | $0 (SendGrid handles this) | Add-on $300/mo |
| Deliverability operations (managed) | +$890 × 36 = $32,040 | External vendor needed | External vendor needed | Limited via SendGrid Expert | External vendor needed |
| Annual price increase 10-15% Y2 + Y3 | Locked at signature | +$22,000 estimated | +$4,200 | +$1,500 | +$3,000 |
| Audience access (Latin B2B verified) | Included Pro tier | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 3-year TCO list price | $55,080 | $199,400 | $29,400 | $8,444 | $17,720 |
| 3-year TCO with EMP bundle 12% + prepay 8% | $44,064 | $199,400 | $29,400 | $8,444 | $17,720 |
Honest reading of this table. EMP wins decisively against HubSpot Marketing Hub Enterprise on TCO when the operational scope matches (email infrastructure plus deliverability ops plus audience access). EMP loses on raw price against SendGrid Pro plus Mailchimp standalone ★ when the scope is purely transactional API plus simple marketing email without deliverability ops or audience access. Mailchimp Premium standalone is cheaper than EMP ★ if dedicated IP and deliverability ops are not requirements. Klaviyo Premium is cheaper than EMP ★ for B2C ecommerce specifically; EMP does not serve B2C ecommerce well.
What the table does not show. SaaS vendors negotiate roughly 30 percent off list on annual commit; EMP discount stack tops at 25 percent on standard catalog. Net comparable rates after standard negotiation: EMP $44,064 / HubSpot ~$140,000 / Mailchimp ~$22,000 / SendGrid+Mailchimp ~$6,500 / Klaviyo ~$13,000. The relative ordering does not change but the absolute gap narrows.
What does not appear in any TCO calculation. Switching cost, integration friction, vendor lock-in via proprietary integrations, customer service quality variance, SLA enforcement track record, regulatory exposure (CLOUD Act applicability, GDPR adequacy concerns, Latam data sovereignty), and audit cooperation history. Those factors typically dominate the decision once the spreadsheet narrows the field to 2-3 finalists.
Procurement teams typically discover the contract terms midway through a 60-day sales cycle when legal review starts. EMP publishes the terms upfront so the legal review starts day one and the procurement evaluation can run in parallel with the technical evaluation. The clauses below appear in the standard Master Services Agreement; modifications negotiable on Enterprise tier with documented redline review.
The five reference scenarios below cover roughly 80 percent of EMP customer profiles. Each describes operational scale, which catalog SKUs combine, and the all-in monthly + 3-year TCO. Use these as anchors before the discovery call to know whether EMP fits the budget envelope.
8K-14K marketing contacts, 200K monthly sends, in-app transactional emails, dedicated IP for sender reputation, deliverability ops outsourced.
Stack: Latin Pro $640 + Email API $99+usage + Deliverability managed $890 = bundled 8% off.
$1,500 monthly all-in 3-yr TCO ~$54,00075K contacts, 1.2M monthly sends, dedicated PowerMTA infrastructure, full deliverability ops, DMARC enforcement, dedicated DPO contact.
Stack: Latin Enterprise $2,400 + PowerMTA managed retainer $890 + Deliverability managed $890 + DMARC monitoring $340 = 12% bundle.
$3,978 monthly all-in 3-yr TCO ~$143,000 + setup $4,80015-25 client accounts under agency umbrella, multi-tenant ESP, agency dashboard, agency wholesale pricing for client margin, branded support.
Stack: White-label $1,290 base + per-client wholesale pricing pass-through; agency 25% off list scaling discount.
$1,290+ monthly base + variable 3-yr TCO base $46,440 + client volumePure transactional API, 5M+ monthly sends, idempotency required, regional latency optimization Latam, dedicated IP not strictly required at this volume.
Stack: Email API $99 base + $0.55/1K sends ($2,750 at 5M monthly) + DMARC monitoring $340 = 5% bundle.
$3,030 monthly all-in 3-yr TCO ~$109,000 (variable scales with volume)Already running another email vendor (Mailchimp, HubSpot, Klaviyo); needs Ley 81 compliance documentation, deliverability audit, DMARC enforcement progression, no platform replacement.
Stack: Deliverability audit $1,890 (one-time) + DMARC monitoring $340 monthly + optional forensic on demand.
$340 monthly + projects 3-yr TCO ~$14,000 plus project fees as neededInternal engineering team operating PowerMTA or KumoMTA on customer infrastructure; needs deployment expertise, IP warmup project, ongoing optimization without managed retainer.
Stack: PowerMTA install one-time $4,800 + IP warmup $2,400 + SMTP optimization $3,200 (project-based, no retainer).
$0 recurring (project fees only) Total project fees ~$10,400 one-timeThe questions below come up in roughly 60 percent of Enterprise discovery calls. Honest answer documented here so the procurement team can review before the call and steer the conversation past these to the actual decision factors.
"Why is Enterprise pricing not negotiable below 25 percent off list when HubSpot and Mailchimp routinely give 30-35 percent off?"
