The Mailgun Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Mailgun 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.
Mailgun
The Insider’s Guide
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email sending services, read from Mailgun’s own pages.
Made by Mailgun · 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 Mailgun’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Mailgun’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
2.4
GPA, above 3 of the 11 other email sending services we grade
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.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Mailgun, taken from its own pages and our grades.
Judged on how fast a developer sends a first email: grab an API key, use an SDK or SMTP, and verify a sending domain.
- 1
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.
- 2
Paid plans start at $15 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
- 3
There is 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.
- 4
It runs on Web
Web.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 3 of 11
That is against the other email sending services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
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.
Mailgun at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $15 per month for 10,000 emails
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial of the Foundation and Scale plans
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Mailgun, since 2010
- Category
- Email Sending Services
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
The report card
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.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Graded 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 | C | Free 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 | B | API 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 | C | Judged 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 | B | Web, 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. |
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 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 it 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
Good to know
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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$15
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Mailgun has a free plan. Paid plans start at $15 per month for 10,000 emails.
Enough to build against, not to run a live app on.
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.
Enterprise
Custom
Everything in Scale plus custom features, deliverability services and a burst sending SLA.
The 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.
Trying it first
30-day free trial of the Foundation and Scale plans
Read from mailgun.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
Email API and SMTP relay for developers, with list validation. 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; inbox placement tests are a separate product.
- 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.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- Zapier
- Make
- n8n
- Shopify
- HubSpot
- Salesforce
- WordPress
- Datadog
Mailgun is made by Mailgun, and has been around since 2010.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
3/11
Other email sending services it is graded above
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
- CFree plan and trialAbove 1 of 11
- BFeaturesAbove 2 of 11
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 11
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 11
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 11 email sending services. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Mailgun is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
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 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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Twilio SendGrid, Postmark, Amazon SES, Bird Email and Mailjet
The 5 tools Mailgun 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.
- Mailgun has a free plan. Twilio SendGrid 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.
- Mailgun also covers email verification.
- Postmark also covers dMARC.
- 2.8GPA
Amazon SES
Free trial
AWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails.
- Mailgun has a free plan. Amazon SES does not, though it has a free trial.
- 2.6GPA
Bird Email
Free plan · from $15/mo
SparkPost's successor: Bird's email API, paid from a prepaid balance.
- Mailgun also covers email verification.
- Bird Email also covers email campaigns.
- 2.4GPA
Mailjet
Free plan · from $8.10/mo
Email API, SMTP relay and campaign editor on one plan priced by volume.
- Mailjet also covers marketing automation and email campaigns.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
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 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.
How much does Mailgun cost?
Mailgun lists 5 plans. Free: $0.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Could I make my own version of Mailgun?
To replace Mailgun 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 Mailgun’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 Mailgun'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 Mailgun. Prices change, so check mailgun.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
- Mailgun, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/mailgun
- 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, "Mailgun: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 18, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailgun
Know someone choosing between email sending services?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/mailgun/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded email sending services after Mailgun, 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
- Amazon SES Insider's GuideAWS email sending and receiving, paid per 1,000 emails2.8 GPA
- 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
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Mailgun’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. Mailgun is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Mailgun. Prices and plans change: check mailgun.com before you buy.