KingSMTP vs Mailgun (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mailgun grades higher than KingSMTP: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Mailgun grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
KingSMTP
SMTP relay you can pay for in crypto, with no KYC
Mailgun
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation
Which one is for you
Pick KingSMTP if
- Fits if you want to pay in crypto without handing over ID
- Works for WordPress sites that want an SMTP relay and a plugin
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a dedicated IP, as only shared IPs are listed
- Tight if you send over 100,000 emails a month, because the plans stop there and the rest is a custom plan
- Watch out: the pricing page lists crypto payment and does not say whether cards are accepted
- Watch out: the no-ID and no-scanning claims are the vendor's own statements
- Skip it if you want a free plan, since there is only the 7-day trial
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
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAKingSMTPFair | 2.4GPAMailgunFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C$20 a month for up to 20,000 emails, which is where the dearer quarter of sending services starts. | CGraded on 50,000 emails a month: Foundation is $35 at that volume, toward the dear end of this category, with the first month free. Basic is $15 but stops at 10,000 emails, 1 domain and 1 day of logs. A dedicated IP means Scale at $90. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 7-day trial on all plans with no credit card; there is no free plan after it. | CFree for good: 100 emails a day through the API or SMTP, with 1 domain, 1 inbound route and 1 day of logs. Enough to build against, not to run a live app on. There's also a 30-day trial of Foundation and Scale. |
| Features | CSMTP and an HTTP API, a per-email dashboard, inbound routing and a WordPress plugin, but only a shared IP option and no dedicated IP in the listing. | BAPI and SMTP with SDKs in six languages and an MCP server, inbound routing, webhooks, templates, address validation, US or EU regions and dedicated IPs. It covers the job; inbox placement tests are a separate product, Mailgun Optimize. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You verify a sending domain with DNS records and wire up SMTP credentials or an API key before the first email goes out. | CJudged on how fast a developer sends a first email: grab an API key, use an SDK or SMTP, and verify a sending domain. No rating on record. There's no send button at all, so everything goes through code. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web dashboard, an API and a WordPress plugin; WordPress is the one named integration. | BWeb, with an API, SMTP, SDKs and an MCP server, plus Zapier, Make, n8n, Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce, WordPress and Datadog. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. |
| Best for | paying for SMTP in crypto with no ID check | sending and receiving email from an app |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: KingSMTP and Mailgun. How we grade
Price against what you get
KingSMTP starts at $20 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mailgun starts at $15 a month and scores 2.7.
Mailgun scores higher and starts $5 a month lower. Of the other email sending services on the chart, 17 score higher than KingSMTP for less, and none scores higher than Mailgun for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Mailgun also covers email verification.
At a glance
| KingSMTP | Mailgun | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $20 per month for up to 20,000 emails | $15 per month for 10,000 emails |
| Free plan | None | 100 emails a day, 1 custom sending domain, 1 user, 1 inbound route, 1 day of logs and ticket support, through the API or SMTP. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial on all plans, no credit card required | 30-day free trial of the Foundation and Scale plans |
| Web | ||
| Made by | KingSMTP | Mailgun |
| Price read from | kingsmtp.com | mailgun.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
KingSMTP
- The pricing page lists crypto payment; it does not say whether cards are accepted.
- Volume is capped per plan at 20,000, 50,000 or 100,000 emails a month; anything more is a custom plan.
- Plan feature lists mention a shared IP option, and no dedicated IP is listed.
- The no-KYC and no-scanning claims are the vendor's own statements.
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.
Key features
KingSMTP
- SMTP and HTTP API
- Connect an app, CMS or WordPress site through SMTP or the HTTP API, with DKIM and SPF included.
- Per-email dashboard
- Shows delivery status, spam scores, headers and the full SMTP transaction log for each message.
- Crypto payment, no KYC
- The site lists Bitcoin, USDT and Monero and says sign-up needs no identity verification.
- Inbound routing
- Business and Growth add MX routing for inbound mail.
- WordPress plugin
- A KingSMTP plugin is available from the WordPress directory and is included from the Business plan.
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.
Plans
KingSMTP
Starter$20
per month for up to 20,000 emails
Full SMTP, HTTP API, email and Telegram support, and crypto payment.
Business$50
per month for up to 50,000 emails
Adds MX routing for inbound, priority support, an analytics dashboard, a WordPress plugin and a shared IP option.
Growth$100
per month for up to 100,000 emails
Adds shared IP, a custom domain and advanced analytics. Higher volumes are by custom plan.
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.
Ways to pay less
KingSMTP
- Annual discount
Two months free with yearly billing
The pricing page shows yearly prices of $200, $500 and $1,000 for the three plans and labels them Save 2 months.
Mailgun
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, KingSMTP or Mailgun?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Mailgun is cheaper to start with: $15 a month, against $20 a month for KingSMTP. KingSMTP starts at $20 per month for up to 20,000 emails, and Mailgun starts at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
Which has a free plan, KingSMTP or Mailgun?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Mailgun has a free plan. KingSMTP does not, though it has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.