TL;DR: My best Mailgun alternatives for 2026 are Postmark for transactional reliability, Amazon SES for the lowest cost, and Resend for a modern API. SendGrid suits teams that also want marketing tools, and SMTP2GO is a simple, cheaper relay. Entry plans run $10 to $20 a month, and SES charges $0.10 per 1,000 emails, as of October 2026. I compare 8 options below.
Mailgun has changed hands. Sinch completed its acquisition of Pathwire, Mailgun’s parent company, in 2021. Mailgun now sits inside a large communications platform.
For most users, the product still works fine. But a few things push people to shop around.
Mailgun’s pricing page shows Basic at $15 a month for 10,000 emails with just 1 day of log retention. To get 30 days of logs, you move up to Scale at $90 a month. Overage on Basic starts from $1.80 per 1,000 emails, as of October 2026.
That’s fine for some apps. For others, short logs and overage costs are the main pain.
I compared 8 providers that fix one or more of those issues. For the full market, see my list of the best transactional email services for SaaS. If you want to see real costs by volume, read my transactional email pricing guide.
Quick Comparison: 8 Best Mailgun Alternatives
| Provider | Best For | Starting Price | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postmark | Transactional reliability | $15/mo for 10,000 emails | 45 days of message history |
| Amazon SES | Lowest cost per email | $0.10 per 1,000 emails | No monthly plan |
| Resend | Modern developer API | Free for 3,000 emails/mo | 30-day retention on every plan |
| SendGrid | API plus marketing campaigns | $19.95/mo Essentials | Dedicated IP from Pro |
| SMTP2GO | Cheaper simple relay | $10/mo for 10,000 emails | Free plan with 1,000 emails/mo |
| Bird (SparkPost) | High volume at low unit cost | $0.35 to $0.45 per 1,000 | Deposit-based billing |
| MailerSend | Templates non-developers can edit | Free for 500 emails/mo | Visual template builder |
| Brevo | Marketing and transactional together | Free for 300 emails/day | CRM and automation built in |
What Should a Mailgun Alternative Do Better?
A strong Mailgun alternative should match its API and inbound features, then beat it on at least one pain point: log retention, price at your volume, support or ease of use. It must support SPF, DKIM and DMARC, offer webhooks and give you a clear path to a dedicated IP. If it can’t beat Mailgun somewhere, switching isn’t worth the effort.
Mailgun does a lot right. It has a mature API, inbound routing and a free plan of 100 emails a day. So I don’t treat “it sends email” as enough.
Here’s what I’d want to improve on:
- Longer logs on entry plans, so support can trace a missing email.
- Lower cost at your real monthly volume.
- Clearer separation of transactional and bulk sending.
- Better DX if your team lives in JavaScript.
- Independence from Sinch, if vendor concentration worries you.
One note on that last point. Mailjet is also owned by Sinch through the same Pathwire deal. If you want to leave the Sinch family, Mailjet doesn’t help. I left it off this list for that reason, though its free plan of 6,000 emails a month is generous.
Why Do People Switch From Mailgun?
The most common reasons are short log retention on lower plans, overage costs as volume grows, and a preference for a smaller email-only vendor after Sinch’s acquisition. Some developers also want a simpler, more modern API. Mailgun Basic keeps logs for 1 day and Scale keeps them for 30, per Mailgun’s pricing page as of October 2026.
Here’s how those play out.
Logs. A customer says they never got their reset email. With 1 day of logs, you may not be able to check. That’s a real support cost.
Volume jumps. Mailgun’s plans step from $15 to $35 to $90. If you sit between tiers, overage can push the bill up quickly. Model it in my pricing guide before you decide.
Dedicated IPs. Mailgun ties dedicated IPs to its Foundation and Scale volumes. That’s normal, but some buyers want one sooner.
Focus. Some teams just prefer a vendor that only does transactional email. Others are happy with a big platform. Neither view is wrong.
If you’re torn between Mailgun and SendGrid, my SendGrid vs Mailgun comparison goes feature by feature.
Best Mailgun Alternatives for Developers
These four are the strongest swaps if your engineers own email.
#1 Postmark: Best for transactional reliability
If logs and inbox speed are why you’re leaving Mailgun, Postmark is my first pick.
What it does well. Postmark separates transactional and bulk mail into message streams. It also keeps 45 days of message history on paid plans by default. That’s 45 times Mailgun Basic’s log window.
Key features:
- 45-day default retention, up to 365 days on Pro and Platform.
- Transactional and broadcast streams kept apart.
- Inbound email parsing, templates and webhooks.
- Dedicated IPs from $50 a month for high senders.
Pricing. Postmark’s pricing page lists Basic at $15 a month for 10,000 emails, Pro at $16.50 and Platform at $18. Overage is $1.80, $1.30 and $1.20 per 1,000. A free developer tier covers 100 emails a month. Dedicated IPs need 300,000 emails a month and Pro or higher, as of October 2026.
Best for: SaaS teams who need to prove an email was delivered.
