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Mailgun vs Amazon SES

In-depth comparison of Mailgun and Amazon SES for B2B SaaS. We analyze pricing, features, deliverability, and total cost of ownership.

Last updated: 2026-03-15

Mailgun

www.mailgun.com

The email service for developers.

Founded: 2010 HQ: San Antonio Team: 100-200 Funding: Acquired by Sinch in 2021

Ideal for: Developer teams needing flexible email with SMTP, inbound, and validation

Amazon SES

aws.amazon.com/ses/

High-scale cloud email service.

Founded: 2011 HQ: Seattle Team: 10000+ Funding: Part of AWS

Ideal for: AWS-native teams wanting lowest cost at massive scale

TL;DR: Mailgun vs Amazon SES

Mailgun wins on email validation, inbound routing, easier setup, and managed features. SES wins on raw cost, scale, and AWS-native integration. Mailgun is the better choice for teams wanting a managed developer platform with validation and inbound. SES is better for cost-focused AWS teams with engineering resources. Sequenzy is best for SaaS teams needing lifecycle email with billing integration.

Mailgun 6.9/10

The developer email platform with validation, inbound, and SMTP

Amazon SES 6/10

The cheapest email infrastructure with AWS-scale capacity

Sequenzy 8.3/10

Purpose-built SaaS email with native billing integration

Editor's Note

Both Mailgun and SES are email infrastructure tools. If your SaaS needs lifecycle email (trial conversion, dunning, churn prevention), consider Sequenzy (sequenzy.com) with native Stripe/Paddle integration.

Mailgun vs Amazon SES vs Sequenzy: Quick Comparison

Feature Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy Edge
Best For Developers needing validation, inbound, SMTP AWS teams wanting lowest cost B2B SaaS lifecycle email Sequenzy
Cost at 100K emails/mo ~$90/mo ~$10/mo $49/mo Amazon SES
Setup Time 30-60 minutes 1-3 days Under 10 minutes Sequenzy
Email Validation Mailgun Optimize (built-in) Not available Not available Mailgun
Inbound Email Flexible routing and parsing SES receiving to S3/Lambda Not supported Mailgun
SMTP Support Full SMTP with routing rules Full SMTP interface API-only Mailgun
Deliverability Variable shared IP quality Variable, DIY management SaaS-only pools Sequenzy
Bounce Handling Automatic suppression Must build with SNS Automatic with payment context Mailgun
Payment Integration None None Native Stripe, Paddle, Chargebee, LemonSqueezy Sequenzy
AWS Integration External service Native IAM, Lambda, CloudWatch External service Amazon SES
Log Retention 5-30 days by plan CloudWatch (configure yourself) 30+ days Sequenzy

Score Breakdown

Each category scored out of 10. Totals: Mailgun 66/100, Amazon SES 51/100, Sequenzy 66/100.

API & DX
Mailgun 6 Amazon SES 5 Sequenzy 8
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Deliverability
Mailgun 6 Amazon SES 6 Sequenzy 8
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Scale
Mailgun 8 Amazon SES 10 Sequenzy 7
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Pricing
Mailgun 5 Amazon SES 10 Sequenzy 8
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Email Validation
Mailgun 9 Amazon SES 0 Sequenzy 0
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Inbound Email
Mailgun 8 Amazon SES 7 Sequenzy 0
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Ease of Setup
Mailgun 6 Amazon SES 3 Sequenzy 9
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Analytics
Mailgun 7 Amazon SES 4 Sequenzy 8
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Managed Features
Mailgun 7 Amazon SES 3 Sequenzy 8
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
B2B SaaS Fit
Mailgun 4 Amazon SES 3 Sequenzy 10
Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Detailed feature analysis across every category that matters for B2B SaaS email.

๐Ÿ“จ Email Sending

Feature Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Send speed 7/10

Decent speed

7/10

Variable by region

7/10

Reliable

Templates 5/10

Handlebars via API

4/10

Basic SES templates

8/10

Liquid with SaaS blocks

Bounce handling 7/10

Automatic suppression

4/10

Must build with SNS

8/10

Auto with payment context

SMTP routing 9/10

Flexible routing rules

7/10

Standard SMTP

3/10

API-only

Scale 8/10

Handles high volume

10/10

Unlimited AWS capacity

7/10

SaaS-scale

๐Ÿ”ง Unique Features

Feature Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Email validation 9/10

