There's a new version of the HubSpot API

As of November 30, 2022, HubSpot API keys are no longer a supported authentication method for accessing HubSpot APIs. Instead, you should use a private app access token or OAuth to authenticate API calls. Learn more about this change and how to migrate an API key integration to use a private app instead.

Transactional Email Overview

There is a new version of this API available

We now have a newer version of this API and newer version of our docs available for this API. We recommend using the latest version of the API.

Requirements

To use Transactional Email features, you must purchase the Transactional Email add-on, which includes use of a unique, dedicated IP address.

Using transactional email

Depending on how you want to create and trigger your transactional email sends, there are three ways to use this functionality:

  1. Transactional Email
  2. SMTP API
  3. Single-send API

Click here for more more information about how the SMTP API and Single Send APIs work.

Note: The HTML/JSON that is sent through these APIs are not saved by HubSpot. You may review the template of the email from the contact's timeline event. If you wish to keep a record of the emails sent and their contents, we recommend adding a BCC to the email.
  Transactional Email
SMTP API
Single-send API
At a glance transactional-overview.png
Overview Create beautiful transactional emails using HubSpot's email editor. You'll get all the benefits of smart content, personalization and templates — just like regular HubSpot emails.

Just choose ‘Transactional’ as your email type and we will automagically remove subscription preferences for you, since this is a non-marketing email to your customers/users.

You can then send or schedule your email. Or ‘Save for automation’ to send with an automated workflow. Simple!
Sending transactional email through your own site or app? No problem.

The SMTP API integration allows you to continue to do just that - along with tracking email performance and creating contact information (optional) within HubSpot, without having to rip out any existing systems. The optional ability to create contact information is decided upon the smtp token creation.


Generate an SMTP token from your HubSpot email dashboard, send us a fully formed email triggered via API and we’ll add open and duration tracking, as well as wrap all your links for click info.

For more info - check out Developer Docs
The best of both worlds!

Create beautiful transactional emails right within HubSpot using the email editor with all the benefits of smart content, personalization and templates - just like regular HubSpot emails.

PLUS add custom tokens (that live outside of HubSpot) to your email which you can send us via your API.

Instead of saving for automation in HubSpot - choose ‘Save for single-send API’. The email will send when triggered from your system and performance data will automatically be tracked in HubSpot. Nice!

For more info - check out Developer Docs
Example use case You want to send a 'Policy Update' email to your customers with a link to a new T&C's page. This is a service update, not a marketing email so you don't legally need to include subscription links (e.g CAN SPAM links). You don't need to use any custom properties or info from external systems. You are sending an 'Account Signup Confirmation' email from a separate transactional email system that you are not ready to move away from yet. But want to be able track email performance and create contact information (optional) in HubSpot. You want to send a 'Purchase Receipt' email to your customer using HubSpot. But you need to trigger the email send (e.g. when purchase is complete) and pass custom values (e.g. purchased item and purchase total values) from another system. You also want to track the performance of this email in HubSpot.