> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brew.new/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Emails vs Automations > Brew builds two types of email — one-off Emails and triggered Automations. Here's how to know which one you need. Brew builds two types of email: **Emails** and **Automations**. They look similar but serve different purposes and run differently. A quick note on the terminology. Everything Brew sends is technically an email, so calling one type "Emails" can feel a little circular at first. What we mean is the one-off, campaign-style send — you write it, schedule it, and blast it to an audience at a moment you choose. In other tools this is often called a "campaign." **Automations**, by contrast, are the emails that fire automatically in response to an event (a signup, a purchase, a payment failed) and run in the background forever. | | Emails | Automations | | -------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | | **What triggers it** | You — manually send or schedule | An event (signup, purchase, payment failed) | | **When it sends** | Once, at a time you choose | Automatically, whenever the trigger fires | | **Who receives it** | An audience you pick | The contact who triggered the event | | **How long it runs** | One send | Forever, in the background | | **Best for** | Newsletters, promos, announcements | Welcome flows, onboarding, transactional | ## Use an Email when… * You want to send something to a list of people at a specific time * The send is intentional and one-off — an announcement, a promo, a newsletter * You're scheduling in advance — *"Send this next Tuesday at 9am"* **Examples:** product launch announcement, Black Friday promo, monthly newsletter, event invite, re-engagement send. ## Use an Automation when… * You want to send in response to something that happens — a signup, a purchase, a cancellation * The email needs to go to one person, at the right moment, automatically * You want a multi-step sequence that runs over time without you touching it **Examples:** welcome flow, onboarding drip, abandoned cart, password reset, order confirmation, payment failed dunning. ## One design, many sends The email itself is just a **design** — the layout, copy, and imagery. A design has no idea whether it's a one-off send or an automation, and it carries no send state. The same design can be sent as an Email today and referenced by an automation tomorrow; nothing about the email changes. What differs is the **send** — the act of delivering that design to real people. Every time Brew delivers a design, it records one **send**: * An **Email** records a single send, scoped to the audience you picked. One send row covers the whole blast. * An **Automation** records one send **per recipient** — each contact that flows through a Send Email step gets their own send, fired at their own moment. Both kinds of send land in the same place, tagged as either an email send or an automation send. That's why your [analytics](/analytics/reading-analytics) line up across both: opens, clicks, and bounces all attach to the send that produced them, no matter which surface created it. ## You don't have to choose upfront Brew figures it out from your prompt. Just describe what you want — Brew routes you to the right type automatically. * *"Send a Black Friday email next Tuesday"* → Email * *"When someone signs up, send a 3-step welcome flow"* → Automation * *"Create a password reset email triggered by a reset request"* → Automation * *"Write a product update newsletter for this week"* → Email ## A note on transactional emails Automations cover two patterns — marketing flows and transactional emails. The key difference: * **Marketing flows** respect unsubscribes. If a contact has opted out, they won't receive the email. * **Transactional emails** (password resets, order confirmations, payment receipts) are always delivered — even to unsubscribed contacts — because they contain information the recipient needs. ## Next steps * [Create an Email](/create-emails/emails) * [Build an Automation](/create-emails/automations) ## Need Help? Our team is ready to support you at every step of your journey with Brew. Choose the option that works best for you: Type in the "Ask any question" search bar at the top left to instantly find relevant documentation pages. Click "Open in ChatGPT" at the top right of any page to analyze documentation with ChatGPT or Claude for deeper insights. Book time with our founders for personalized guidance on strategy, best practices, or complex implementation questions. Need immediate assistance? Reach us at **+1-(332)-203-2145** for urgent issues or time-sensitive questions. Our preferred support channel. You'll receive an invite after signup for direct founder support and fast responses. Contact us at **[support@brew.new](mailto:support@brew.new)** for detailed inquiries or if you prefer not to use Slack.