MailgunvsSparkPost

Mailgun vs SparkPost

Two paths to reliable email delivery

TL;DR

Both Mailgun and SparkPost are developer-focused transactional email platforms. Mailgun (owned by Sinch) has simpler pricing and good mid-market fit. SparkPost (now part of MessageBird) has stronger enterprise features and analytics. Both deliver well. Choose based on scale and feature needs.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Analytics Depth
SparkPost wins

SparkPost has more advanced analytics with engagement prediction and deliverability insights. Mailgun's analytics are good but less sophisticated.

Pricing Simplicity
Mailgun wins

Mailgun has clearer, more accessible pricing tiers. SparkPost's pricing is less transparent with more enterprise focus.

High-Volume Pricing
SparkPost wins

At very high volumes (millions of emails), SparkPost often negotiates better per-email rates. Mailgun is competitive but SparkPost is known for enterprise deals.

SDK Coverage
Mailgun wins

Mailgun has slightly more SDKs and broader language support. Both cover major languages well.

Pricing Comparison

At 100,000 emails/month

Mailgun
$75/month

Scale plan with validation, analytics, 5-day retention.

Visit Mailgun
SparkPost
$85/month

Starter plan. Enterprise pricing for high volume.

Visit SparkPost
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

Unified transactional + marketing, unlimited sends.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Mailgun
SparkPost
Sequenzy
Core Email
REST API
Comprehensive
Comprehensive
SMTP Relay
Email Templates
Template storage
Template storage
Visual builder
Webhooks
Detailed events
Very detailed events
Deliverability
Delivery Optimization
Good
Predictive sending
Managed
Email Validation
Built-in
Built-in
Analytics Depth
Good
Advanced
Good
Dedicated IPs
Available
Available
Shared
IP Warmup
Automatic
Automatic
Managed
Enterprise Features
Subaccounts
Available
Advanced
Limited
SSO/SAML
Enterprise only
Enterprise plans
SLA
99.99% uptime
99.9%+ uptime
99.9%
Support
Tiered support
Tiered support
Direct founder access
Developer Experience
SDKs
8+ languages
6+ languages
Node.js, Python, Go
Documentation
Excellent
Excellent
Clear
Testing Tools
Inbox placement
Inbox placement
Test mode

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Mailgun if you...
  • Mid-market companies needing reliable transactional email
  • Teams wanting clear, accessible pricing
  • Developers preferring broad SDK support
  • Companies valuing straightforward setup
Choose SparkPost if you...
  • Enterprise sending billions of emails monthly
  • Companies needing advanced analytics and reporting
  • Organizations with complex subaccount requirements
  • Teams wanting predictive sending features
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS companies wanting unified transactional and marketing
  • Founders building on Stripe who need payment automation
  • Teams seeking per-subscriber pricing, not per-email

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Unified Email Platform

Sequenzy combines transactional and marketing email without managing multiple systems.

Native Stripe Integration

Trigger emails from Stripe events. Neither Mailgun nor SparkPost offers this.

Per-Subscriber Pricing

No per-email costs or volume calculations. Simple pricing that scales with your audience.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Mailgun and SparkPost both focus on developer-focused transactional email infrastructure. Mailgun is owned by Sinch. SparkPost is part of MessageBird. Both are mature platforms with reliable delivery and comprehensive APIs. See our Mailgun comparison for more alternatives.

Similar Core Capabilities

Both platforms excel at the basics: reliable email delivery, comprehensive REST APIs, SMTP relay, webhook events, and email validation. For standard transactional email needs, either works well.

The differences emerge in analytics depth, enterprise features, and pricing models.

Analytics and Reporting

SparkPost has more sophisticated analytics. Predictive engagement scoring, detailed deliverability insights, and advanced reporting dashboards. If email analytics drive your decisions, SparkPost provides more data.

Mailgun's analytics are good but more straightforward. You get what you need without the enterprise-grade depth.

Pricing Models

Mailgun has clearer pricing tiers visible on their website. Easy to understand what you will pay at different volumes.

SparkPost is more enterprise-focused with less transparent pricing. At high volumes, SparkPost negotiates custom rates that can be very competitive. At moderate volumes, Mailgun is easier to budget for.

Enterprise Considerations

Both offer enterprise features: dedicated IPs, subaccounts, SSO, and priority support. SparkPost has slightly more advanced subaccount management for agencies and large organizations.

For enterprise sending at massive scale, SparkPost's sales team can often offer compelling deals. For mid-market needs, Mailgun's self-serve approach works well.

Making the Decision

Choose Mailgun for straightforward transactional email with clear pricing and broad accessibility. Choose SparkPost for advanced analytics, enterprise scale, or if you need sophisticated delivery optimization. For unified transactional and marketing, consider Sequenzy.

The Sequenzy Alternative

For SaaS companies, Sequenzy combines transactional and marketing email with native Stripe integration, smart segmentation, and per-subscriber pricing instead of per-email costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Both have excellent deliverability. SparkPost has more sophisticated delivery optimization features. Mailgun has solid, reliable delivery. For most use cases, either works well.

At moderate volumes, similar pricing. At very high volumes, SparkPost often offers better enterprise rates. Mailgun is more accessible for smaller senders.

Mailgun has slightly simpler onboarding. Both are developer-friendly with good documentation.

No. Mailgun is owned by Sinch. SparkPost is part of MessageBird. They are separate companies competing in the same space.

SparkPost has more advanced analytics with predictive features. Mailgun's analytics are good but more basic.

Both focus on transactional. They have basic campaign features but are not marketing platforms. For marketing, consider dedicated tools or Sequenzy.

Update your sending code to use SparkPost's API. Verify your domains. Both use standard protocols, so migration is straightforward. You will gain advanced analytics but may find pricing less transparent.

Update your code to use Mailgun's API. Verify your domain in Mailgun. Migration is straightforward. You will gain simpler pricing but may lose some advanced analytics features.

Not sure which to pick?

If you're a SaaS founder who needs Stripe integration and unified email, try Sequenzy free. No credit card required.

Start Free TrialSee All Features

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k 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.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

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

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com