MandrillvsAmazon SES

Mandrill vs Amazon SES

Mailchimp transactional add-on vs AWS ultra-cheap email

TL;DR

Mandrill requires Mailchimp and works as a transactional add-on. Amazon SES is AWS's ultra-cheap email service at $0.10/1,000 emails with minimal features. SES wins on price for high volume. Mandrill wins on features and ease of use.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Price
Amazon SES wins

Amazon SES is dramatically cheaper at scale. 100k emails cost $10/month on SES vs ~$60/month on Mandrill. At 1M emails, SES is $100/month. For pure cost optimization, SES is unbeatable.

Managed vs DIY
Mandrill wins

Mandrill manages deliverability, provides analytics, and handles infrastructure. SES gives you raw sending power — you manage reputation, bounces, and complaints yourself. Mandrill is easier; SES requires expertise.

Features
Mandrill wins

Mandrill includes analytics, template management, A/B testing, and webhooks out of the box. SES provides basic sending — everything else requires building or integrating additional AWS services.

AWS Ecosystem
Amazon SES wins

If you're already on AWS, SES integrates natively with Lambda, SNS, S3, CloudWatch. No additional vendor relationship needed. Mandrill is a separate vendor with Mailchimp lock-in.

Pricing Comparison

At 100,000 emails/month

Mandrill
$50+/month

4 blocks (100k emails) + Mailchimp Standard ($20+/mo). Total ~$60+/mo.

Visit Mandrill
Amazon SES
$10/month

$0.10 per 1,000 emails. No minimum. Plus $0.12/GB data transfer.

Visit Amazon SES
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k subscribers, unlimited emails, transactional + marketing, Stripe integration.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Mandrill
Amazon SES
Sequenzy
Email Sending
API
REST + SMTP
REST + SMTP
REST + SMTP
Deliverability
Good (managed)
You manage it
Managed
Templates
Merge tags
Basic SES templates
Liquid syntax
Analytics Dashboard
Full analytics
CloudWatch metrics
Full analytics
Platform
Standalone
No (requires Mailchimp)
Yes (requires AWS)
Pricing Model
Block-based + Mailchimp
Pay-per-email ($0.10/1k)
Subscriber-based
Dedicated IPs
$29.95/mo
Free (you manage reputation)
Enterprise
Complexity
Moderate
High (DIY)
Low
Developer Experience
Setup Complexity
Add Mailchimp subscription
AWS configuration, IAM, domain verification
Simple API key
Webhooks
Direct webhooks
Via SNS topics
Delivery events
Inbound Email
Yes (via S3/SNS)
Support
Via Mailchimp
AWS support plans
Direct chat

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Mandrill if you...
  • Mailchimp users wanting managed transactional email
  • Teams wanting analytics and templates included
  • Companies preferring managed service over DIY
Choose Amazon SES if you...
  • High-volume senders optimizing for cost
  • AWS-native companies wanting integrated email
  • Teams with email infrastructure expertise
  • Applications sending millions of emails monthly
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders wanting managed email with Stripe integration
  • Teams wanting transactional + marketing without DIY complexity

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

Managed Without Lock-in

Mandrill requires Mailchimp. SES requires AWS expertise. Sequenzy is managed transactional + marketing email at $49/month, no lock-in.

SaaS-Specific

Sequenzy adds Stripe integration and subscription automation on top of transactional email.

Try Sequenzy Free

Overview

Mandrill and Amazon SES represent different approaches: managed service vs raw infrastructure. Mandrill provides analytics and templates. SES provides ultra-cheap sending. For our take on Mandrill, see our Mandrill comparison.

SES: Cheap but DIY

Amazon SES is the cheapest email sending available — $0.10/1,000 emails. But you get raw infrastructure. No analytics dashboard, basic templates, manual bounce handling. You need email expertise to use SES effectively.

Mandrill: Managed but Locked

Mandrill provides analytics, templates, and managed deliverability. But it requires Mailchimp. For teams wanting managed transactional email, Mandrill is easier — if you're willing to pay for Mailchimp.

The Sequenzy Alternative

For SaaS founders wanting managed transactional email and marketing campaigns with Stripe integration — without Mailchimp lock-in or AWS complexity — Sequenzy offers both at $49/month.

Frequently Asked Questions

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.

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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) - 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.

Free Plan Features (2,500 emails/month)

  • 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