Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to common questions. For detailed troubleshooting, see our Troubleshooting Guide.

Getting Started

How long does it take to set up Bento?

Most customers are sending their first email within 30-60 minutes. The main steps are:

1. Add DNS records (15-20 minutes)
2. Wait for DNS propagation (can be instant, sometimes up to 24 hours)
3. Import subscribers or connect an integration (10-15 minutes)
4. Send your first email

See our Onboarding Guide for a step-by-step walkthrough.

What's the difference between Events and Subscribers API?

Use Events API when: A user does something (signs up, purchases, clicks)
Use Subscribers API when: You're syncing data from another system nightly

Can I send emails from multiple domains?

Yes. Each "Site" in Bento can have its own sending domain. You can create multiple sites under one account and switch between them.

Do I need to be approved before sending?

Yes. New accounts go through a brief approval process to prevent spam. This typically takes a few hours during business hours. See Approvals for details.

Sending Emails

What's the difference between transactional and marketing emails?

Transactional emails are triggered by a user action and expected immediately:

• Password resets
• Order confirmations
• Account notifications

Marketing emails are promotional content:

• Newsletters
• Product announcements
• Sale promotions

In Bento, transactional emails are sent via the Emails API with transactional: true. They bypass unsubscribe status and have higher priority.

How do I send a welcome email when someone subscribes?

1. Create a Flow triggered by the event you're tracking (e.g., $signed_up or $form_submitted)
2. Add an email step to the flow
3. Publish the flow

When the event fires, the flow will send the email automatically. See Workflows concept for more details.

Can I schedule emails for a specific time?

For broadcasts: Yes, you can schedule them for a future date/time.

For flows/automations: Emails send immediately when triggered, but you can add delay steps ("wait 1 day") to control timing.

What's the maximum email size?

We recommend keeping emails under 100KB for best deliverability. This includes HTML and inline CSS. Images should be hosted externally and linked, not embedded.

How do I A/B test emails?

Bento supports A/B testing in broadcasts. When creating a broadcast:

1. Enable A/B testing
2. Create variant subject lines or content
3. Set the test size (what percentage sees each variant)
4. Bento will automatically send the winner to the remaining recipients

API & Integrations

Do you have an SDK for [language]?

We have official SDKs for:

• Node.js
• Python
• Ruby
• PHP
• Laravel
• Go
• Elixir
• .NET
• Rust

See all SDKs. If we don't have an SDK for your language, you can use the REST API directly - see API Documentation.

How do I track events from the browser?

Use Bento.js, our client-side tracking library:

<script src="https://app.bentonow.com/{YOUR_SCRIPT}.js" async defer></script>
<script>
  window.addEventListener('bento:ready', function () {
    bento$(function () {
      bento.identify('user@example.com')
      bento.track('page_viewed', { page: window.location.pathname })
    })
  })
</script>

Can I use Bento with [platform]?

We have native integrations with:

• Shopify, Stripe, WooCommerce
• Zapier, Make.com, n8n
• Segment, Webflow, Bubble
• WordPress, and many more

See all integrations. If we don't have a native integration, you can usually connect via Zapier, webhooks, or our API.

What's the API rate limit?

Need more? Contact us about higher limits.

Why is my API returning HTML instead of JSON?

You're missing the User-Agent header. This is required - Cloudflare blocks requests without it. Add:

User-Agent: YourAppName/1.0

See Authentication for complete details.

Deliverability

Why are my emails going to spam?

Common causes:

1. DNS not set up correctly - Check Deliverability → DNS Records
2. New domain needs warmup - See Warmup Guide
3. List quality issues - Old lists or purchased lists hurt deliverability
4. Content triggers - Avoid spam words, excessive images, or URL shorteners

See Deliverability Guide for a complete checklist.

How long does domain warmup take?

For a new domain, expect 4-8 weeks to build full reputation. During this time:

• Weeks 1-2: Send only to highly engaged subscribers
• Weeks 3-4: Gradually increase volume
• Weeks 5+: Reach normal sending patterns

See Warmup Guide for detailed schedules.

Do you support dedicated IPs?

Yes, for high-volume senders. Dedicated IPs make sense when you're sending 100,000+ emails per month consistently. Contact us to discuss if it's right for you.

Below that volume, our shared IP pools typically provide better deliverability because they maintain consistent sending patterns.

What's a good open rate?

Note: Apple Mail Privacy Protection can inflate open rates. Focus on click rates and conversions for more accurate engagement metrics.

How do I authenticate my domain (SPF/DKIM/DMARC)?

1. Go to Deliverability → DNS Records in Bento
2. Copy the records shown
3. Add them to your domain's DNS settings
4. Click Validate to confirm

We provide records for:

• SPF: Authorizes Bento to send email from your domain
• DKIM: Adds a cryptographic signature to emails
• DMARC: Tells receivers what to do with failed authentication

See DNS Setup for provider-specific instructions.

Billing & Account

How does pricing work?

Bento charges based on the number of subscribers you have. All features are included at every tier - no feature gating. See bentonow.com/pricing for current pricing.

What counts as a subscriber?

A subscriber is a unique email address in your account. The same email across multiple tags or segments counts as one subscriber.

What doesn't count:

• Unsubscribed contacts (they're removed from your count)
• Duplicate email addresses
• Email addresses in your blocklist

Can I have multiple users on my account?

Yes. Go to Settings → Team to invite team members. You can set different permission levels for each user.

How do I cancel my account?

Email support@bentonow.com and we'll process your cancellation. You can export your data before canceling.

We don't do long-term contracts - you can cancel anytime.

Do you offer refunds?

We offer refunds on a case-by-case basis. If you're unhappy with Bento for any reason, reach out and we'll make it right.

Still Have Questions?

• Discord - Fastest for quick questions
• Email Support - For account-specific issues
• Troubleshooting Guide - Detailed problem-solving