Limitations. Postmark is strict about content and built for transactional mail. ActiveCampaign acquired it in 2022, so it isn’t independent either.
#2 Amazon SES: Best for the lowest cost per email
If Mailgun’s price is the problem, SES is the cheapest answer.
What it does well. SES charges per email with no plan. At 100,000 emails a month, you pay $10 in sending fees. Mailgun Scale lists $90 at that volume.
Key features:
- Pure pay as you go.
- Standard and managed dedicated IPs.
- Virtual Deliverability Manager add-on.
- Deep AWS integration.
Pricing. The SES pricing page shows $0.10 per 1,000 emails and $0.12 per GB of attachments. A standard dedicated IP is $24.95 a month, as of October 2026.
Best for: High-volume teams with engineers who can build logging and bounce handling.
Limitations. No inbound routing as easy as Mailgun’s, and no friendly log viewer by default. New accounts start in a sandbox limited to 200 messages per 24 hours, per the SES docs.
#3 Resend: Best for a modern developer API
Resend is the pick if your team finds Mailgun’s API dated.
What it does well. Clean SDKs, short docs and first-class support for React Email, which its team maintains. Every plan, including free, keeps 30 days of data.
Key features:
- Free plan with 3,000 emails a month.
- 30-day retention on all plans.
- Simple SDKs and webhooks.
- Dedicated IP add-on on Scale.
Pricing. According to Resend’s pricing page, Pro is $20 a month for 50,000 emails and Scale is $90 for 100,000. Overage is $0.90 per 1,000. The free plan caps you at 100 emails a day. A dedicated IP costs $30 a month on Scale, as of October 2026.
Best for: Node, Next.js and React teams. More picks in my best email API for developers guide.
Limitations. No inbound routing on the scale of Mailgun’s. It’s a younger vendor with fewer enterprise features.
#4 SendGrid: Best for an API plus marketing campaigns
SendGrid is the other big incumbent. It’s the natural pick if you also want marketing tools.
What it does well. It combines a mature Email API with Marketing Campaigns. Twilio completed its acquisition in February 2019.
Key features:
- Email API, SMTP and marketing in one account.
- Dynamic templates and event webhooks.
- One dedicated IP included from Pro.
- Wide library and plugin support.
Pricing. SendGrid’s Email API pricing lists a 60-day trial at 100 emails a day. Essentials starts at $19.95 a month and Pro at $89.95, as of October 2026. The permanent free plan was retired in 2025.
Best for: Teams that want app email and campaigns from one vendor.
Limitations. No free plan, unlike Mailgun. Moving from one large platform to another may not fix a “big vendor” concern.
Best Budget and High-Volume Mailgun Alternatives
These options win on price, either at low volume or at very high volume.
#5 SMTP2GO: Best for a cheaper simple relay
SMTP2GO undercuts Mailgun at the entry and mid tiers.
What it does well. It’s an easy SMTP relay and API with a free plan of 1,000 emails a month. Its Professional plan includes a dedicated IP.
Key features:
- Free plan with 1,000 emails a month.
- SMTP and REST API.
- 30 days of reports on paid plans.
- Dedicated IP on Professional.
Pricing. SMTP2GO’s pricing page lists Starter at $10 a month for 10,000 emails and Professional at $75 for 100,000, as of October 2026. That’s $5 less than Mailgun Basic and $15 less than Mailgun Scale at the same volumes.
Best for: Small apps, agencies and WordPress sites. See the best SMTP relay services for other picks.
Limitations. No inbound routing like Mailgun’s. Fewer developer features overall.
#6 Bird (SparkPost): Best for high volume at low unit cost
Bird is worth a look once you’re well past Mailgun’s Scale tier.
What it does well. Bird sells SparkPost’s email service at per-1,000 rates paid from a deposit. MessageBird acquired SparkPost in 2021.
Key features:
- Free plan with 1,000 emails a month.
- Per-1,000 pricing from a deposit balance.
- Unused balance carries forward.
- Dedicated IP add-ons on Growth and Scale.
Pricing. Bird’s email pricing page shows Startup at a $15 deposit and $0.40 per 1,000, Growth at $250 and $0.45 per 1,000, and Scale at $1,000 and $0.35 per 1,000, as of October 2026.
Best for: Senders in the millions per month.
Limitations. The deposit model is unusual. Dedicated IP add-on prices aren’t listed on the page.
Best Mailgun Alternatives for Small Teams
If non-developers touch your email, these two are friendlier than Mailgun.
#7 MailerSend: Best for templates non-developers can edit
MailerSend gives you an API plus a visual editor.
What it does well. Product and support staff can edit templates without code. Engineers still get an API, SMTP and webhooks.
Key features:
- Free plan with 500 emails a month.
- Drag and drop and HTML editors.
- API, SMTP and webhooks.
- Dedicated IPs for Enterprise high senders.
Pricing. MailerSend’s pricing page lists 500 free emails a month and a Hobby plan for 5,000 at under $10 a month. Starter and Professional include 50,000 emails. Prices were discounted when I checked, so confirm the current figures. Dedicated IPs require Enterprise and over 100,000 emails a week.
