Amazon SES
AWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails
Our verdict
Second of our top three email sending services
For: Apps on AWS, or sending in volume
Amazon SES sends and receives email for apps through an API, SMTP or AWS SDKs, with address validation, shared or dedicated IPs and rules for routing incoming mail. There is no monthly fee: the à la carte rate is $0.10 per 1,000 emails, and Essentials, where new accounts start, is $0.16. It is second because it is slower to start: new accounts sit in a sandbox that only sends to verified addresses until AWS approves a limit increase, there is no free monthly allowance beyond up to $200 of credits for new AWS customers, and setup runs through code and the AWS console.
See all three and how we rankAmazon SES report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for the cheapest sending if you already use AWS
Amazon SES is by far the cheapest way here to send in bulk: 50,000 emails a month works out at $8 on the Essentials plan new accounts start on, or $5 at the à la carte rate. You get sending, receiving, validation and dedicated IPs. The price is paid in setup: new accounts sit in a sandbox until AWS lets them email real people, and it all runs through AWS.
Who Amazon SES is for
- Great if your app already runs on AWS and you know your way around it
- Handy when you send a lot and want the lowest price per email
- Good for teams that need to receive, route and archive incoming mail too
Who Amazon SES is not for
- Skip it if you need to email customers today, since new accounts start in a sandbox
- Not for you if you'd rather not set things up through code and the AWS console
- Pricey if you want managed dedicated IPs, as Pro is $105 a month per region
Why Amazon SES gets a 2.8
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyGraded on 50,000 emails a month, worked out from the listed rates: $0.16 per 1,000 on Essentials is $8 a month, and $0.10 per 1,000 à la carte is $5. That's far under anything else in this category. Attachments, dedicated IPs and other AWS services cost extra.
- CFree plan and trialThere's no free allowance: every email is billed from the first one. New AWS customers do get up to $200 in Free Tier credits that work on SES, which goes a long way at these rates.
- BFeaturesAPI, SMTP and AWS SDKs, receiving and routing with Mail Manager, address validation, shared, dedicated or your own IPs, deliverability insights, tenants and two-region sending. It covers the whole job, though alerts and dashboards lean on other AWS services.
- CEase of useJudged on how fast a developer sends a first email: verify a domain in AWS, then you're in a sandbox that only sends to verified addresses until AWS approves a limit increase. No rating on record. It's the slowest start in this category.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, with an API, SMTP and AWS SDKs, and it plugs into Amazon S3, SNS, CloudWatch and EC2. Outside AWS you're wiring it up yourself. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Amazon Web Services's own pages on 18 October 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/amazon-ses#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/amazon-ses.svg" alt="Amazon SES: 2.8 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Amazon SES stands among email sending services
Amazon SES's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 11 of the 11 other email sending services we grade.
It stands best on value for money (A, above 11 of 11) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 12 email sending services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Amazon SES’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 11 of 11
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 11, level with 10
- BFeaturesAbove 2 of 11, level with 9
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 11, level with 11
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 11, level with 11
Keep Amazon SES, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Amazon SES you would be making mail servers with a good name among inbox providers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 11 of the 11 other email sending services we grade.
What you could not
- Mail servers with a good name among inbox providers.
- Checking that an address exists without writing to it.
- It plugs into other products, Amazon S3, Amazon SNS and Amazon CloudWatch among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Amazon SES’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Amazon SES?
Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) is Amazon Web Services' email service for sending transactional, marketing and newsletter email from an application through an API, SMTP or an AWS SDK, and for receiving and routing incoming mail. You pay for the email you send and receive, with optional plans that bundle dedicated IPs, address validation and deliverability tools for a fixed monthly fee.
Amazon SES is a paid product with a free trial. See every plan
Good for
- Developers already running their apps on AWS
- High-volume senders looking for a low price per email
- Teams comfortable setting up email through code and the AWS console
Worth knowing
- Every email is billed: $0.10 per 1,000 on à la carte pricing or $0.16 per 1,000 on Essentials, with no free monthly allowance.
