Mailgun alternatives, compared on real prices
The best Mailgun alternative depends on why you're switching. SendGrid Essentials and Resend Pro are cheaper at 50,000 to 100,000 emails a month. Postmark is the transactional specialist. Amazon SES is cheapest at any volume if you build the tooling yourself, and SendForAI is SES with that tooling built in, designed for AI agents. If you rely on inbound routing or SMTP, Resend is the closest match.
This page is about sending email from an app through an API: receipts, sign-in links, alerts and opt-in newsletters. Cold-outreach inbox tools that show up in searches for Mailgun alternatives solve a different problem. We build SendForAI, so we're biased; there's a section on where Mailgun is still the better choice.
What the same volume costs on each
| Emails / month | Mailgun | SendGrid | Postmark | Resend | Amazon SES | SendForAI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $15 | $19.95 | $15 | $20 | $1.04 | $5 |
| 50,000 | $35 | $19.95 | $55 | $20 | $5.19 | $9.40 |
| 100,000 | $75 | $34.95 | $115 | $35 | $10.38 | $14.90 |
| 250,000 | $215 | $249 | $245 | $170 | $25.96 | $31.40 |
| 500,000 | $400 | $499 | $455 | $350 | $51.92 | $58.90 |
| 1,000,000 | $700 | $799 | $775 | $650 | $103.84 | $113.90 |
| 2,500,000 | $1,250 | $1,099 | $2,052.50 | $1,150 | $259.60 | $333.85 |
Monthly USD before tax, transactional email only, each on its cheapest published plan for the volume, read November 7, 2026. Mailgun and Postmark take the cheaper of a tier plus published overage or the next tier. SendGrid is the plan that covers the volume, since it doesn't publish Email API overage. Amazon SES includes message data at 32 KB per email but nothing you'd build yourself. Sources: Mailgun, SendGrid, Postmark, Resend, Amazon SES, SendForAI.
Which alternative for which reason
| If you're leaving Mailgun because… | Look at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lower cost at volume | Amazon SES, or SendForAI | At a million emails Mailgun Scale is $700. Raw SES is about $103.84 if you build the rest; SendForAI is $113.90 with suppression, unsubscribe and events built in. |
| Cheapest at 50,000 to 100,000 | SendGrid Essentials or Resend Pro | $19.95 and $20 at 50,000, against Mailgun Foundation at $35; $34.95 and $35 at 100,000, against $75. |
| Transactional email that must land | Postmark | Built only for transactional email, with separate message streams for broadcasts. It costs more per email than Mailgun at most volumes. |
| A modern API and React Email | Resend | Developer-first API and SDKs, React Email templates, inbound email and a 3,000-email free tier. |
| An AI agent does the sending | SendForAI | No API keys (a DNS record is the identity), cost returned on every send, a spending budget only a person can raise, and broadcasts that wait for human approval. Early access. |
| You need inbound routing or SMTP | Stay on Mailgun, or Resend | Mailgun includes inbound routing and an SMTP relay on every plan. Resend has inbound and SMTP too. Amazon SES has both, but you wire up receiving yourself. SendForAI sends only, through its API. |
The alternatives, one by one
SendGrid
Now part of Twilio. A 60-day trial at 100 emails a day, then Essentials from $19.95 for 50,000 and Pro from $89.95 for 100,000 with a dedicated IP and single sign-on. Newsletters are a separate Marketing Campaigns plan. Details in SendGrid pricing and SendGrid alternatives.
Postmark
Transactional-first, with a free plan of 100 emails a month and Basic from $15 for 10,000. It's the most expensive option here at 50,000 and 100,000 emails ($115 at 100,000), and teams pay it for deliverability on critical mail. See Postmark pricing.
Resend
A developer-first API with React Email, inbound email and a free tier of 3,000 a month. Pro is $20 for 50,000 and $35 for 100,000. Marketing email is billed by contacts on a separate plan. See Resend pricing and Resend alternatives.
Amazon SES
The infrastructure several of these services run on: $0.10 per 1,000 emails à la carte, about $10.38 at 100,000. You build bounce and complaint handling, suppression, unsubscribe and reputation management yourself. See Amazon SES pricing.
SendForAI
An email API on Amazon SES at cost, built for AI agents to set up and run. $0 to build, $5 in months you send to anyone outside your own domains (10,000 emails included), then $0.11 per 1,000: $14.90 at 100,000 and $113.90 at a million. Transactional and broadcast email share one prepaid balance, and an account can send from up to 50 domains. It's in early access: payments run in test mode and our SES production access is under review.
When to stay on Mailgun
- Inbound email is part of your product. Mailgun includes inbound routing on every plan. SendForAI doesn't receive email, and with raw SES you'd build receiving yourself with receipt rules.
- You depend on SMTP. Mailgun's SMTP relay is on every plan, Free included. SendForAI is API-only.
- You use its validation and deliverability tools. Email validation, inbox placement tests (Optimize), 30-day logs, single sign-on and phone support on Scale. Moving means replacing those, not just the sending.
Switching off Mailgun: a short checklist
- Export your suppression lists (bounces, complaints, unsubscribes) and import them before the first send.
- Add the new provider's DKIM and return-path records alongside Mailgun's, so both work during the move.
- Replace inbound routes and webhooks; check the new provider covers every event you consume.
- Warm up gradually if you move to a new dedicated IP: shift a slice of traffic first, then the rest.
- Watch bounce and complaint rates for the first two weeks, then remove Mailgun's DNS records.
Full Mailgun plan details are on Mailgun pricing, explained.
Mailgun alternatives FAQ
What is the best alternative to Mailgun?
It depends on why you're leaving. For price at volume, Amazon SES (if you'll build the tooling) or SendForAI (SES with the tooling built in). For 50,000 to 100,000 emails a month, SendGrid Essentials and Resend Pro are cheaper than Mailgun Foundation. For transactional deliverability, Postmark. To keep inbound routing and SMTP, Resend.
Mailgun vs SendGrid: which is cheaper?
SendGrid is cheaper at 50,000 ($19.95 vs $35), 100,000 ($34.95 vs $75) and 2.5 million ($1,099 vs $1,250). Mailgun is cheaper at 10,000 ($15 vs $19.95) and from 250,000 to 1 million, for example $700 vs $799 at a million. SendGrid has no free plan; Mailgun's is 100 emails a day.
Mailgun vs Resend: which is cheaper?
Resend is cheaper from 50,000 emails a month up: $20 vs $35 at 50,000, $35 vs $75 at 100,000 and $650 vs $700 at a million. At 10,000 Mailgun Basic is $15 against Resend's $20, though Resend's free tier covers 3,000 a month.
Is there a free Mailgun alternative?
Resend's free plan sends 3,000 emails a month (100 a day), Postmark's free plan 100 a month, and SendForAI is free to build: unlimited simulated sends and 25 real emails a day to your own domains. SendGrid offers a 60-day trial rather than a free plan.
Are cold email tools like InboxKit or Maildoso Mailgun alternatives?
Not for the same job. Those set up inboxes for cold outreach. Mailgun and the services on this page send transactional and opt-in email from your app through an API; they aren't built for cold outreach.