Mailgun Optimize: real-time + bulk

0/10

Not available

0/10

Not available

Inbound processing 8/10

Flexible routing with rules

7/10

SES receiving to S3/Lambda/SNS

0/10

Not supported

AWS integration 3/10

External service

10/10

Native IAM, Lambda, CloudWatch, SNS

3/10

External service

IP management 6/10

Shared and dedicated options

5/10

Shared or dedicated at $24.95/mo

8/10

SaaS-only managed pools

Analytics dashboard 7/10

Charts and analytics

4/10

Basic SES console

8/10

SaaS-focused with MRR

๐Ÿ’ป API & DX

Feature Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
API design 6/10

Functional but dated

4/10

Verbose AWS SDK

8/10

Clean REST

Documentation 6/10

Adequate

6/10

Dense AWS docs

8/10

SaaS-focused

SDKs 6/10

7 languages

6/10

AWS SDK (generic)

7/10

Node.js and Python

Event handling 7/10

Webhook events

5/10

SNS (complex)

8/10

Webhooks + billing events

Setup 6/10

30-60 minutes

3/10

1-3 days

9/10

Under 10 minutes

๐ŸŽฏ SaaS Features

Feature Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Billing integration 0/10

Not available

0/10

Not available

10/10

Native Stripe, Paddle, LemonSqueezy, Chargebee

Lifecycle sequences 0/10

No automation

0/10

No automation

9/10

Pre-built onboarding, dunning, churn prevention

Dunning 0/10

Not available

0/10

Not available

10/10

Auto-triggered

Trial conversion 0/10

Not available

0/10

Not available

10/10

Pre-built

Revenue attribution 0/10

Not available

0/10

Not available

9/10

MRR impact tracking

Mailgun vs Amazon SES vs Sequenzy: Pricing

Mailgun has tiered plans with feature gating. SES charges $0.10/1,000 with no monthly fee. Sequenzy charges by volume, all features included.

Mailgun Free Tier

Free trial, then $35/mo

Amazon SES Free Tier

3,000 free from EC2

Sequenzy

14-day trial, then $19/mo

Tier Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy Volume
Starter $35/mo

50,000 emails, 5 days log retention

~$5/mo

$0.10/1,000, no monthly fee

$19/mo

15,000 emails, all SaaS features

50K emails
Growth $90/mo

100,000 emails, dedicated IP, 15 days logs

~$25/mo

$0.10/1,000 + dedicated IP $24.95/mo

$49/mo

50,000 emails, dedicated IP

100K-200K emails
Scale $350+/mo

500K+, 30 days logs, SLA

~$100/mo

$0.10/1,000, volume discounts

$149/mo

200,000 emails, SLA, SSO

500K-1M emails

Mailgun: Watch Out For

  • !Email validation is paid add-on
  • !5 days log retention on starter
  • !Dedicated IP extra
  • !IP pool fees

Amazon SES: Watch Out For

  • !Dedicated IPs $24.95/mo
  • !CloudWatch/SNS/Lambda costs
  • !Engineering time for infrastructure
  • !Account suspension risk

Sequenzy: Watch Out For

  • !Smaller SDKs
  • !No SMTP
  • !No email validation

Pricing Verdict: SES is cheapest per email. Mailgun offers more managed features (validation, routing). Sequenzy is best value for SaaS teams at $19/mo with lifecycle automation included.

Cost Comparison Note

SES is cheapest per email, but engineering time for infrastructure costs far more. Sequenzy at $19/mo includes lifecycle automation that takes months to build on either platform.

B2B SaaS Use Cases

How each platform handles the email workflows that matter most for B2B SaaS companies.

๐ŸŽฏ User Onboarding

Automated onboarding.

3/10
Mailgun
2/10
Amazon SES
9/10
Sequenzy

Mailgun

Send via API. No automation.

Amazon SES

Build everything from scratch.

Sequenzy

Pre-built templates connected to billing.

Verdict: Sequenzy wins. Neither has automation.

Real-World Example

Sequenzy has ready templates.

Example subject line: Welcome to [App].

๐Ÿ”” Transactional Notifications

System emails.

7/10
Mailgun
6/10
Amazon SES
7/10
Sequenzy

Mailgun

Via API or SMTP. Routing rules for complex flows.

Amazon SES

Via SES. Lowest cost. DIY management.

Sequenzy

Via API with SaaS templates.

Verdict: Mailgun has a slight edge with managed features. SES is cheapest. Both handle transactional.