- New accounts start in a sandbox that only sends to verified addresses, with daily limits, until AWS approves a limit increase.
- Pro and Enterprise fees are charged per account per region, so sending from two regions doubles the fixed fee.
- Other AWS services used alongside it, such as S3 storage, SNS notifications or CloudWatch dashboards, are billed separately.
Key features
- API, SMTP and AWS SDKs
- Send transactional and marketing email from any application through the SES API, an SMTP interface or an AWS SDK, after verifying your domain or address.
- Virtual Deliverability Manager
- Delivery and engagement insights with recommendations for reputation problems; the paid plans extend it to inbox placement tests and blocklist monitoring.
- Dedicated, shared or your own IPs
- Send from shared IPs, standard dedicated IPs at $24.95 a month each, managed dedicated IPs that SES warms up for you, or IP ranges you bring.
- Mail Manager for incoming email
- Receive email and route, allow or block it with rule sets, add security scanning from approved vendors, and archive sent and received mail.
- Email validation
- Checks recipient addresses before sending, at $0.01 per address checked through the API, or included up to a monthly allowance on Pro and Enterprise.
- Tenants and global endpoints
- Tenants keep each sender's reputation separate inside one account, and global endpoints spread sending across two AWS regions.
Amazon SES pricing
- Starts at
- Not published
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- New AWS customers get up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits, usable on SES
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| À la carte | $0 | No plan or minimum fee: $0.10 per 1,000 emails sent or received, plus $0.12 per GB of attachments; features such as dedicated IPs are bought separately. |
| Essentials | $0 | No fixed fee: $0.16 per 1,000 emails up to 10 million a month, then less. Deliverability insights included; new accounts start on it from July 21, 2026. |
| Pro | $105per month, plus $0.22 per 1,000 emails | Per account and region. Adds managed dedicated IPs, 2,500 address validations a month, deliverability tracking beyond SES and Trend Micro scanning. |
| Enterprise | $500per month, plus $0.23 per 1,000 emails | Per account and region. Adds global endpoints across two regions, tenants, an open inbound endpoint, 5,000 validations and Spamhaus scanning. |
Read from aws.amazon.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Amazon SES before you buy.
Works with
- Amazon S3
- Amazon SNS
- Amazon CloudWatch
- Amazon EC2
Amazon SES alternatives
- Amazon SES vs Twilio SendGrid
Free trial · from $19.95/mo
- Amazon SES vs Mailgun
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Amazon SES vs Postmark
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Amazon SES vs Bird Email
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Amazon SES vs Resend
Free plan · from $20/mo
Common questions
Is Amazon SES free?
No, Amazon SES is a paid product, but you can try it first. New AWS customers get up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits, usable on SES.
How much does Amazon SES cost?
Amazon SES lists 4 plans. À la carte: $0. Essentials: $0. Pro: $105 per month, plus $0.22 per 1,000 emails. Enterprise: $500 per month, plus $0.23 per 1,000 emails. Prices were read from aws.amazon.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Amazon SES work on?
Amazon SES is available on Web.
Does Amazon SES have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Amazon SES is listed for Web.
Does Amazon SES have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Amazon SES is listed for Web.
Is Amazon SES open source?
Amazon SES is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Amazon SES have an API?
Yes. Amazon SES offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Amazon SES integrate with?
Amazon SES's listing names Amazon S3, Amazon SNS, Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon EC2. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Who makes Amazon SES?
Amazon SES is made by Amazon Web Services, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Amazon SES?
The closest alternatives to Amazon SES in our directory are Twilio SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Bird Email and Resend. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Amazon SES.
How does Amazon SES compare with other email sending services?
Amazon SES's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 11 of the 11 other email sending services we grade. It stands best on value for money (A, above 11 of 11) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Could I make my own version of Amazon SES?
To replace Amazon SES you would be making mail servers with a good name among inbox providers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 11 of the 11 other email sending services we grade. What you could not make: Mail servers with a good name among inbox providers. Checking that an address exists without writing to it. It plugs into other products, Amazon S3, Amazon SNS and Amazon CloudWatch among them, and has an API. The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026.