Mailgun vs. Amazon SES

Cheaper isn’t always smarter. If you’re comparing Amazon SES vs. Mailgun, you’ve probably noticed SES offers high volume sending at low pricing. But when deliverability, analytics, and expert support matter, Mailgun delivers more out of the box –without hidden add-on costs or complex AWS dependencies. 

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Why Sinch Mailgun?

Top reasons team choose Mailgun

  • Powerful analytics and deliverability tools built in 

  • Reliable IP reputation and validation services that help your emails reach more inboxes

  • 24/7 access to expert support without a $15K enterprise contract

  • Email-centric documentation and a simple API make setup and integration far easier, helping teams launch faster

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Join over 150,000 businesses, including 8 of the 10 largest tech companies in the world

Get your emails to the inbox

Email that scales with you, not against you

Mailgun helps optimize inbox placement through validation, reputation monitoring, and deliverability analytics. SES focuses on delivery; we focus on deliverability – ensuring your emails actually reach customers. 

  • Built-in email validation cleans your lists and reduces bounces 

  • Dedicated IPs available on all paid plans 

  • Mailgun Optimize tools track inbox placement, engagement, and IP health 

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EMAIL EXPERTS AT YOUR SERVICE

Best-in-class support – no guesswork, no forums needed

Amazon SES offers virtually no live support under enterprise tiers, meaning most senders are left to comb documentation and forums for answers. Mailgun gives you access to real deliverability engineers and 24/7 assistance across all paid plans. 

  • 24/7 chat, ticket, and phone support on paid plans

  • Clear escalation paths for technical and deliverability issues

  • Custom consulting options to optimize your sending reputation 

Illustration of a chat with a TAM at Mailgun

Tools To Track Your Sender Reputation

Analytics and visibility built for growth

SES provides core delivery metrics, but advanced engagement analytics, inbox placement insights, and long-term visibility require additional services and setup. Mailgun’s analytics dashboard gives you visibility into every send – helping you optimize campaigns, monitor reputation, and scale confidently. 

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Reach More Of Your List With Mailgun

Compare features: Mailgun vs. Amazon SES

Amazon SES, on its own, lacks many comparable features to Mailgun. Amazon SES provides basic sending, data, and deliverability features; we offer all of that and more in-house. 

Mailgun
Amazon SES
Inbox Placement Monitoring
Advanced via Mailgun Optimize
Limited (manual tracking)
Email Validation
Built-In Tools
Built-In Tools
Dedicated IPs
Available for paid plans
Available at additional cost and operational complexity
Deliverability Tools
Included with Optimize and Validations
Offers Virtual Deliverability Manager
Analytics Dashboard
✅ 30-day performance view including engagement data and drill-down logs
⚠️ Basic analytics only 
Expert Guided Support
24/7 Support for paid plans
Enterprise support
API & SDKs
RESTful, language agnostic
Native to AWS
Integration Complexity
Simple setup via SMTP or API
Native to AWS
Email Logs & Reporting
30 days
Limited
Security & Compliance
GDPR, SOC2, HIPAA eligible
Strong (AWS Native)

Reviews & Testimonials

See what customers say about Mailgun

Mailgun gives customers everything SES doesn’t: analytics tools, support from email experts, and a scalable deliverability infrastructure without the markup.

Mailgun
Amazon SES
G2
⭐4.4 / 5 
⭐ 4.1 / 5 
Capterra
⭐ 4.5 / 5 
⭐ 4.2 / 5 
TrustRadius
⭐ 8.6 / 10 
⭐ 8.0 / 10 
Based on verified user reviews; Dec. 2025.
For us, at the volume we’re sending – every fraction of a percentage means a potential customer, and as a community of designers, it’s our job to create meaningful touchpoints. High deliverability ensures that our messages and our reach are seen; any improvement in our email program has a huge effect on our business.
Photo of Michael Sacca
Michael Sacca Vice President of Product at Dribbble
Mailgun has great ability in email delivery. It’s also really reliable as I have not heard my website users complaining about not receiving emails. The sort of new intuitive design makes me like Mailgun even more!
Lee P. Founder, small business
I got onto Mailgun six years ago for our email marketing app. And I’m still sticking with Mailgun because it’s the number one for email marketing. There’s no one else.
Sam Nguyen, Avada Commerce CEO

Use Cases

Choose Mailgun if you want:

  • All-in-one deliverability, analytics, and support

  • Reliable inbox placement and validated contact data

  • Dedicated IPs and visibility into performance

  • Easy setup, API integration, and full support

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Use Cases

Choose Amazon SES if you need:

  • Basic sending on AWS at the lowest cost possible

  • Simple transactional delivery via EC2

  • To stay within AWS ecosystem

Image for Choose Amazon SES if you need:

Pricing Comparison

Transparent pricing that scales with you

Amazon SES looks cheaper upfront, but costs rise fast once you add support, dedicated IPs, and external validation tools. 

Mailgun
Amazon SES
Free Plans
100 emails/day (no expiration)
Receive 3,000 message charges free each month for first 12 months

Users pay for outgoing mail data, incoming mail chunks, EC2 data transfer fees, & add-on features if usage of Amazon SES qualifies for the AWS Free Usage Tier.
Paid Plans
10,000 emails/month starts at $15/month

50,000 emails/month starts at $35/month

100,000 emails/month starts at $90/month
$0.10 per every 1,000 emails

Costs increase due to data transfers, dedicated IPs, validation tools, and support plans

FAQS

Frequently asked questions

Mailgun’s pricing starts at $35/month for up to 50,000 emails and includes analytics, validation, and a dedicated IP. SES starts at $0.10 per thousand emails, but you’ll need to pay extra for support, validation, and dedicated IPs – so total costs rise quickly at scale. 

Not at all. Mailgun provides API compatibility and onboarding support to make the switch seamless, even if your current stack runs on AWS.

Mailgun offers 24/7/365 support from real email experts – via ticket – across all paid tiers. You’ll never need a $15K enterprise contract just to get help. 

Yes. Mailgun’s Foundation and Scale plans have access to Dedicated IPs. Those in Scale plans also have access to Dedicated IP pools. Amazon SES charges extra and requires manual setup. 

Our platform focuses on inbox placement, not just sending. With tools like Mailgun Optimize, email validation, and deliverability monitoring, you can improve open rates, reduce bounces, and protect your sender reputation automatically. 

Explore beyond Amazon SES

Don’t settle for basic email APIs. Explore the developer-first platform built for speed, scale, and rock-solid deliverability. 

Solutions

Ensure every email hits the inbox
Email deliverability
Email list management
Email analytics

Use Cases

Read how other companies are using Mailgun
Email testing tool
Check sender reputation
Email reputation check

Published January 2026