Cloudflare Email Routing forwards and, via Email Workers, lets you process inbound at the edge; Email Service (beta) adds sending. MailKite runs on the same Cloudflare network but gives you send + reply, real message storage, retries, one-click replay, and human support — without a Worker to write and without requiring your DNS to be on Cloudflare.
Cloudflare Email Routing is free and fast, Email Workers are powerful, and Email Service (public beta, April 2026) added sending 'ready for your agents.' If you're all-in on Cloudflare and comfortable writing Workers, it's a strong base.
Receive, then reply from your own domain through one API — no Email Worker code, no separate sending setup to stitch together.
Messages are stored (as long as you choose), webhooks retry automatically, and any delivery is replayable in one click — not fire-and-forget at the edge.
Keep your domain wherever it lives. MailKite doesn't require you to move DNS onto Cloudflare to receive or send.
A dashboard for domains, addresses, routes, logs, and replay — plus human support on paid plans, instead of edge logs and community forums.
| MailKite | Cloudflare Email Routing | |
|---|---|---|
| Receive inbound | Parsed JSON webhook | Forward or Email Worker |
| Send / reply from your domain | Built-in send API | Email Service (beta) / separate setup |
| Write a Worker to process mail | Not required | Email Workers for logic |
| Requires DNS on Cloudflare | No — any provider | Yes, for Email Routing |
| Message storage + retries + replay | Yes, built in | Not the routing model |
| Human support | Paid plans | Community / enterprise |
| Edge performance | Runs on Cloudflare too | Cloudflare edge |
Competitor capabilities change — we re-audit these tables regularly. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
MailKite runs on Cloudflare's network, so you keep the edge — plus production features (storage, retries, replay, support) and freedom to keep your DNS anywhere.
Point MX at MailKite from wherever your DNS lives — no need to move the domain onto Cloudflare. Or start on a managed subdomain.
Delete the Worker that parsed and forwarded mail. Consume the parsed JSON webhook instead — text, HTML, threading, and auth already extracted.
Send replies through the same API with SPF/DKIM alignment — no separate Email Service setup to wire up.
Email Service can send, but you're stitching together Routing, a Worker, and a beta sending product, all requiring your DNS on Cloudflare. MailKite gives you receive + send + storage + retries + replay as one product, on any DNS, with human support.
No — MailKite itself runs on Cloudflare Workers, so you keep the same global edge. You gain the production features and support layered on top.
Yes. Unlike Cloudflare Email Routing, MailKite works with any DNS provider — you only add MX (inbound) and SPF/DKIM (outbound) records.
Cloudflare Email Routing can't reply — send from your domain →
The long-form take on our blog — receipts, runnable code, and where we won't overclaim.
Point a domain, drop in a webhook URL, receive your first email. Unlimited domains, no credit card.