12 Best Mailgun Alternatives

Our Pick for SaaS Companies

Sequenzy

Marketing + transactional for SaaS with AI content generation. Unlike Mailgun, includes visual email builders, automation, and Stripe integration.

One platform for all emails. Sequenzy's AI can generate entire email sequences from a short description, which is a world apart from Mailgun's API-only approach with no content tools. Pricing starts at $49/month for 10k subscribers with everything included—no per-email overage charges to worry about. Best for SaaS teams who want to stop juggling Mailgun for transactional and a separate tool for marketing campaigns.

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Best for

SaaS teams wanting marketing + transactional together

Pricing

$49/month for 10,000 subscribers (120k emails)

Pros

Marketing + transactional in one platform
Visual drag-and-drop email builder
AI generates entire email sequences
Native Stripe integration
Subscriber-based pricing (predictable)

Cons

No inbound email parsing
No email validation API
Newer platform

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Resend

Modern developer experience with beautiful APIs and React Email integration. What Mailgun would be if built today.

Transactional only. Resend's SDKs are genuinely a joy to use—clean type-safe libraries for every major language, with React Email letting you build templates as React components. The free tier gives you 3,000 emails/month to test with, and paid plans start at $20/month for 50,000 emails. The tradeoff is clear: no SMTP relay, no inbound parsing, no marketing features—but if you only need transactional email with the best possible developer experience, nothing touches Resend right now.

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Best for

Developers prioritizing DX for transactional

Pricing

$20/month for 50,000 emails

Pros

Best developer experience in email
React Email integration
Modern SDKs for every language
Clean, intuitive API
3,000 emails/month free

Cons

Transactional only (no marketing)
No SMTP relay
Newer (less proven at massive scale)
No email validation

Postmark

Exceptional deliverability because they reject bad actors. If your emails must arrive (password resets, 2FA), Postmark's strict policies pay off.

Postmark actively vets customers and will turn away anyone sending questionable content, which keeps their shared IP reputation pristine. At $15/month for 10,000 emails they're competitively priced against Mailgun's new rates, and the API is clean and well-documented. The limitation is the same as Resend: transactional only, no marketing campaigns or automation. But for mission-critical transactional email where delivery speed and inbox placement matter more than anything, Postmark is the industry gold standard.

Visit

Best for

Apps where deliverability is critical

Pricing

$15/month for 10,000 emails

Pros

Best deliverability in the industry
Strict customer vetting
Clean, developer-friendly API
Message streams for organization
Human support

Cons

Transactional only
Will reject questionable use cases
More expensive at high volume
No marketing features

Amazon SES

The cheapest at scale—$0.10 per 1,000 emails. But zero hand-holding. You're on your own for templates, deliverability, and bounce handling.

At high volume, the cost savings over Mailgun are enormous: 100,000 emails costs $10 on SES versus roughly $200 on Mailgun's Flex plan. The tradeoff is that you get no dashboard, no template editor, no deliverability monitoring, and no bounce management out of the box—you build everything yourself. Best for engineering teams already deep in the AWS ecosystem who have the resources to build their own email infrastructure layer on top of SES. If you don't have dedicated DevOps, look elsewhere.

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Best for

Cost-sensitive high-volume senders with engineering resources

Pricing

$0.10 per 1,000 emails

Pros

Cheapest at high volume by far
AWS reliability
Full control
No monthly minimum
Scales infinitely

Cons

Zero developer experience
DIY everything (templates, bounces)
No dashboard or analytics
AWS complexity

SendGrid

The obvious comparison—both are Sinch-owned now. SendGrid has marketing features Mailgun lacks, but the DX feels equally dated.

Similar pricing. SendGrid's Essentials plan at $19.95/month for 50,000 emails actually undercuts Mailgun significantly, and you get marketing campaign tools, contact management, and a visual editor on top of the transactional API. The developer experience isn't modern by any means, but the documentation is solid and it handles massive scale reliably. The elephant in the room: both are owned by Sinch, so switching from Mailgun to SendGrid keeps you under the same corporate umbrella. If acquisition concerns are driving your switch, this doesn't solve that problem.

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Best for

Teams wanting marketing + transactional from same vendor

Pricing

$19.95/month for 50,000 emails (Essentials)

Pros

Marketing + transactional
Proven at scale
Part of Twilio ecosystem
Good documentation
Both API and SMTP

Cons

DX feels dated
Deliverability varies on shared IPs
Complex pricing tiers
Now owned by same company as Mailgun

SparkPost

Enterprise email with predictive analytics. Now part of Bird (MessageBird). Good for high volume with deliverability insights.

