Mailgun is a developer-focused email API for transactional emails with granular control and pay-as-you-go pricing starting at $0.50/1000 emails, while Mailchimp is a marketing automation platform with visual campaign builders and subscriber management starting free for up to 500 contacts. Mailgun suits technical teams sending triggered emails; Mailchimp suits marketers managing subscriber lists and campaigns.
Mailgun vs Mailchimp — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Choose Mailgun if you're building applications requiring high-volume transactional emails (password resets, receipts, notifications) and need cost-efficient pay-as-you-go pricing with developer API control. Choose Mailchimp if you're a marketer or small business managing subscriber campaigns, automations, and audience segmentation without coding—especially with a free tier to start.
Developer-focused email API for transactional and high-volume sending with flexible pay-as-you-go pricing.
Marketing automation platform with visual campaign builders, audience management, and integrated CRM for subscriber-based marketing.
Structured comparison data for Mailgun vs Mailchimp with 179 attributes.
Starter Tier Monthly Cost (50k contacts)
Automation Workflow Steps (Free/Starter Tier)
Contact List Size Limit (Standard Pricing)
Price Scaling Factor at 5,000 Subscribers
Mailgun vs Mailchimp — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Mailgun vs Mailchimp.
Which is better for transactional emails like password resets and receipts?
Mailgun is purpose-built for transactional emails with 99.2% deliverability, real-time bounce handling via webhooks, and granular API control. Mailchimp is designed for marketing campaigns, not system-triggered emails, and has higher bounce rates. Use Mailgun for transactional workflows.
Which has a lower total cost of ownership at high volume?
Mailgun is significantly cheaper at scale. At 100,000 emails/month, Mailgun costs ~$50/month (pay-as-you-go), while Mailchimp's Standard plan ($200–$350/month) covers the same volume. At 1 million emails, Mailgun costs ~$500/month vs. Mailchimp's overage-heavy pricing model.
Can I use Mailchimp for transactional emails without coding?
Not effectively. Mailchimp is optimized for batch campaigns sent manually or on schedules. Transactional emails require API integration for real-time triggering. Use Mailchimp for marketing campaigns and Mailgun (or similar services like SendGrid) for transactional needs.
Which one has better audience management?
Mailchimp offers built-in subscriber management with segmentation, tagging, automation workflows, and CRM data. Mailgun has no native audience management—it's email delivery only. For campaign marketing, Mailchimp's audience tools are superior; for API-driven apps, Mailgun's simplicity is an advantage.
What's the learning curve difference between them?
Mailchimp: 30 minutes to send your first campaign (no coding). Mailgun: 4–8 hours to integrate the API and test (requires developer). Mailchimp is marketing-friendly; Mailgun requires technical expertise.