Best for: Small product teams sharing email ownership.
Limitations. Smaller free plan than Mailgun’s 100 a day. No dedicated IP below Enterprise.
#8 Brevo: Best for marketing and transactional together
Brevo is a marketing suite with a solid transactional API.
What it does well. If you use Mailgun for app email and another tool for newsletters, Brevo can do both. It adds a CRM and automation too.
Key features:
- Free plan with 300 emails a day.
- Transactional API and SMTP.
- Campaigns, automation and CRM.
- Dedicated IP on Enterprise.
Pricing. Brevo’s pricing page lists 300 free emails a day and Starter at $9 a month for 5,000 emails, as of October 2026. Enterprise is priced through sales.
Best for: Small teams that want one tool for everything.
Limitations. Less developer focus than Mailgun. I’d still split streams by subdomain, as I explain in transactional vs marketing email.
How Do You Pick the Right Mailgun Alternative?
Name the one problem you want to fix, then pick the vendor that fixes it best. Short logs point to Postmark or Resend. High cost points to SES, SMTP2GO or Bird. A need for marketing tools points to SendGrid or Brevo. Confirm the price at your real volume and check dedicated IP rules before you migrate.
Here’s my short checklist.
1. Match on inbound needs. If you rely on Mailgun’s inbound routing, check that your new vendor parses inbound mail. Postmark does. Many others are weaker here.
2. Price at three volumes. Today’s volume, 2x and 10x. Plans that look cheap now may not be later.
3. Clean your list first. High bounce rates follow you to any vendor. An email verification API can clean old addresses before you move.
4. Re-check sender rules. Since February 2024, Gmail’s sender guidelines require SPF, DKIM and DMARC for bulk senders. Yahoo asks you to keep spam rates under 0.3%. Since May 5, 2025, Outlook sends non-compliant mail from domains above 5,000 messages a day to Junk, per Petri. New DKIM keys from your new vendor must pass before you switch.
5. Run both for a week. Send a slice of traffic through the new vendor. Compare bounces and complaints. Then cut over.
How I Evaluated These Mailgun Alternatives
I didn’t run live send tests for this guide. I compared published pricing, plan limits and documentation from each vendor as of October 2026. I also checked ownership news and the public sender rules from Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft.
I weighed each provider on:
- Published price at 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000 emails.
- Log retention on entry and mid plans.
- Developer features: API, SMTP, webhooks and inbound.
- Dedicated IP access and volume rules.
- Ownership, including whether it’s also part of Sinch.
All prices link to vendor pages. Pricing changes, so check the live page first. My editorial policy covers how I research and update.
The Bottom Line
If you’re leaving Mailgun over short logs or deliverability worries, pick Postmark. If cost is the issue and you have engineers, choose Amazon SES. If your team wants a cleaner API, Resend is the best fit. If you want marketing in the same account, SendGrid or Brevo will do it.
For simple relays, SMTP2GO costs less than Mailgun at both 10,000 and 100,000 emails. At millions a month, look at Bird.
Skip Mailjet if your goal is to leave Sinch. Next, price your top two at your volume. Then read SendGrid vs Mailgun or my Postmark alternatives guide if you want more choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Mailgun?
Sinch owns Mailgun. Sinch completed its acquisition of Pathwire, the parent company of Mailgun and Mailjet, in 2021. Mailgun still runs as its own product with its own pricing and docs. If you want to leave the Sinch family entirely, note that switching to Mailjet won’t do that, since it shares the same owner.
Does Mailgun still have a free plan?
Yes. As of October 2026, Mailgun’s pricing page lists a free plan with 100 emails a day and 1 day of log retention. Paid plans start with Basic at $15 a month for 10,000 emails. Foundation is $35 for 50,000 and Scale is $90 for 100,000, with longer log retention on higher plans.
What is the cheapest alternative to Mailgun?
Amazon SES is the cheapest per email at $0.10 per 1,000, as of October 2026. For a managed option, SMTP2GO costs $10 a month for 10,000 emails and $75 for 100,000, both below Mailgun’s matching plans. Resend and SMTP2GO also have free plans with 3,000 and 1,000 emails a month.
Is Postmark better than Mailgun?
For transactional email, Postmark has clear advantages. It keeps 45 days of message history by default, while Mailgun Basic keeps 1 day. It also separates transactional and broadcast mail into streams. Mailgun is more flexible for mixed use and has a free daily plan. Pick Postmark for reliability, Mailgun for flexibility.
How do I migrate from Mailgun without hurting deliverability?
Add your new provider’s SPF and DKIM records and confirm DMARC passes. Export your Mailgun suppression lists and import them, so you don’t email old bounces. Move low-risk mail first, then resets and receipts. Run both providers in parallel for about a week, and watch bounce and complaint rates before you fully switch.
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Daniel Brooks writes about proxies, web scraping and email infrastructure at StackHyre. He compares providers on published pricing, documentation and independent benchmarks so you can pick the right setup without overpaying.