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Comment by clementjanssens | Hacker News Reader

Hi HN,

I'm Clément, a freelance developer for 5 years now. I've worked in several startups and often encountered the same problem: creating stunning transactional emails was a real headache to create and maintain.

So, I created Mailhub, an email API with all the tools to make it easier to build, test, send, track & monitor transactional emails

Among other features, you can:

- Use reusable layouts & pages powered by Tailwind - Dark-mode & responsive supported - Access a virtual outbox - i18n - Build from pre-built templates ...

All of this comes with a simple API & reliable deliverability rates.

I hope you like it as much as I do. I'm really open to feedback!

See you soon

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Looks interesting. API is cool, price is acceptable.

Only 2 real questions in my mind, both of which can only truly be answered over time: 1) price stability and 2) deliverability rates.

Rant: SMTP is just a bad legacy joke that should be augmented (replacement is probably not realistic) with some new API standard.

There's nothing wrong with SMTP. It's perfect. If your complaint is that it isn't a binary protocol, then you're the type of sender it was designed to keep out.

Thanks for your feedback

Indeed, your two questions will answer themselves over time, but we are doing everything possible to keep competitive prices. As for the deliverability rate, we have implemented several mechanisms to ensure that it remains optimal.

I agree with you about SMTP. Emails in general are a legacy joke.

>I agree with you about SMTP. Emails in general are a legacy joke.

Problem is, most replacements I've seen are even worse vendor lock in. While I hate SMTP to, it being one of last open two-way long-term communication systems out there is something most of us should be thrilled with.

A modern, standardized API would negate vendor lock in. And it wouldn't have to replace SMTP, it could simply be an alternative option.

There is no reason that sending an email can't be done with a simple, single API call. The back and forth "dance" that SMTP requires is just an absurd waste of time. There may have been a good reason for it at some point but today, it's hard to imagine what that was.

One thing I just noticed with your API --- no mention of support for attachments.

This could be a show stopper for a lot of applications.

Yes, I didn't added yet, will do it asap! Thanks

In the meantime we'll use legacy jokes then

Really happy to see some action in this space. Sendgrid is still pretty decent, but I can't stand their parent company Twilio anymore.

Tailwind though… ugh… is proper CSS still an option?

(The expressiveness of the template language is pretty cool but uncomfortably similar to ColdFusion.)

Minor critique on your marketing page — the blurred images in the marquee look like they're a glitch, like the browser is downloading low-resolution copies on accident. Maybe replace with scale-up or a subtle ken burns effect?

otherwise it's really nice!

Thank you for your feedback, it's very valuable.

Yes, I had needs for my startup clients and never found a solution, so I decided to create one. I tried to combine the best of both worlds: flexibility by keeping HTML code and simplicity with Tailwind and other tools.

Thanks again for your feedback. I'd be happy to hear more if you try the product.

About the landing page, I took note of that, and I'll address it as soon as possible!

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