Real-World Example

Both work for transactional. Mailgun is easier to manage.

Example subject line: Password reset

๐Ÿ’ฐ Trial Conversion

Trial conversion emails.

3/10
Mailgun
2/10
Amazon SES
10/10
Sequenzy

Mailgun

Send via API. No trial awareness.

Amazon SES

Build from scratch.

Sequenzy

Connected to Stripe/Paddle. Pre-built templates.

Verdict: Sequenzy wins. Neither has trial features.

Real-World Example

Sequenzy automates from billing.

Example subject line: Trial ends in 3 days.

๐Ÿ’ณ Dunning

Payment recovery.

3/10
Mailgun
2/10
Amazon SES
10/10
Sequenzy

Mailgun

Send via API from webhooks.

Amazon SES

Build with Lambda.

Sequenzy

Automatic from billing failures.

Verdict: Sequenzy dominates.

Real-World Example

Sequenzy handles dunning automatically.

Example subject line: Payment failed

๐Ÿงน Email Validation

Verifying emails.

9/10
Mailgun
0/10
Amazon SES
2/10
Sequenzy

Mailgun

Mailgun Optimize: real-time + bulk validation.

Amazon SES

Not available. Use third-party.

Sequenzy

Not available.

Verdict: Mailgun is the only option with built-in validation.

Real-World Example

Mailgun validates emails at signup.

Example subject line: N/A

๐Ÿ“ฅ Inbound Processing

Receiving emails.

8/10
Mailgun
7/10
Amazon SES
0/10
Sequenzy

Mailgun

Flexible routing with rules.

Amazon SES

SES receiving to S3/Lambda/SNS.

Sequenzy

Not supported.

Verdict: Both handle inbound. Mailgun has more flexible routing. SES routes to AWS services.

Real-World Example

Both process incoming emails.

Example subject line: Re: ticket #1234

๐Ÿ“ฌ Massive Scale

10M+ emails/month.

7/10
Mailgun
10/10
Amazon SES
5/10
Sequenzy

Mailgun

Handles high volume well.

Amazon SES

Built for this. Unlimited. $0.10/1,000.

Sequenzy

Not optimized for extreme volume.

Verdict: SES wins on raw volume and cost.

Real-World Example

SES is cheapest at extreme scale.

Example subject line: Notification

๐Ÿ”„ Churn Prevention

Re-engagement.

3/10
Mailgun
2/10
Amazon SES
9/10
Sequenzy

Mailgun

Send via API. No behavior tracking.

Amazon SES

Build everything.

Sequenzy

Combines usage with billing. Pre-built sequences.

Verdict: Sequenzy wins with billing-aware churn prevention.

Real-World Example

Sequenzy combines behavior and billing.

Example subject line: We miss you.

The Bigger Picture

Neither offers SaaS lifecycle features. Sequenzy fills this gap with native billing integrations and pre-built sequences.

Automation Capabilities

Email automation is critical for B2B SaaS. Here is how Mailgun, Amazon SES, and Sequenzy compare.

Capability Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Visual workflow builder No

Not available

No

Not available

Yes

Visual builder with SaaS templates

Event triggers No

Your app calls API

No

Via Lambda

Yes

Product + billing events

Drip sequences No

Not available

No

Build with Step Functions

Yes

Pre-built SaaS sequences

Conditional branching No

Build in code

No

Build with Step Functions

Yes

Branch by plan, MRR, trial

Email routing Yes

Flexible inbound routing rules

Yes

SES receiving rules to S3/Lambda/SNS

No

Not available

Goal tracking No

Not available

No

Not available

Yes

Auto-remove on billing events

Dynamic content Yes

Recipient variables

Yes

SES template variables

Yes

Dynamic with billing data

API & Developer Experience

For B2B SaaS teams, the API quality directly impacts how fast you can integrate and iterate on email.