SparkPost's predictive analytics can forecast deliverability issues before they happen, and their real-time bounce classification is more granular than what Mailgun offers. Plans start at $20/month for 15,000 emails, scaling to enterprise volumes with dedicated support. The concern is the Bird acquisition—like Mailgun with Sinch, SparkPost's direction is now tied to a larger company's strategy. Best suited for enterprise teams sending millions of emails who need deep deliverability intelligence, not small startups looking for a simple API.

Visit

Best for

Enterprise high-volume senders

Pricing

$20/month for 15,000 emails

Pros

Predictive email analytics
Handles enterprise scale
Strong deliverability tools
Email validation
Real-time bounce classification

Cons

Enterprise-focused pricing
Not for small teams
Owned by Bird (acquisition concerns)
DX not modern

Brevo

Budget-friendly with unlimited contacts. Includes transactional, marketing, and SMS.

Not the prettiest but capable and affordable. Brevo's unlimited contacts model means you pay $25/month regardless of list size—you only pay more when you send more emails. This makes it significantly cheaper than Mailgun for teams with large contact databases and moderate sending frequency. The platform also includes SMTP relay, which Mailgun users will appreciate for legacy system compatibility. The downsides are a dated interface and occasionally slow support, but for teams who need transactional, marketing, and SMS in one affordable package, Brevo delivers solid value without the premium price tag.

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Best for

Budget-conscious teams wanting all-in-one

Pricing

$25/mo for unlimited contacts (20k emails)

Pros

Unlimited contacts
Transactional + marketing + SMS
SMTP and API
Actually affordable
No per-email surprise bills

Cons

Interface is dated
Pay-per-email adds up
Support can be slow
Less developer-focused

Customer.io

The powerhouse for PLG companies. Email, push, SMS, in-app—with sophisticated behavioral triggers.

Expensive but nothing matches its power. Customer.io lets you build automation workflows triggered by any user behavior—page views, feature usage, billing events—across email, push notifications, SMS, and in-app messages simultaneously. The API is excellent and the event-based architecture will feel natural to teams used to Mailgun's developer-oriented approach. At $100/month for just 5,000 profiles, it's 3-4x the cost of Mailgun, and the setup complexity is significant. Best for product-led growth companies with complex user journeys who've outgrown simple transactional email and need sophisticated multi-channel behavioral messaging.

Visit

Best for

PLG companies with complex user journeys

Pricing

$100/month for 5,000 profiles (Essentials)

Pros

Most powerful behavioral automation
Multi-channel (email, push, SMS, in-app)
Transactional included
Excellent API
Built for product-led growth

Cons

3-4x Mailgun's price
Complex setup
Steep learning curve
Overkill for simple needs

Loops

Modern SaaS email platform with transactional included. Clean interface, good deliverability.

Specifically built for software companies. Loops combines marketing campaigns and transactional email in a single platform with a genuinely clean UI that makes Mailgun's dashboard feel ancient. Every plan includes all features—no gating behind tiers—which is refreshing. At $49/month for 5,000 subscribers (roughly $99 for 10k), it's pricier than Mailgun for pure transactional but you get full marketing capabilities included. The main gaps: no AI content generation, no SMTP relay for legacy systems, and as a newer platform it doesn't yet match Mailgun's scale track record. Ideal for SaaS teams who want a modern, opinionated email platform without the complexity of Customer.io.

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Best for

SaaS teams wanting modern email

Pricing

$49/mo for 5k, ~$99/mo for 10k subscribers

Pros

Built for SaaS from day one
Transactional + marketing together
Clean, modern interface
Good deliverability
All features on all plans

Cons

Gets expensive past 10k
No AI content generation
No SMTP relay
Newer platform

#10

Mailjet

Mid-tier option from Sinch (same parent as Mailgun). Offers marketing + transactional with real-time collaboration.

Good middle ground. Mailjet's standout feature is real-time email collaboration—multiple team members can edit the same email template simultaneously, which is useful for marketing teams. At $15/month for 15,000 emails, the pricing is competitive with Mailgun's post-increase rates. It supports both SMTP relay and API access, so migration from Mailgun is relatively painless. The same caveat as SendGrid applies: Sinch owns both Mailgun and Mailjet, so if corporate consolidation is your concern, this doesn't help. Best for marketing teams who need collaboration features alongside transactional capabilities.

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Best for

Teams wanting collaboration on email

Pricing

$15/month for 15,000 emails

Pros

Real-time email collaboration
Transactional + marketing
SMTP and API
Good template editor
Affordable pricing

Cons

Same parent company as Mailgun
Less powerful automation
Not as developer-focused
Support varies by tier

#11

Elastic Email

Very budget-friendly API with decent features. Similar to Mailgun but more affordable at volume.

