Mailgun
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation
Mailgun report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for sending and receiving email from an app
Mailgun is built for developers: send through an API or SMTP, receive email with routing rules, check addresses, and keep data in the US or EU. 50,000 emails a month is $35 on Foundation, which is also where unlimited users and full inbound routing begin. The cheaper plans are thin, with 1 sending domain and a single day of logs.
Who Mailgun is for
- Great if your app needs to receive email and pass it on to a webhook
- Handy when your email data has to stay in the EU
- Good for teams that want address validation from the same provider
Who Mailgun is not for
- 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
Why Mailgun gets a 2.4
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyGraded 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.
- CFree plan and trialFree 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.
- BFeaturesAPI 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.
- CEase of useJudged 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.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, 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.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Mailgun'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/mailgun#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/mailgun.svg" alt="Mailgun: 2.4 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Mailgun stands among email sending services
Mailgun's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 3 of the 11 other email sending services we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on features (B, above 2 of 11) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 2 of the 10 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 12 email sending services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Mailgun’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 11, level with 4
- 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
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 11 email sending services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Mailgun, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Mailgun 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.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 6 of the 11 other email sending services grade higher. It costs $180 a year.
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, Zapier, Make and n8n among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Mailgun’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 Mailgun?
Mailgun is an email sending service for developers, owned by Sinch, that sends and receives email from an app through an HTTP API or SMTP relay. It adds inbound routing, webhooks, templates and an email validation API, and lets one account send through either its US or EU region. Plans are priced by emails a month, with a free plan of 100 emails a day.
Mailgun has a free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per month for 10,000 emails. See every plan
Good for
- 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
- 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
- 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.
Mailgun pricing
- Starts at
- $15 per month for 10,000 emails
- Free plan
- 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
- 30-day free trial of the Foundation and Scale plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 emails a day, 1 sending domain, 2 API keys, 1 inbound route, 1 day of log retention and ticket support. |
| Basic | $15per 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 | $35per 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 | $90per 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. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Everything in Scale plus custom features, deliverability services and a burst sending SLA. |
Read from mailgun.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Mailgun before you buy.
Works with
Mailgun alternatives
- Mailgun vs Twilio SendGrid
Free trial · from $19.95/mo
- Mailgun vs Postmark
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Mailgun vs Amazon SES
Free trial
- Mailgun vs Bird Email
Free plan · from $15/mo
- Mailgun vs Mailjet
Free plan · from $8.10/mo
Common questions
Is Mailgun free?
Mailgun has a free plan. 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. Paid plans start at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
How much does Mailgun cost?
Mailgun lists 5 plans. Free: $0. Basic: $15 per month for 10,000 emails. Foundation: $35 per month for 50,000 emails. Scale: $90 per month for 100,000 emails. Enterprise: custom pricing. Prices were read from mailgun.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Mailgun work on?
Mailgun is available on Web.
Does Mailgun have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Mailgun is listed for Web.
Does Mailgun have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Mailgun is listed for Web.
Is Mailgun open source?
Mailgun is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Does Mailgun have an API?
Yes. Mailgun offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Mailgun integrate with?
Mailgun's listing names Zapier, Make, n8n, Shopify, HubSpot, Salesforce, WordPress and Datadog. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.
Does Mailgun have a free trial?
Yes. 30-day free trial of the Foundation and Scale plans.
Who makes Mailgun?
Mailgun is made by Mailgun. It dates from 2010.
What are the alternatives to Mailgun?
The closest alternatives to Mailgun in our directory are Twilio SendGrid, Postmark, Amazon SES, Bird Email and Mailjet. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Mailgun.
How does Mailgun compare with other email sending services?
Mailgun's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 3 of the 11 other email sending services we grade, and level with 2. It stands best on features (B, above 2 of 11) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Is Mailgun good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Mailgun C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $15 a month, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 2 of the 10 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of Mailgun?
To replace Mailgun 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. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 6 of the 11 other email sending services grade higher. It costs $180 a year. 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, Zapier, Make and n8n 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.