The Amazon SES Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Amazon SES in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Amazon SES
The Insider’s Guide
AWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email sending services, read from Amazon SES’s own pages.
Made by Amazon Web Services, Inc. · checked Oct 18, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Amazon SES’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Amazon SES’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 11 of the 11 other email sending services we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Amazon SES, taken from its own pages and our grades.
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.
- 1
Best for the cheapest sending if you already use AWS
You get sending, receiving, validation and dedicated IPs.
- 2
You can try it first
New AWS customers get up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits, usable on SES
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
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.
- 5
Virtual Deliverability Manager
Delivery and engagement insights with recommendations for reputation problems; the paid plans extend it to inbox placement tests and blocklist monitoring.
- 6
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.
- 7
A 2.8 GPA, above 11 of 11
That is against the other email sending services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
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.
Amazon SES at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- New AWS customers get up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits, usable on SES
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Amazon Web Services, Inc.
- Category
- Email Sending Services
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A | Graded 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. |
| Free plan and trial | C | There'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. |
| Features | B | API, 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. |
| Ease of use | C | Judged 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. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, 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. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
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 it 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
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
4
plans to choose from
Amazon SES is a paid product with a free trial.
That's far under anything else in this category.
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
$105
per 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
$500
per 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.
Trying it first
New AWS customers get up to $200 in AWS Free Tier credits, usable on SES
Read from aws.amazon.com on Oct 18, 2026.
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
AWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, email verification, transactional email.
It covers the whole job, though alerts and dashboards lean on other AWS services.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Amazon S3
- Amazon SNS
- Amazon CloudWatch
- Amazon EC2
Amazon SES is made by Amazon Web Services, Inc.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
11/11
Other email sending services it is graded above
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
- BFeaturesAbove 2 of 11
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 11
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 11
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Twilio SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Bird Email and Resend
The 5 tools Amazon SES is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.6GPA
Twilio SendGrid
Free trial · from $19.95/mo
Twilio's email API and SMTP service, priced by monthly email volume.
- 2.4GPA
Mailgun
Free plan · from $15/mo
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation.
- Mailgun has a free plan. Amazon SES does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.2GPA
Postmark
Free plan · from $15/mo
Transactional email API and SMTP, with broadcasts on a separate stream.
- Postmark has a free plan. Amazon SES does not, though it has a free trial.
- Amazon SES also covers email verification.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- 2.6GPA
Bird Email
Free plan · from $15/mo
SparkPost's successor: Bird's email API, paid from a prepaid balance.
- Bird Email has a free plan. Amazon SES does not, though it has a free trial.
- Amazon SES also covers email verification.
- Bird Email also covers email campaigns.
- 2.6GPA
Resend
Free plan · from $20/mo
Developer email API with React Email templates and a free tier.
- Resend has a free plan. Amazon SES does not, though it has a free trial.
- Amazon SES also covers email verification.
- Resend also covers email campaigns.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
12
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Amazon SES’s own pages on Oct 18, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 18, 2026. 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.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Amazon Web Services, Inc. Prices change, so check aws.amazon.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
2,281
Tools graded, in 73 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
2,281
tools graded
73
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Amazon SES, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/amazon-ses
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Amazon SES: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/amazon-ses
Know someone choosing between email sending services?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/amazon-ses/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email sending services after Amazon SES, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Sending Services Insider's GuideEvery one of the 12 email sending services we grade, compared
- Bird Email Insider's GuideSparkPost's successor: Bird's email API, paid from a prepaid balance2.6 GPA
- Elastic Email Insider's GuideLow-cost email API and SMTP relay priced by monthly email volume2.6 GPA
- Mailtrap Insider's GuideEmail API and SMTP for sending, with a sandbox for testing emails2.6 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Amazon SES’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Amazon SES is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Amazon Web Services, Inc. Prices and plans change: check aws.amazon.com before you buy.