Mailgun API

  • SDKs: Python, Ruby, Java, C#, Go, PHP, Node.js
  • Docs: 6/10
  • Webhooks: Event webhooks with retry
  • Rate Limit: Varies by plan
  • Batch: Recipient variables batch

Amazon SES API

  • SDKs: JavaScript, Python, Go, Ruby, PHP, Java, .NET, C++, Rust
  • Docs: 6/10
  • Webhooks: SNS notifications (complex)
  • Rate Limit: 14/sec default
  • Batch: Up to 50 destinations

Sequenzy API

  • SDKs: Node.js, Python, REST API
  • Docs: 8/10
  • Webhooks: Email + billing events with retry
  • Rate Limit: 50 req/s
  • Batch: Batch with personalization

Mailgun Code Example

const Mailgun = require("mailgun.js");
const formData = require("form-data");
const mg = new Mailgun(formData);
const client = mg.client({ username: "api", key: "key" });

await client.messages.create("acme.com", {
  from: "hello@acme.com",
  to: ["user@company.com"],
  subject: "Welcome",
  template: "welcome",
  "h:X-Mailgun-Variables": JSON.stringify({ firstName: "Sarah" }),
});

Amazon SES Code Example

import { SESv2Client, SendEmailCommand } from "@aws-sdk/client-sesv2";
const client = new SESv2Client({ region: "us-east-1" });
await client.send(new SendEmailCommand({
  FromEmailAddress: "hello@acme.com",
  Destination: { ToAddresses: ["user@company.com"] },
  Content: { Simple: {
    Subject: { Data: "Welcome" },
    Body: { Html: { Data: "<h1>Hi Sarah!</h1>" } },
  }},
}));

Sequenzy Code Example

import { Sequenzy } from "sequenzy";
const sq = new Sequenzy("sq_your_api_key");
await sq.subscribers.add({
  email: "user@company.com",
  firstName: "Sarah",
  stripeCustomerId: "cus_abc123",
});
await sq.sequences.trigger({
  email: "user@company.com",
  sequence: "trial_onboarding",
});

Email Deliverability Comparison

Your emails are useless if they do not reach the inbox. Here is how all three platforms handle deliverability.

Factor Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Infrastructure Sinch-backed with global nodes AWS, shared or dedicated IPs Managed SaaS-only pools
Inbox Placement ~92-96% (variable shared IPs) ~90-95% on shared (variable) ~96-98% (SaaS-only)
Email Validation Mailgun Optimize (proactive) Not available Not available
Dedicated IP On Scale ($90/mo) $24.95/mo per IP On Growth ($49/mo)
Bounce Handling Automatic suppression Must build with SNS Automatic with payment context
Suspension Risk Low (managed) High if thresholds exceeded Low (managed)

Both have variable shared IP quality. Mailgun Optimize validation can proactively improve deliverability. SES requires DIY management with suspension risk. Sequenzy SaaS-only pools have better reputation.

Integration Ecosystem

Mailgun has ~50 integrations, Amazon SES has ~200, and Sequenzy has ~25. Here is how they compare across key B2B SaaS categories.

Payment

Service Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Stripe Yes (API Only) Yes (API Only) Yes (Native)

AWS

Service Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Lambda No (API Only) Yes (Native) No (API Only)
CloudWatch No (None) Yes (Native) No (None)

Automation

Service Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Zapier Yes (Official) Yes (3rd Party) Yes (Official)
Make Yes (Official) Yes (3rd Party) Yes (Official)
n8n Yes (Official) Yes (Official) Yes (3rd Party)

CRM

Service Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
HubSpot Yes (3rd Party) No (API Only) Yes (Official)

Development

Service Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Rails Yes (Official) Yes (API Only) Yes (API Only)
Django Yes (Official) Yes (Official) Yes (Official)

Analytics & Reporting

What data you can track and how each platform helps you measure email performance.

Metric Mailgun Amazon SES Sequenzy
Open rate Per-email tracking Via CloudWatch Per-campaign and per-sequence
Click tracking URL rewriting Via configuration sets With conversion attribution
Bounce tracking Standard handling Via SNS With payment context
Revenue attribution Not available Not available MRR impact per sequence
Dashboard Charts and analytics Basic SES console SaaS-focused
Log retention 5-30 days by plan CloudWatch (configure) 30+ days

Mailgun: Unique Features

  • + Email validation analytics
  • + Inbound routing analytics
  • + Tag-based categorization
  • + Inbox placement testing

Amazon SES: Unique Features

  • + Account reputation dashboard
  • + CloudWatch integration
  • + S3 event archiving
  • + Virtual deliverability manager

Sequenzy: Unique Features

  • + MRR impact per sequence
  • + Trial conversion tracking
  • + Dunning recovery dashboard
  • + Churn metrics
  • + Lifecycle overview

