In-depth two-product comparison
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. Verify current features, pricing, limits, and integrations on official vendor pages.
Short answer
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
The developer email platform with validation, inbound, and SMTP
Amazon SES
The cheapest email infrastructure with AWS-scale capacity
Quick comparison
| Decision area | Mailgun | Amazon SES | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Developers needing validation, inbound, SMTP | AWS teams wanting lowest cost | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| Cost at 100K emails/mo | ~$90/mo | ~$10/mo | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| Setup Time | 30-60 minutes | 1-3 days | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| Email Validation | Mailgun Optimize (built-in) | Not available | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| Inbound Email | Flexible routing and parsing | SES receiving to S3/Lambda | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| SMTP Support | Full SMTP with routing rules | Full SMTP interface | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| Deliverability | Variable shared IP quality | Variable, DIY management | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| Bounce Handling | Automatic suppression | Must build with SNS | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| Payment Integration | None | None | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| AWS Integration | External service | Native IAM, Lambda, CloudWatch | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
| Log Retention | 5-30 days by plan | CloudWatch (configure yourself) | Test this with representative data and the next realistic usage tier. |
Feature comparison
| Feature | Mailgun | Amazon SES |
|---|---|---|
| Send speed | 7/10
Decent speed | 7/10
Variable by region |
| Templates | 5/10
Handlebars via API | 4/10
Basic SES templates |
| Bounce handling | 7/10
Automatic suppression | 4/10
Must build with SNS |
| SMTP routing | 9/10
Flexible routing rules | 7/10
Standard SMTP |
| Scale | 8/10
Handles high volume | 10/10
Unlimited AWS capacity |
| Email validation | 9/10
Mailgun Optimize: real-time + bulk | 0/10
Not available |
| Inbound processing | 8/10
Flexible routing with rules | 7/10
SES receiving to S3/Lambda/SNS |
| AWS integration | 3/10
External service | 10/10
Native IAM, Lambda, CloudWatch, SNS |
| IP management | 6/10
Shared and dedicated options | 5/10
Shared or dedicated at $24.95/mo |
| Analytics dashboard | 7/10
Charts and analytics | 4/10
Basic SES console |
| API design | 6/10
Functional but dated | 4/10
Verbose AWS SDK |
| Documentation | 6/10
Adequate | 6/10
Dense AWS docs |
| SDKs | 6/10
7 languages | 6/10
AWS SDK (generic) |
| Event handling | 7/10
Webhook events | 5/10
SNS (complex) |
| Setup | 6/10
30-60 minutes | 3/10
1-3 days |
| Billing integration | 0/10
Not available | 0/10
Not available |
| Lifecycle sequences | 0/10
No automation | 0/10
No automation |
| Dunning | 0/10
Not available | 0/10
Not available |
| Trial conversion | 0/10
Not available | 0/10
Not available |
| Revenue attribution | 0/10
Not available | 0/10
Not available |
Pricing and operating cost
Mailgun
Free trial, then $35/mo
Email validation is paid add-on 5 days log retention on starter Dedicated IP extra IP pool fees
Amazon SES
3,000 free from EC2
Dedicated IPs $24.95/mo CloudWatch/SNS/Lambda costs Engineering time for infrastructure Account suspension risk
| Tier or usage case | Mailgun | Amazon SES |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $35/mo 50,000 emails, 5 days log retention | ~$5/mo $0.10/1,000, no monthly fee |
| Growth | $90/mo 100,000 emails, dedicated IP, 15 days logs | ~$25/mo $0.10/1,000 + dedicated IP $24.95/mo |
| Scale | $350+/mo 500K+, 30 days logs, SLA | ~$100/mo $0.10/1,000, volume discounts |
Pros and 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 choose what?
Validating signups.
Recommendation: Mailgun
On AWS, sending millions.
Recommendation: Amazon SES
Need email fast.
Recommendation: Amazon SES
Billing-aware lifecycle email.
Recommendation: Amazon SES
Action Mailer setup.
Recommendation: Mailgun
Need transactional and lifecycle cheap.
Recommendation: Amazon SES
Final verdict
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FAQ
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.
Related reading: B2B email marketing guide , alternatives hub , and B2B SaaS tool stack .