Good for cost-conscious high-volume. Elastic Email offers both transactional and marketing email at $25/month for 25,000 emails, which significantly undercuts Mailgun's post-increase pricing. They also include email verification, which Mailgun charges extra for on lower plans. The developer experience is basic compared to Resend or Postmark—the API works but feels utilitarian rather than polished. Deliverability and support are acceptable but not exceptional. A pragmatic choice for cost-sensitive teams sending high volumes who don't need premium DX or best-in-class deliverability guarantees.

Visit

Best for

Cost-conscious teams with volume needs

Pricing

$25/month for 25,000 emails

Pros

Very affordable pricing
Both transactional and marketing
Email verification included
Good for high volume
API access

Cons

Developer experience is basic
Not as reliable as premium options
Support can be slow
Fewer modern features

#12

Plunk

Open-source email platform. Self-host for full control or use their managed service.

Good if you want Resend's approach but open-source. Plunk gives you modern API design similar to Resend but with the option to self-host for complete control over your email infrastructure and data. The managed service offers a free tier, making it easy to evaluate before committing. For teams that want the clean DX of a modern email API but need the transparency and control of open-source, Plunk is the only real option in this space. The tradeoffs are typical of early-stage open-source projects: smaller community, fewer integrations, and less proven at scale than established players like Mailgun or Postmark.

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Best for

Developers wanting open-source or self-hosted

Pricing

Free (open-source) or hosted plans

Pros

Open-source and self-hostable
Modern developer experience
Free tier available
Full control if self-hosted
Modern API design

Cons

Early stage (less proven)
Smaller community
Self-hosting requires work
Fewer integrations

Why Consider Alternatives to Mailgun

The 2025 price increase hit hard

Mailgun doubled Flex plan pricing from $1 to $2 per 1,000 emails in late 2025. For many users, this made alternatives like Postmark or Amazon SES more attractive at volume.

Sinch acquisition concerns

Since Sinch bought Mailgun, some users worry about long-term direction and pricing. The company now owns both Mailgun and Mailjet, consolidating the market.

Developer experience feels dated

Compared to modern APIs like Resend, Mailgun's DX shows its age. If you're starting fresh, newer platforms offer cleaner SDKs and better documentation.

No marketing features

Mailgun is transactional only. If you need marketing automation, campaigns, and visual builders, you'll need a second tool. Platforms like Sequenzy or Brevo include both.

What Users Say About Mailgun

Trustpilot

Initially, it took a while for the first-level support to understand my need. Once I escalated to the second level, it was very quick and efficient.

Marcello Guimaraes2026-02

Trustpilot

If you want to see the world's worst support system, you should check their support system. You will open a ticket, and they will reply after 48 hours minimum. I just wonder why they even have a support system.

Shahriar Alam2026-02

Trustpilot

Terrible experience. The system blocked my phone verification with a 'Too many activation codes requested' message, and now I can't activate my account at all. Support is slow and provides no real solution.

Andi Boja2026-02

Trustpilot

I opened a ticket about a programming issue, and Merit responded. He was very helpful and brief on the matter.

Beatriz Pereira2026-02

Trustpilot

Support team and their follow up is very good. I would like to give full score for their effort.

Alen2026-02

Feature

Mailgun

Sequenzy

Resend

Postmark

Amazon SES

SendGrid

Price at 50k/mo

~$100*

$49*

$20

$50

$19.95

DX quality

Good

Best

Great

None

Dated

Transactional

Marketing

SMTP relay

Deliverability

Good

Best

DIY

Variable

When to Use Each Platform

Choose Sequenzy if...

You want marketing + transactional in one
AI-generated email sequences appeal to you
You use Stripe and want automatic sync
You prefer subscriber-based pricing

Choose Stay with Mailgun if...

You've already built around their API
You need SMTP relay
Inbound email parsing is critical
You prefer pay-per-email pricing

Choose Resend if...

Developer experience is your top priority
You only need transactional email
You love React Email
Modern SDKs matter to you

Choose Postmark if...

Deliverability is absolutely critical
You want a platform that rejects bad actors
Human support matters
You're sending critical transactional emails

Choose Amazon SES if...

Cost is everything at massive volume
You have engineering resources for DIY
You're already deep in AWS
You don't need any hand-holding

Why people leave Mailgun

Mailgun has been a solid transactional email API for years. But recent changes have pushed many users to evaluate alternatives. To understand what modern email platforms offer, read our guide to best email marketing tools for SaaS. With over 1,400 reviews on Trustpilot, the feedback is polarized—some praise the reliability and scale, while others cite painfully slow support response times and frustrating account verification issues. The late 2025 price doubling on the Flex plan was the tipping point for many smaller teams who now pay twice as much for the same service.

The 2025 price increase

Mailgun doubled the Flex plan from $1 to $2 per 1,000 emails in late 2025. For small-volume users, this made alternatives like Postmark ($15/10k) or Resend ($20/50k) suddenly more attractive. The Foundation plan also starts at $35/mo now. Check our Mailgun comparison page for current pricing breakdown.