HubSpot and Mailchimp inflate list price specifically to leave room for procurement discounting; the 30-35 percent off list is the actual price they want to charge, just dressed up to make the buyer feel they negotiated. EMP publishes the actual price so the discounting headroom does not exist on the catalog. The 25 percent ceiling on bundled discount is genuine cost-of-service floor below which the SLA economics break, particularly the deliverability ops headcount and the dedicated IP reputation maintenance cost. Negotiable above 25 percent only when the contract scope removes a cost driver: customer-supplied dedicated IP infrastructure removes the IP cost, multi-region commit removes audience access redundancy cost, etc. Not negotiable as straight discount.
"What happens to our marketing contacts and audience data after termination? Are we locked into renewal because data extraction is a hassle?"
No vendor lock-in via data hostage. Standard contract grants 60-day post-termination data retrieval window at no charge, exportable as CSV (full contact records with all custom fields), JSON (API-equivalent format), or direct database dump (Enterprise). Suppression list exportable at any time including during active subscription. Audience access is not the customer's data to extract: the verified Latin B2B audience is a service EMP runs, not a database delivered to the customer. When customer leaves EMP, audience access ends but the customer's own marketing contact list is fully portable.
"Why is there no startup discount the way HubSpot runs up to 75 percent off Year 1 for qualifying companies?"
HubSpot for Startups is a customer acquisition cost on HubSpot's side: discount the first year deeply because year 2 is at full list price and switching cost is high. EMP does not run that play because the catalog is transparent and the switching cost is intentionally low (60-day data extraction window). What EMP ships for early-stage companies: Starter tier $180 monthly, no commitment, no onboarding fee. That is the entry point for a 12-month evaluation period before committing to Pro. Post-Series A, the conversation typically moves to Pro tier without a Year 1 promotional rate because the catalog price is already what it is.
"How does the SLA breach credit work in practice and what is the documented track record?"
Breach credit is automatic, not request-based. The internal monitoring system flags SLA threshold violations and the next month's invoice carries the credit calculated against the documented breach window. Customer can request audit of the breach calculation any time; raw uptime data shared on request. 2024 track record: 4 SLA breaches, all credited (1 dedicated IP reputation event, 2 platform queue backups during traffic spikes, 1 partial network event affecting 12 percent of customers for 47 minutes). 2025 track record: 1 breach (DDoS attack lasting 3 hours, all affected customers credited 25 percent monthly fee per Enterprise SLA terms). 2026 YTD: zero breaches.
"What audit rights do we get and can we send our SOC 2 auditor on-site?"
Enterprise contracts include annual desk-audit and biennial on-site audit as standard, performed by the customer's choice of auditor. Pro contracts include desk-audit annually with on-site available at $4,800 additional. EMP ships SOC 2 Trust Services Criteria mapping documentation under NDA, but the Type II report is currently in remediation cycle (Q3 2026 expected publication). For procurement teams that require SOC 2 Type II as a prerequisite, the realistic recommendation is to wait for Q3 2026 publication or accept the gap-mitigation documentation pack EMP hands under NDA. ISO 27001 certification: not currently held; same Q3 2026 timeline. Honest disclosure.
"What is the renewal price escalation policy? Will rates increase 10-15 percent yearly the way HubSpot and most SaaS do?"
EMP standard MSA locks the rate at signature for the duration of the committed term. 12-month term locks for 12 months, 24-month term locks for 24 months, 36-month term locks for 36 months. Renewal at the original rate happens by default if neither party gives 60 to 90 day non-renewal notice. Rate increase at renewal is permitted under the contract but capped at CPI Panama plus 3 percentage points (typically 5-7 percent annually). The cap exists because EMP cost structure is largely USD-denominated infrastructure with predictable inflation pressure; a 10-15 percent annual increase the way HubSpot operates would be charging more than the underlying cost shift justifies.
The table below documents which vendors publish complete pricing including dedicated IP fees, transactional add-ons, marketing-contact tier creep, and onboarding fees. "Partial" means the headline subscription rate is published but the actual invoice cost requires custom quote because of usage-based add-ons. "Hidden" means the subscription requires sales-call disclosure. EMP catalog transparency is unusual but not unique; the cluster covers Postmark, Resend, Brevo on the developer-tools end of the market.
| Vendor | Subscription rate published | Onboarding fee disclosed | Add-on costs (IP, transactional) | SLA credit-back terms | Audit rights documented |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMP catalog | Yes | Yes — none for Starter/Pro/Ent | Published | Up to 25% | Published |
| HubSpot Marketing Hub | Yes | $1,500–$7,000 mandatory | Partial | Not published | Custom quote |
| Mailchimp Premium | Yes | None | Transactional add-on hidden | Not in standard ToS | Custom quote |
| SendGrid Pro/Premier | Partial — Premier hidden | None standard | Published | Pro 99.95% with limits | Twilio MSA required |
| Klaviyo Premium | Yes | None standard | SMS add-on metered | Not published | Custom quote |
| Postmark | Yes | None | Flat rate per 10K | Up to 10% | Custom |
| Resend | Yes | None | Per-volume usage | SLA on Enterprise only | Custom |
| Cognism / Apollo / ZoomInfo | Hidden | Hidden | Hidden | Custom MSA | Custom |
The pricing on this page is what shows up on the invoice. Discovery call confirms the catalog SKUs that match operational scope, runs the bundle math, and produces a written proposal within 48 hours. No mandatory non-refundable onboarding. No hidden add-ons. No pressure-tactic discount-now stunts.