Pros & Cons

Mailgun

Pros

  • + Built-in email validation (Mailgun Optimize)
  • + Flexible inbound routing
  • + SMTP with routing rules
  • + Action Mailer support
  • + Managed bounce handling
  • + Analytics dashboard
  • + Easier setup than SES
  • + Tag-based analytics

Cons

  • - Variable shared IP quality
  • - No marketing automation
  • - Short log retention on lower plans
  • - Documentation navigation issues
  • - SDKs feel dated
  • - Multiple ownership changes
  • - No SaaS lifecycle features
  • - Higher per-email cost than SES

Amazon SES

Pros

  • + Lowest cost per email
  • + Unlimited scale
  • + Native AWS integration
  • + SMTP + API
  • + Cheap dedicated IPs
  • + Global infrastructure
  • + AWS SLA
  • + Inbound receiving

Cons

  • - Complex setup
  • - DIY bounce handling
  • - SNS harder than webhooks
  • - Sandbox restrictions
  • - Account suspension risk
  • - No dashboard
  • - No email validation
  • - No lifecycle features

Who Should Use What?

Specific recommendations based on your company type and needs.

SaaS needing email validation

Validating signups.

Mailgun Optimize is the best built-in validation. SES has none.

Mailgun

AWS-native cost-sensitive

On AWS, sending millions.

SES is 5-10x cheaper with native AWS integration.

Amazon SES

Early-stage SaaS

Need email fast.

Sequenzy at $19/mo includes lifecycle features.

Sequenzy

Product-led growth

Billing-aware lifecycle email.

Sequenzy connects to Stripe/Paddle natively.

Sequenzy

Rails app needing SMTP

Action Mailer setup.

Mailgun has excellent Rails integration.

Mailgun

Bootstrapped SaaS

Need transactional and lifecycle cheap.

Sequenzy at $19-49/mo combines both. Mailgun plus a marketing tool costs $120+.

Sequenzy

Migration Guide

Migrating from Mailgun to Amazon SES

Difficulty: Hard ~2-4 weeks

Steps

  1. 1. Set up SES
  2. 2. Exit sandbox
  3. 3. Verify domain
  4. 4. Set up IAM
  5. 5. Build bounce handling
  6. 6. Build suppression
  7. 7. Convert templates
  8. 8. Update code
  9. 9. Set up inbound receiving
  10. 10. Find validation replacement
  11. 11. Warm up IPs
  12. 12. Test everything

Watch Out For

  • ! Must build all infrastructure
  • ! Inbound routing rules need complete rebuild
  • ! Email validation needs third-party replacement
  • ! SNS is harder than Mailgun webhooks
  • ! Account suspension risk

Migrating from Amazon SES to Mailgun

Difficulty: Moderate ~1-2 weeks

Steps

  1. 1. Set up Mailgun and verify domain
  2. 2. Convert templates
  3. 3. Update code from AWS SDK to Mailgun SDK
  4. 4. Replace SNS with Mailgun webhooks
  5. 5. Set up inbound routing
  6. 6. Test flows
  7. 7. Switch traffic

Watch Out For

  • ! Per-email cost increase
  • ! Lambda/SNS architecture needs replacement
  • ! AWS-native integrations lose connectivity
  • ! Log retention may be shorter on lower plans

The Bottom Line

Choose Mailgun if...

  • You need built-in email validation
  • You need flexible inbound routing
  • You want managed bounce handling
  • SMTP with routing rules matters
  • You use Rails with Action Mailer
  • You want a dashboard out of the box

Choose Amazon SES if...

  • Lowest per-email cost is the priority
  • You send millions monthly
  • You are on AWS and want native integration
  • You have engineering resources
  • You need unlimited scale
  • Cheap dedicated IPs matter

Frequently Asked Questions

How much cheaper is SES than Mailgun?

At 100K emails/month: SES ~$10, Mailgun ~$90. SES is roughly 9x cheaper per email. But Mailgun includes validation, managed features, and easier setup.

Does Mailgun have better deliverability than SES?

Slightly. Both have variable shared IP quality, but Mailgun includes managed bounce handling and optional email validation. SES requires DIY management and has account suspension risk.

Can Mailgun validate emails?

Yes. Mailgun Optimize provides real-time and bulk validation. SES has no validation. This is one of Mailgun strongest unique features.

Which should I choose for a new SaaS?

For most new SaaS projects, a managed platform (Mailgun, Resend, or Sequenzy) is better than raw SES. Sequenzy at $19/mo is especially good because it includes lifecycle email that would take months to build on either platform.

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