Do I need a paid Resend plan to follow this tutorial?

No, you can start with Resend's free tier (verified custom domain, up to 3,000 contacts). To send emails via Resend in Lovable, sign up at Resend, verify your custom domain with DNS records, store your API key in Supabase secrets, and prompt Lovable to add the email functionality. For higher volume or advanced features, upgrade to a paid plan.