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If Mailgun’s free tier no longer fits, or an account review has made sending feel uncertain, compare the alternatives on price and use case before moving. The listed Mailgun free plan allows 100 emails a day, which makes it a narrow testing tier. Resend and Postmark suit transactional email; SMTP2GO and MailerSend offer lower listed entry prices. For each option, verify the current caps and approval requirements before you move production traffic.
01Why people leave Mailgun
The free plan may change
One r/webdev poster said a former free plan became a $35/month plan. That is one user’s account, not proof that every Mailgun customer faces the same change.
The free tier is small
The published Mailgun listing gives its free plan a 100-email daily limit, which can constrain testing beyond a small sample.
Account reviews can disrupt sending
One Reddit poster said a client’s account was permanently disabled after its first newsletter campaign, without a specific reason given.
02The alternatives, ranked by fit
- Best for API-first apps
ResendResendResend fits Mailgun users sending transactional email through developer-focused tools, and its listing includes a free plan for a small start. The published pricing snapshot does not publish a paid starting price. It also flags mixed reliability reports, so check current plan details and user feedback before moving production mail.
Trade-off: Paid pricing is not published, and reliability reports are mixed.
7.2/10from
Freefree plan - Best for transactional email
PostmarkPostmarkPostmark is a close fit if you use Mailgun mainly for application email: its listing names transactional sending, separate message streams and inbound email processing. The listed starting price is $15, with a free plan. Our comparison warns that the free tier is small and agency costs deserve scrutiny.
Trade-off: The free tier is small; agency costs deserve scrutiny.
7.4/10from
$15/mofree plan - Best for modest volumes
SMTP2GOSMTP2GOSMTP2GO is listed for transactional delivery, reports and support channels, making it worth comparing if you want a relay for modest sending volumes. Its listed starting price is $10 and it has a free plan. That entry price may be less attractive than usage-based billing if your sending volume is low or variable.
Trade-off: $10/month may cost more than usage-based billing at low volumes.
7.8/10from
$10/mofree plan - Best for multichannel sending
MailerSendMailerSendMailerSend is listed for transactional email plus SMS and WhatsApp, so it may suit teams that want more than a Mailgun email API. Its listed starting price is $5.60 and it has a free plan. Check the plan caps and add-on costs before switching; our comparison also flags support caveats.
Trade-off: Check caps, add-on costs and support caveats.
7.2/10from
$5.60/mofree plan - Best for email and campaigns
Twilio SendGridTwilio SendGridSendGrid is listed for email API sending, SMTP service and campaign tools, which may reduce the need to keep separate products if you also send marketing email. Its listed starting price is $19.95. Our comparison specifically warns buyers to check sending caps and account approval risk before switching.
Trade-off: Check sending caps and account approval risk.
6.2/10from
$19.95/mo - Best for usage-based billing
Amazon Simple Email Service (SES)Amazon Simple Email Service (SES)SES is listed with a $0 base fee and usage charges, so it is an option to investigate if you want pay-per-use billing rather than a fixed starting plan. But the published material leaves its capabilities unverified. Reddit commenters describe it as affordable but unintuitive, with observability requiring other AWS services.
Trade-off: Capabilities are unverified; Reddit users report setup and observability friction.
3.0/10from
Freefree plan - Best for staging tests
MailtrapMailtrapMailtrap is listed for staging email tests as well as sending, which makes it a candidate if Mailgun has been serving both development and production workflows. Its listed starting price is $12 and it has a free plan. Check each product’s separate price and usage caps before assuming one plan covers both jobs.
Trade-off: Testing and sending have separate prices and usage caps to check.
7.2/10from
$12/mofree plan
03Side by side
| Tool | Score | From | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mailgun Mailgun (current) | 7.2 | $15/mo | Yes | Developers sending transactional email |
| Resend Resend | 7.2 | Free | Yes | Developers sending transactional email |
| Postmark Postmark | 7.4 | $15/mo | Yes | Transactional email for applications |
| SMTP2GO SMTP2GO | 7.8 | $10/mo | Yes | Apps needing transactional email delivery |
| MailerSend MailerSend | 7.2 | $5.60/mo | Yes | Apps sending transactional email |
| Twilio SendGrid Twilio SendGrid | 6.2 | $19.95/mo | No | Teams sending through an email API |
| Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) | 3.0 | Free | Yes | Teams seeking pay-per-use email billing |
| Mailtrap Mailtrap | 7.2 | $12/mo | Yes | Developers testing staging emails |
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest Mailgun alternative?
On the pricing page, SES has a $0 base fee with usage charges, while MailerSend starts at $5.60 and EmailJS at $7.20. A low starting price is not the full cost: the comparison flags MailerSend caps and add-ons, and SES capabilities are unverified in the published material.
Which Mailgun alternative is best for developers?
Resend and Postmark are both listed for transactional email and developer-oriented use cases. Resend includes a free plan, but its paid pricing is not published on the vendor's site. Postmark lists a $15 starting price and features such as separate message streams and inbound email processing.
Can switching providers prevent account approval problems?
No published information can guarantee approval with another provider. One Reddit poster described a Mailgun account being disabled after the first newsletter campaign, while the SendGrid listing also flags account approval risk. Before moving, check each provider’s current requirements for the kinds of mail you send.