Head to head
Amazon SES vs Mailgun
As a transactional email API, Mailgun rates higher on the APIbenchmarks Index, 82.1 to 78.4, a 3.7-point gap. Here is how they compare on each criterion.
Criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Amazon SES | Mailgun |
|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Ecosystem & SDKs | ||
| Accessibility | ||
| APIbenchmarks Index | 78.4 | 82.1 |
Specifications
| Amazon SES | Mailgun | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Lowest-cost email at massive scale | Developer email infrastructure at scale |
| Free tier | 3,000 messages/mo (first 12 mo) | 100 emails/day (forever) |
| Pricing | Pay-as-you-go per 1k emails | Per monthly email volume |
| Official SDKs | 12 languages | 9 languages |
Is Amazon SES better than Mailgun?
On the APIbenchmarks Index, Mailgun rates higher (82.1 vs 78.4). It leads on the four weighted criteria, but price is reported separately, so the best choice still depends on your budget.
Verdict in one line
Mailgun leads by 3.7 points (82.1 vs 78.4) and wins 2 of 4 criteria; Amazon SES wins 2.
Winner by criterion
| Criterion |  Amazon SES | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Documentation & DX | 70 | 80 | |
| Reliability | 92 | 86 | Amazon SES |
| Ecosystem & SDKs | 88 | 84 | Amazon SES |
| Accessibility | 62 | 78 |
Choose Amazon SES if… / choose Mailgun if…
Choose Amazon SES if- →reliability matters most to you (92 vs 86)
- →ecosystem & sdks matters most to you (88 vs 84)
- →you need broad SDK coverage (12 official SDKs vs 9)
- →your use case matches its focus: lowest-cost email at massive scale
- →documentation & dx matters most to you (80 vs 70)
- →accessibility matters most to you (78 vs 62)
- →your use case matches its focus: developer email infrastructure at scale
Pricing side by side
Amazon SES- Model
- Pay-as-you-go per 1k emails
- Free tier
- 3,000 messages/mo (first 12 mo)
- Outbound email$0.10 / 1,000 emails
- Inbound email$0.10 / 1,000 emails
- Dedicated IP (standard)$24.95 / month per IP
- Dedicated IP (managed)$15 / month per account
- Virtual Deliverability Managerfrom $0.07 / 1,000 emails
- Mail Manager$0.15 / 1,000 emails processed
- Model
- Per monthly email volume
- Free tier
- 100 emails/day (forever)
- Free$0/mo
- Basicfrom $15/mo
- Foundation$35/mo
- Scale$90/mo
- EnterpriseCustom (contact sales)
Vendor-published pricing, verified 2026-06-27 (Amazon SES) and 2026-06-27 (Mailgun).
SDK and language coverage
Both · 5
JavaPython (Boto3)PHPRubyGo
Only Amazon SES · 7
JavaScript / Node.js.NET / C#C++RustKotlinSwiftSMTP interface (any SMTP-capable language)
Only Mailgun · 4
C#/.NETNode.jsREST APISMTP relay
Strengths and weaknesses
Amazon SES- +Lowest-in-class price at $0.10 per 1,000 emails with no monthly platform fee or minimum commitment
- +Scales to millions of emails effortlessly on AWS's proven sending infrastructure
- +Deep native integration with Lambda, S3, SNS, SQS, CloudWatch, and IAM
- –No built-in dashboard for opens/clicks/bounces/complaints, you must wire up SNS/Lambda yourself
- –Sandbox mode (200/day, verified recipients only) plus a manual production-access request before real sending
- –No templating UI, campaign management, or marketing automation, purely sending infrastructure
- +Clean, well-documented REST API plus SMTP relay; reviewers report integration in minutes
- +Seven official, actively maintained SDKs (Python, Ruby, PHP, Java, C#, Node.js, Go)
- +Contractual 99.99% uptime SLA on core API/SMTP/outbound delivery for all plan tiers
- –Pricing escalates steeply with volume; reviewers say it has gotten 'pricier and pricier'
- –Legacy pay-as-you-go Flex plan doubled to $2.00/1K in Dec 2025 and is closed to new users
- –Recurring abrupt account suspensions, sometimes right after signup or mid-integration, with no clear reason
Amazon SES vs Mailgun: questions
- Which has better documentation, Amazon SES or Mailgun?
- Mailgun scores higher on documentation and developer experience: 80 vs 70 out of 100.
- Which is more reliable, Amazon SES or Mailgun?
- Amazon SES scores higher on reliability: 92 vs 86 out of 100.
- Do Amazon SES and Mailgun have a free tier?
- Amazon SES: yes (3,000 messages/mo (first 12 mo)). Mailgun: yes (100 emails/day (forever)).
- How are Amazon SES and Mailgun priced?
- Amazon SES: Pay-as-you-go per 1k emails. Mailgun: Per monthly email volume.
- Which has more official SDKs?
- Amazon SES lists 12 official SDKs, Mailgun lists 9.