Mailgun offers superior deliverability tools and developer experience with a 98.5% inbox placement rate, while Amazon SES provides the lowest cost at $0.10 per 1,000 emails and deeper AWS ecosystem integration for high-volume senders.
Mailgun vs Amazon SES — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Developer-first email API platform with flexible pricing and robust documentation.
Lightweight, pay-as-you-go email service integrated with AWS infrastructure.
Base Cost Per 1,000 Emails. Inbox Placement Rate. Free Monthly Email Quota. Dedicated IP Support. Real-Time Email Validation. Template Builder. Setup Difficulty (1-10 scale)
Choose Mailgun if you prioritize email deliverability, need advanced compliance tools, and want a straightforward developer experience—ideal for SaaS platforms, transactional emails, and marketing teams. Choose Amazon SES if you're already in the AWS ecosystem, send high volumes (100K+ emails monthly), and want the lowest per-email cost—best for enterprises and cost-sensitive applications.
Mailgun: $0 (free tier) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: Limited (basic scheduling only) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: Multiple continents (8+) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: 25 (unlimited) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: 0 (paid separately) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: No (requires integration) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: $0 (pay-as-you-go, $0.50/1K emails) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: 20-30 minutes | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: 15+ events | Amazon SES: 4 core event types
Mailgun: 4-24 (varies by plan) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: 600 emails/month | Amazon SES: N/A
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)
Mailgun: $25 (pay-as-you-go, ~1M emails) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: 0 (code-based only) | Amazon SES: N/A
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)
Mailgun: 0 (manual via API) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: Syntax, SMTP, catch-all, disposable detection, Risk scoring | Amazon SES: Syntax validation only
Mailgun: 100-200ms | Amazon SES: 300-500ms
Mailgun: Instant (automatic) | Amazon SES: 72
Mailgun: 300 req/s | Amazon SES: 14 (configurable to 240)
Mailgun: 15 minutes | Amazon SES: 45 minutes
Mailgun: Yes, included | Amazon SES: No, separate service
Mailgun: $20 | Amazon SES: $3.10 (31,000 emails)
Mailgun: 9,000 (300/day) | Amazon SES: 62,000 (first 12 months)
Mailgun: Automatic suppression lists and bounce categorization | Amazon SES: Manual handling via SQS/Lambda (not built-in)
Mailgun: 24/7 email/chat, <2hr response on paid plans | Amazon SES: Business hours only (basic), 24/7 on paid AWS support
Mailgun: Third-party integrations, REST API only | Amazon SES: Native integration with Lambda, S3, CloudWatch, SNS
Mailgun: None (14-day trial) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: Basic (open/click tracking) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: Automatic with webhook notifications | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: None (API-only, no native CRM) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: $50 (pay-as-you-go) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: 30 days | Amazon SES: 62 days sandbox (200 emails/day max)
Mailgun: Code-based (HTML/MJML) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: 24 hours (standard) | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: $0.50 per 1K emails | Amazon SES: N/A
Mailgun: N/A | Amazon SES: $0 (pay-per-email)
Mailgun: N/A | Amazon SES: None (code only)
Mailgun: N/A | Amazon SES: None (API-controlled)
Mailgun: N/A | Amazon SES: 14 (production tier)
Mailgun: N/A | Amazon SES: $0 (pay-as-you-go only)
Mailgun: N/A | Amazon SES: Unlimited (CloudWatch, manual setup)
Mailgun: N/A | Amazon SES: 15-20 minutes (manual DNS)
How to choose between Mailgun and Amazon SES
Mailgun vs Amazon SES — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Mailgun vs Amazon SES. Contains 93 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Mailgun vs Amazon SES — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Mailgun vs Amazon SES.
Which service has better email deliverability?
Mailgun leads with a 98.5% inbox placement rate versus Amazon SES's 96.2%. Mailgun's advantage comes from built-in email validation, DMARC/SPF/DKIM enforcement, and dedicated compliance monitoring. However, SES's 96.2% rate is acceptable for most businesses and improves with proper configuration and warm-up practices.
How much will I save switching from Mailgun to Amazon SES?
At $0.10 per 1,000 emails (vs. $0.50), SES costs 80% less. For a business sending 10 million emails monthly, that's $500/month with SES versus $5,000 with Mailgun—a $54,000 annual saving. However, factor in setup complexity and potential deliverability costs if your inbox placement drops.
Yes, but it's not ideal. SES integrates seamlessly with other AWS services via IAM, but non-AWS developers can still use SMTP credentials or the AWS SDK. You'll need to manage AWS account security, set up IAM policies, and won't benefit from native Lambda/SNS integration that AWS customers enjoy.
Which service is better for transactional emails?
Mailgun is better optimized for transactional emails due to its superior inbox placement (98.5%), real-time validation, and email status tracking. SES works fine for transactional emails but requires more configuration for optimal delivery. Both services include webhook support for delivery notifications.
What happens if I exceed my free email quota?
Mailgun charges $0.50 per 1,000 emails when you exceed 5,000/month. Amazon SES charges $0.10 per 1,000 emails when you exceed 62,000/month. SES also has a higher sending quota (14.4 emails/second) before requiring a service limit increase, while Mailgun's free tier has lower throughput.
How to Choose Between Mailgun and Amazon SES
Base Cost Per 1,000 Emails: Mailgun has $0.50, while Amazon SES has $0.10.
Inbox Placement Rate: Mailgun has 98.5%, while Amazon SES has 96.2%.
Free Monthly Email Quota: Mailgun has 5,000 emails, while Amazon SES has 62,000 emails.
Dedicated IP Support: Mailgun has Yes, starting at $25/month, while Amazon SES has Yes, starting at $24.95/month.
Real-Time Email Validation: Mailgun has Yes, included, while Amazon SES has Limited, separate service.
Template Builder: Mailgun has Advanced drag-and-drop editor, while Amazon SES has Basic HTML only.
Setup Difficulty (1-10 scale): Mailgun has 4, while Amazon SES has 7.