The Sinch question

Sinch acquired Mailgun, and now owns both Mailgun and Mailjet. Some users worry about consolidation and future pricing. When one company owns multiple competitors, the incentive to compete on price disappears.

Developer experience fell behind

When Resend launched with React Email and beautiful SDKs, it made Mailgun feel dated. The API works fine, but the developer experience isn't keeping pace with modern alternatives. If you're starting fresh, there are better options for transactional emails.

Transactional only

Mailgun doesn't do marketing. If you need campaigns, automation, or visual builders, you'll need a second tool. Platforms like Sequenzy or Brevo combine everything.

The alternatives, honestly

If you want modern DX: Resend

Resend is what Mailgun would be if built today. Beautiful API, React Email integration, modern SDKs for every language. The developer experience is unmatched. The catch: transactional only, no SMTP. But for modern apps, the API approach is usually better anyway. See our Resend comparison.

If you need marketing + transactional: Sequenzy

Sequenzy combines transactional and marketing with AI-powered sequences. Native Stripe integration syncs customer data automatically. It's $49/month for 10,000 subscribers (120k emails), including both marketing campaigns and transactional API.

No SMTP relay, but API-based integration is cleaner for most SaaS. See our Mailgun comparison for details.

If deliverability is critical: Postmark

Postmark has the best deliverability because they're strict about customers. They'll reject you if your use case seems sketchy. This keeps IP reputation pristine. If your app depends on emails arriving (password resets, 2FA), this matters. Check our Postmark comparison.

If cost is everything: Amazon SES

At $0.10 per 1,000 emails, nothing beats SES on raw cost. But you get zero help—no templates, no dashboard, no deliverability tools. Only choose this if you have engineering resources to build everything yourself. Check our Amazon SES comparison.

If you want to stay in the family: SendGrid

SendGrid and Mailgun are now siblings under Sinch. SendGrid has marketing features Mailgun lacks. Similar API maturity, similar pricing. If you're leaving Mailgun but want something familiar, SendGrid is the obvious alternative. See our SendGrid comparison.

The pricing comparison

At 50,000 emails/month:

Mailgun Scale: ~$100/month (after 2025 increase)
Resend: $20/month (transactional only, best DX)
Postmark: $50/month (best deliverability)
SendGrid Essentials: $19.95/month
Amazon SES: $5/month (DIY everything)
Sequenzy: $49/mo for 10k subscribers (marketing + transactional)

Note: Some prices are per email (Mailgun, Postmark) while others are per subscriber (Sequenzy, Loops). Compare based on your actual usage. See our pricing page.

When Mailgun is still the right choice

Mailgun wins if:

You've already built extensively around their API
You need SMTP relay for legacy systems
Inbound email parsing is critical for your app
You prefer pay-per-email pricing
Email validation API is important to you

Don't switch just because of the price increase. Migration has costs too. But if you're frustrated with the DX, need marketing features, or the new pricing doesn't work—the alternatives are genuinely better. Use our email warmup calculator to plan your transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

All Pricing Tiers

0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 3k emails/month

101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month

1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month

5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month

10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month

25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month

50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month

100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

12 Mailgun Alternatives Worth Considering

TL;DR

12 Best Mailgun Alternatives

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Why Consider Alternatives to Mailgun

What Users Say About Mailgun

Feature Comparison

When to Use Each Platform

Why people leave Mailgun

The 2025 price increase

The Sinch question

Developer experience fell behind

Transactional only

The alternatives, honestly

If you want modern DX: Resend

If you need marketing + transactional: Sequenzy

If deliverability is critical: Postmark

If cost is everything: Amazon SES

If you want to stay in the family: SendGrid

The pricing comparison

When Mailgun is still the right choice

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best Mailgun alternative for developers?

Why did Mailgun prices increase in 2025?

Is Resend better than Mailgun?

What's cheaper than Mailgun for high volume?

Does Mailgun have marketing automation?

Mailgun vs SendGrid: Which is better?

Does Sequenzy support SMTP like Mailgun?

What's the best Mailgun alternative for SaaS?

Is Postmark better than Mailgun for deliverability?

Can I migrate from Mailgun easily?

How do I cancel my Mailgun account?

What is Mailgun's pricing structure?

How do I export my data from Mailgun?

Does Mailgun offer a free trial?

What is Mailgun's refund policy?

Ready to try Sequenzy?

Sequenzy vs Mailgun: Direct Comparison

More Alternatives

SendGrid Alternatives

Postmark Alternatives

Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

All Pricing Tiers

Free Plan Features (2,500 emails/month)

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

Important Pricing Notes

Contact