Can AI Replace Your Email Marketing Platform? (For Cheaper?)

Every month that email platform bill shows up, and it climbs as your list grows — because you're basically paying to store email addresses. So can you just rebuild the whole thing with AI and pay way less? Short answer: mostly yes, but "cheaper" comes with a trade. This week I break down the three versions of that answer, walk through the exact setup I've used, and flag the stuff the savings pitch leaves out.

What's covered:

Why email platforms charge more as your list grows, and what you're actually paying them for (hint: it's deliverability, not the dashboard)
The three versions of "replace it with AI" — the basics, the custom bonus layer, and the top-end rebuild that's probably not worth it
The setup: Resend for sending, Supabase for storing your list, and AI agents to run the whole thing
Real costs — Resend's free tier (100 emails/day, 3,000/month) and the $20/month paid tier
How to build in unsubscribes the right way with a Supabase edge function
A custom example: auto-sending a one-time thank-you email on a customer's first purchase
Putting a simple interface on top so your team can send without touching a command line
Three things to watch for: owning your own edge cases, rebuilding advanced automations, and protecting your sender reputation on shared tiers

Tools mentioned: Resend, Supabase.

Got a question you've been wondering about — can AI do this thing? Send it to drew@workandwhistle.co.

AI Honestly is a Work and Whistle production. More at workandwhistle.co.