SendGrid is the market leader with 50+ integrations and a 99.99% uptime SLA, while Mailgun offers more affordable pricing starting at $0.50 per 1,000 emails and superior API documentation for developers. SendGrid dominates enterprise adoption, but Mailgun appeals to cost-conscious developers and startups.
Mailgun vs SendGrid — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Developer-first email API platform with flexible pricing and robust documentation.
Enterprise email platform with extensive integrations, highest uptime guarantee, and 1M+ users.
Starting Price (per 1,000 emails). Uptime SLA. Pre-built Integrations. API Rate Limit (requests/second). Monthly Active Users. Developer Documentation Quality Rating. Free Trial Period (days)
Choose SendGrid if you need enterprise-grade reliability, extensive integrations, and don't mind paying premium prices—it's ideal for businesses sending millions of emails monthly with strict uptime requirements. Choose Mailgun if you prioritize cost savings, prefer hands-on developer control, and appreciate detailed API documentation—it's perfect for startups and developers building custom email solutions on tight budgets.
Mailgun: $0 (free tier) | SendGrid: $29.95
Mailgun: 5,000 | SendGrid: 0 (trial only)
Mailgun: 150-250ms | SendGrid: 100-150ms average
Mailgun: Limited (basic scheduling only) | SendGrid: Full suite included
Mailgun: Multiple continents (8+) | SendGrid: Multiple continents (15+)
Mailgun: 0 (paid separately) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: No (requires integration) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: $0 (pay-as-you-go, $0.50/1K emails) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: 50+ | SendGrid: 70+ responsive templates
Mailgun: 15+ events | SendGrid: 25+ event types
Mailgun: 4-24 (varies by plan) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: 600 emails/month | SendGrid: N/A
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)
Mailgun: $25 (pay-as-you-go, ~1M emails) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: 0 (code-based only) | SendGrid: N/A
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)
Mailgun: 0 (manual via API) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: Syntax, SMTP, catch-all, disposable detection, Risk scoring | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: Instant (automatic) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: 300 req/s | SendGrid: 500 req/s
Mailgun: 9,000 (300/day) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: Automatic suppression lists and bounce categorization | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: 24/7 email/chat, <2hr response on paid plans | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: Third-party integrations, REST API only | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: None (14-day trial) | SendGrid: 3,000
Mailgun: Basic (open/click tracking) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: Automatic with webhook notifications | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: None (API-only, no native CRM) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: $50 (pay-as-you-go) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: Code-based (HTML/MJML) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: 24 hours (standard) | SendGrid: N/A
Mailgun: $0.50 per 1K emails | SendGrid: $1.00 per 1K emails
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: AI-assisted drag-and-drop
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: 0 (100 emails/day only)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: No, basic contacts only
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Highly advanced, enterprise-grade
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Unlimited (pay-per-use after quota)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: 1 channel (Email)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: $25 for 50k emails
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Yes, 24/7 with premium tiers
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Advanced drag-and-drop builder with presets
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Unlimited with proper infrastructure
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: $29.95-$99.95 (bundled)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Drag-and-drop visual editor
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Full (A/B testing, branching, delays)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: 14,400 (varies by plan)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: $9.95 (or free 100k/month)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Requires third-party integration
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: 50+ generic templates
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: 4-5 basic trigger types
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: $29.95/month (Pro plan)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: 90 days (all tiers)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: 2-3 minutes (1-click)
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: API-driven only
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Unlimited at scale
Mailgun: N/A | SendGrid: Built into enterprise plans
How to choose between Mailgun and SendGrid
Mailgun vs SendGrid — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Mailgun vs SendGrid. Contains 128 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Mailgun vs SendGrid — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Mailgun vs SendGrid.
Which email service is cheaper for sending millions of emails monthly?
Mailgun is significantly cheaper at scale. For 10 million emails monthly, Mailgun costs $5,000 while SendGrid costs $10,000. However, SendGrid offers volume discounts on Enterprise plans that can reduce per-email costs to $0.60-$0.70, narrowing the gap.
Does SendGrid have better uptime than Mailgun?
Yes. SendGrid guarantees 99.99% uptime with redundant infrastructure across multiple data centers, while Mailgun offers 99.9%. This means SendGrid experiences ~5 minutes of downtime yearly vs Mailgun's ~43 minutes. For mission-critical applications, SendGrid is more reliable.
Mailgun offers superior API documentation rated 9.2/10 by developers, with clearer examples and more language-specific code samples. SendGrid's documentation is comprehensive but more focused on enterprise use cases, earning 8.5/10. For developers building custom integrations, Mailgun is easier to learn.
Can I switch from Mailgun to SendGrid easily?
Yes. Both platforms provide API-level compatibility and similar SMTP configuration. Most migrations take 1-2 weeks to update DNS records and test delivery rates. SendGrid offers migration assistance through its support team, while Mailgun has detailed export tools for warm-up domain data.
Which integrates better with e-commerce platforms?
SendGrid has 50+ native integrations including Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce, making it ideal for e-commerce businesses. Mailgun requires custom integration development for most e-commerce platforms but provides webhooks and detailed event tracking as alternatives.
How to Choose Between Mailgun and SendGrid
Consider: Starting Price (per 1,000 emails)
Starting Price (per 1,000 emails): Mailgun has $0.50, while SendGrid has $1.00.
Uptime SLA: Mailgun has 99.9%, while SendGrid has 99.99%.
Pre-built Integrations: Mailgun has 25+, while SendGrid has 50+.
Consider: API Rate Limit (requests/second)
API Rate Limit (requests/second): Mailgun has 300, while SendGrid has 500.
Monthly Active Users: Mailgun has 500,000+, while SendGrid has 1,000,000+.
Consider: Developer Documentation Quality Rating
Developer Documentation Quality Rating: Mailgun has 9.2/10, while SendGrid has 8.5/10.
Free Trial Period (days): Mailgun has 30, while SendGrid has 30.