Core difference
Brevo combines transactional sending, SMTP templates, senders, domains, transactional webhooks, marketing webhooks, contact lists, campaigns, and blacklist concepts. MailChannels is a delivery API with runtime payloads, DKIM, Domain Lockdown, webhooks, and transactional versus non-transactional suppression types.Feature mapping
| Brevo concept | MailChannels concept | Migration approach |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional email API | /send payload | Rewrite sends to MailChannels JSON payloads and authentication. |
| SMTP templates | Application-managed Mustache content | Export templates and move rendering ownership outside Brevo. |
| Senders | from identities | Preserve sender addresses and align them with MailChannels-authenticated domains. |
| Sending domains | DKIM and Domain Lockdown | Recreate domain authentication in MailChannels and publish DNS. |
| Transactional webhooks | MailChannels webhooks | Recreate delivery-event consumers for the MailChannels schema. |
| Marketing webhooks | External marketing workflow plus MailChannels webhooks | Keep marketing preferences outside MailChannels and use MailChannels events only for delivery behavior. |
| Blocked contacts | Suppression list | Map transactional blocks to transactional and non-transactional suppressions. |
| Blacklisted contacts | Suppression list | Map marketing blacklists to non-transactional suppressions by default. |
| Contact lists and email campaigns | External audience and campaign workflow | Replace with an external list manager or campaign system. |
Send payload notes
Brevo’s transactional API and MailChannels both support API-based delivery, but their payloads and template assumptions differ.| Concern | Brevo behavior | MailChannels behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Authentication | Brevo API key | MailChannels API key authentication |
| Template reference | SMTP template ID and params | Application-selected content plus dynamic_template_data |
| Sender controls | Sender and domain resources | Authenticated domain and from address in payload |
| Suppression categories | Blocked transactional contacts and marketing blacklist | transactional and non-transactional suppression types |
| Campaigns | Brevo contact lists and campaigns | External workflow using MailChannels as delivery API |
Template migration
Export Brevo SMTP templates and identify every application path that references a Brevo template ID. Replace those IDs with application-owned template names, files, or records. Convert Brevo-specific variables to the data shape your MailChannels send payload will provide.Suppression policy
Recommended defaults:| Brevo source | MailChannels target |
|---|---|
| Blocked transactional contacts | Suppress as both transactional and non-transactional. |
| Marketing blacklists | Suppress as non-transactional unless policy requires a total block. |
| Campaign unsubscribes | Preserve as marketing preference data and non-transactional suppression. |
Marketing migration
MailChannels Email API does not replace Brevo contact lists, segmentation, campaigns, or campaign analytics. Keep audience management and campaign scheduling in a separate system, and use MailChannels for authenticated message delivery.Cutover checklist
- Replace Brevo send endpoint and authentication.
- Move SMTP templates into application-owned storage.
- Convert template params into
dynamic_template_data. - Create and publish MailChannels DKIM records.
- Recreate transactional webhooks for MailChannels event payloads.
- Export or rebuild contact lists and campaign workflows externally.
- Split blocked and blacklisted contacts into explicit suppression policy.