ResendvsMailgun

Resend vs Mailgun

Modern simplicity vs flexible power

TL;DR

Resend offers a cleaner, more modern developer experience. Mailgun has more features, flexible SMTP options, and EU hosting. Choose Resend for simplicity, Mailgun for flexibility and advanced features.

Key Differences

The main things that set these tools apart

Developer Experience
Resend wins

Resend has a cleaner, more modern API with React Email support. Mailgun's API is powerful but more complex with more configuration options.

Feature Set
Mailgun wins

Mailgun offers email validation, inbound routing, EU hosting, and more flexibility. Resend is more focused on doing transactional email simply.

EU Data Compliance
Mailgun wins

Mailgun offers EU-hosted infrastructure from a single account. Important for GDPR compliance. Resend doesn't offer this yet.

Pricing Simplicity
Resend wins

Resend's pricing is straightforward. Mailgun has multiple tiers with different feature sets that can be confusing.

Pricing Comparison

At 10,000 emails/month

Resend
$0-20/month

Free tier covers 3k emails. Pro plan is $20 for 50k.

Visit Resend
Mailgun
$15/month

Basic plan. $1.80/1k overage. Flex plan now $2/1k (Dec 2025).

Visit Mailgun
Sequenzy

The SaaS alternative

$49/month

10k contacts, unlimited emails, transactional + marketing.

Feature Comparison

Side-by-side feature breakdown

Feature
Resend
Mailgun
Sequenzy
API & Integration
API Design
Modern REST, clean SDK
REST + SMTP, flexible
REST API
React Email
SMTP Relay
Email Validation
Included (Foundation+)
Inbound Routing
Infrastructure
EU Hosting
Dedicated IP
$30/mo
Included (Foundation 100k+)
Available
Custom Sending Domains
Unlimited
1000 (Foundation+)
Unlimited
Log Retention
45 days
5-30 days by plan
30 days
Deliverability
IP Reputation
Good, newer
Established
Good
Bounce Handling
Spam Complaints
Analytics Dashboard

Best For

When to choose each tool

Choose Resend if you...
  • Modern React/Next.js applications
  • Developers wanting the simplest integration
  • Startups building with React Email
  • US-based companies without EU data requirements
Choose Mailgun if you...
  • Companies needing EU data hosting
  • Applications requiring email validation
  • Complex routing and inbound email processing
  • Teams needing flexible SMTP configuration
Choose Sequenzy if you...
  • SaaS founders needing combined transactional + marketing
  • Stripe-integrated businesses
  • Teams wanting one unified email platform

When to Consider Sequenzy Instead

All-in-One Platform

Both Resend and Mailgun focus on transactional email. Sequenzy combines transactional, marketing, and automations in one tool.

Stripe Integration

Trigger emails from Stripe events like payments or subscription changes. Neither Resend nor Mailgun offers this natively.

SaaS-Focused

Built specifically for SaaS with features like trial-to-paid automations and subscriber segmentation.

Overview

Resend and Mailgun both serve developers building transactional email, but they take different approaches. Resend launched in 2023 with a focus on modern developer experience. Mailgun has been around since 2010, acquired by Sinch in 2021, and offers a more feature-rich but complex platform.

Developer Experience

Resend wins on simplicity. The API is clean, the SDKs are modern, and React Email support is first-class. Mailgun is more powerful but requires more configuration. If you value getting started fast, Resend is easier. If you need advanced routing or complex setups, Mailgun is more flexible.

EU Hosting

Mailgun's biggest advantage for European companies is EU-hosted infrastructure. You can send from the US or EU from a single account. This matters for GDPR compliance. Resend doesn't offer EU hosting yet.

Pricing Changes

Note that Mailgun raised their Flex (pay-as-you-go) pricing from $1 to $2 per 1,000 emails in December 2025. This makes their pay-as-you-go option less competitive. Their monthly plans remain similar to Resend's pricing.

Email Validation

Mailgun includes email validation in their Foundation and higher plans. Resend doesn't offer this feature. If you need to validate email addresses before sending, Mailgun saves you from needing a separate service.

Frequently Asked Questions

For developer experience and simplicity, yes. For EU hosting, email validation, and advanced features, Mailgun is better.

Not natively. You can use React Email to generate HTML and send via Mailgun, but it's not integrated like Resend.

Mailgun, because they offer EU-hosted infrastructure. Resend doesn't have this option yet.

Yes, the service remains reliable. Some users note the recent price increase on Flex plans as a downside.

No, Resend doesn't offer email validation. You'd need a separate service. Mailgun includes it in Foundation and higher plans.

Both have good deliverability. Mailgun has a longer track record. For most use cases, either will work well.

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) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 20k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 125k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 875k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 2M emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 4.5M 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)

  • Up to 100 subscribers in sequences
  • 2,000 emails/month
  • Email campaigns
  • Email sequences
  • Advanced analytics
  • Advanced segments
  • Stripe integration
  • API access
  • "Built by Sequenzy" branding

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

  • Subscribers in sequences
  • Monthly email quota
  • Email campaigns
  • Email sequences
  • Advanced analytics
  • Advanced segments
  • Stripe integration (Segment by LTV & MRR)
  • API access
  • Priority support
  • No branding

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Unlimited subscribers
  • Unlimited emails
  • Advanced analytics
  • Advanced segments
  • Stripe integration
  • Dedicated support
  • Custom integrations
  • SLA guarantee
  • No branding

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

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