EmailEngine vs Mailgun (2026): which should you pick?

Pick EmailEngine if

• Fits if you're building an app that has to read and send from your users' own mailboxes
• Works for teams with many mailboxes who want one flat price and can run a server

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a hosted service, because you run it yourself and there isn't one
• Pricey if you have only a few mailboxes, as the price is the same $1,450 a year for any number
• Not for you if you want open source: it's source available and needs a subscription past the trial
• Watch out: it needs a Redis database that persists data
• Watch out: prices leave out VAT

Pick Mailgun if

• Fits if your app needs to receive email and pass it on to a webhook
• Works for teams whose email data has to stay in the EU

Look elsewhere if

• Tight if you're on Free or Basic, with 1 sending domain and 1 day of logs
• Not for you if you want an editor to write and send campaigns, since it's all code
• Pricey if you need a dedicated IP, which starts with Scale at $90 a month, with extra IPs at $59 each
• Watch out: inbox placement tests and reputation monitoring are a separate product, Mailgun Optimize
• Watch out: Free stops at 100 emails a day, and Basic charges $1.80 per 1,000 past 10,000

EmailEngine

• It is source available rather than open source: running it beyond the trial requires a subscription.
• You host it yourself and it needs a Redis database that must persist data.
• The flat price is $1,450 a year ($199 a month) whatever the mailbox count, so it suits larger use more than a few mailboxes.
• Prices exclude VAT, and the vendor lists the product's platforms as Linux, macOS, Windows and Docker with no hosted version.

Mailgun

• Free and Basic allow 1 sending domain and keep 1 day of logs; unlimited users and 1,000 domains start with Foundation at $35 a month.
• There is no send button: Mailgun sends through code, not a campaign editor.
• A dedicated IP comes with Scale at $90 a month; extra IPs are $59 each a month.
• Inbox placement tests and reputation monitoring are a separate product, Mailgun Optimize.

EmailEngine

One REST API for three mailbox types

Read, send and sync Gmail, Microsoft 365 and generic IMAP accounts through the same API.

Webhooks for incoming mail

New messages in a connected mailbox are pushed to your application as parsed JSON, so the app does not poll or speak IMAP.

Managed OAuth2

Handles OAuth2 for Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and can bridge legacy apps that only speak IMAP and SMTP.

Self-hosted deployment

Ships as a single binary, a Docker image, an npm package and an installer script, and needs a Redis database.

Agent access

The same API is offered as a tool surface for AI agents that read, summarize, draft and send mail.

Mailgun

Email API and SMTP relay

Send from an app through a RESTful HTTP API or SMTP, with SDKs for Go, Node.js, PHP, Java, Ruby and Python, plus an MCP server.

Inbound routing

Receive email and forward it to your app or a webhook by rules called routes: 1 on Free, 5 on Basic and unlimited from Foundation.

Email validation

Check addresses by API or upload a whole list; Scale includes 5,000 validations and other plans pay from $1.20 per 100.

US or EU data regions

One account can send through either the US or the EU region, so message data can stay in the region you choose.

Logs, analytics and webhooks

Tracking, bounce classification and event webhooks on every plan, with log retention growing from 1 day on Free and Basic to 30 days on Scale.

Dedicated IPs

Scale includes a dedicated IP, IP pools and automated warm-up; more IPs cost $59 each a month.

EmailEngine

• Subscription$1,450

  per year, unlimited mailboxes ($199 billed monthly)

  Unlimited mailboxes, instances, API calls, webhooks and licence keys, plus updates while subscribed. In euros: €1,200 a year or €169 a month; VAT extra.

• EnterpriseCustom

  The same software with a perpetual licence paid once, offline verification, invoice or wire payment, net terms and custom contract terms.

Mailgun

• Free$0

  100 emails a day, 1 sending domain, 2 API keys, 1 inbound route, 1 day of log retention and ticket support.

• Basic$15

  per month for 10,000 emails

  No daily limit, 1 sending domain, 5 inbound routes, 1 day of logs. Extra emails $1.80 per 1,000.

• Foundation$35

  per month for 50,000 emails

  1,000 sending domains, unlimited users, template builder, 5 days of logs, full inbound routing. Extra emails from $1.30 per 1,000; first month free.

• Scale$90

  per month for 100,000 emails

  Dedicated IP and IP pools, SAML SSO, 5,000 validations, send-time optimization, chat and phone support, 30 days of logs. Extra emails from $1.10 per 1,000.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Everything in Scale plus custom features, deliverability services and a burst sending SLA.