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ToolGPA

MailerSend vs Mailgun

We give MailerSend and Mailgun the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.

Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.

MailerSend

Transactional email and SMS API from the team behind MailerLite

Free plan · from $6.30/mo
Full detailsmailersend.com

Mailgun

Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation

Free plan · from $15/mo
Full detailsmailgun.com

How we grade them

2.4GPAMailerSendFair2.4GPAMailgunFair
Value for money
CGraded on 50,000 emails a month: Starter is $31.50 at that volume paid yearly, or $35 monthly, a bit above this category's middle. It includes 10 domains and 100 SMS. Dedicated IPs are for Enterprise only.
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 cheaper 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 free plan for good: 500 emails a month, 1 domain, 1 template and 1 day of activity data. It asks for a card even though nothing is charged. There's also a 14-day trial of Professional.
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
BAPI and SMTP with SDKs and an MCP server, drag-and-drop and HTML templates, inbound routing, webhooks, email verification, DMARC and blocklist monitoring, plus SMS and WhatsApp. It covers the whole job; dedicated IPs are Enterprise only.
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 whole job; inbox placement tests are a separate product.
Ease of use
CJudged on how fast a developer sends a first email: SDKs from Node.js to Laravel and an SMTP relay, once a domain is verified. No rating on record. The card asked for at sign-up slows down a quick test.
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
BWeb, with an API, SMTP and an MCP server, plus Zapier, Make, WordPress, WooCommerce, Supabase, Firebase, Laravel and Slack. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top.
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 forapp email plus texts, from the MailerLite teamsending 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: MailerSend and Mailgun. How we grade

Price against what you get

MailerSend starts at $6.30 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Mailgun starts at $15 a month and scores 2.7.

They score the same, and MailerSend starts $8.70 a month lower. Of the other email sending services on the chart, none scores higher than MailerSend for less, and none scores higher than Mailgun for less.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0$5$10$20$50More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessMailerSendMailgun

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
The full chart of email sending services, and the best at every price

Where they differ

  • MailerSend starts at $6.30 per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually ($7 billed monthly). Mailgun starts at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
  • MailerSend also covers business texting, whatsApp messaging and dMARC.
In commonFree planWebPublic APIEmail verificationTransactional email

At a glance

MailerSendMailgun
PricingFree planFree plan
Starts at$6.30 per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)$15 per month for 10,000 emails
Free plan500 emails a month, 1 domain, 1 template, 1 user, 1 webhook and 100 API requests a day. A credit card is needed to subscribe, though nothing is charged.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 trial14-day free trial of the Professional plan, with no automatic subscription after30-day free trial of the Foundation and Scale plans
Web
Made byMailerSendMailgun
Price read frommailersend.commailgun.com
CheckedOct 18, 2026Oct 18, 2026

Who each one suits

MailerSend

  • Software and online stores sending receipts and notifications
  • Teams that want transactional email and text messages in one tool
  • Existing MailerLite customers adding app email

Mailgun

  • Developers sending and receiving email from an app
  • Teams that want address validation from the same provider
  • Companies that need email data kept in the EU

Worth knowing

MailerSend

  • The free plan sends only 500 emails a month and asks for a credit card to subscribe.
  • SMS sending and phone numbers are available in the US and Canada only.
  • Dedicated IPs are only for Enterprise accounts sending more than 100,000 emails a week.
  • The yearly discount cannot be combined with the 30% nonprofit discount.

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

MailerSend

Email API and SMTP relay
Send through a REST API with SDKs for Node.js, Python, Java, PHP, Go, Ruby and Laravel, or through SMTP, plus an MCP server for AI tools.
Template builders
Drag-and-drop, HTML and rich-text editors with dynamic templates, translations and split testing.
Inbound email routing
Receive emails and route their content to your app or a webhook, so replies and incoming messages can trigger actions.
SMS and WhatsApp
Starter and Professional include an SMS allowance for the US and Canada, with phone numbers at $2 each a month; WhatsApp is an add-on on paid plans.
Deliverability monitoring
DMARC monitoring for 10 domains on Professional (a 30-day trial on 1 domain for Starter), blocklist monitors, suppression lists and activity logs.
Email verification
Check addresses in bulk or in real time through the validation API, bought as credits on any 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

MailerSend

  • Free$0

    500 emails a month, email API and SMTP relay, drag-and-drop builder, 1 domain, 1 day of activity data.

  • Hobby$6.30

    per month for 5,000 emails, billed annually ($7 billed monthly)

    5 seats, 1 domain, 10 templates, bulk emailing and user roles. Extra emails $1.50 per 1,000.

  • Starter$31.50

    per month for 50,000 emails, billed annually ($35 billed monthly)

    10 domains, 250 templates, 100 SMS, no MailerSend logo, 7 days of activity data. Extra emails $1.30 per 1,000; $68 a month at 100,000 emails.

  • Professional$99

    per month for 50,000 emails, billed annually ($110 billed monthly)

    Unlimited users, domains and templates, 150 SMS, 30 days of activity data, an account manager and deliverability advice. Extra emails $1.30 per 1,000.

  • EnterpriseCustom

    For special requirements, including dedicated IPs for senders of more than 100,000 emails a week.

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

MailerSend

  • Annual discount

    Save 10% by paying yearly

    Yearly billing takes 10% off: Starter at 50,000 emails is $31.50 a month ($378 a year) instead of $35, and Professional $99 instead of $110.

  • Nonprofit

    30% off for nonprofits

    Nonprofits get 30% off paid plans after starting a free trial and sending proof of status to support; it does not stack with yearly pricing.

Mailgun

No public discounts listed.

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