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Most buyers should pick Mailgun.
Pick Mailgun if you need documented email API/SMTP, validation, previews, and a small free testing tier: it includes 100 emails per day, while Basic starts at $15/month for 10,000. SES is a usage-priced option with a listed $0 base fee, but the pricing details are low-confidence and the published AWS homepage does not verify SES features. Neither source publishes seat pricing or learning-curve details.
01Side by side
| Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) | Mailgun | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $0 base fee; usage charges apply | $0 free; Basic starts at $15/month |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | 100 emails per day |
| Best for | Usage-priced sending and receiving | Email API tools and low-volume testing |
| Core strength | SES capabilities not verified in published source | API, SMTP, validation, and email previews |
| Learning curve | Not stated on the vendor's site | Not stated on the vendor's site |
| Integrations/data | SES integrations not stated | CRM data connection listed |
| Team/seat costs | Account/region billing; seat costs not stated | Seat costs not published |
| Support | Not stated on the vendor's site | Not stated on the vendor's site |
Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) Choose Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) if
- Choose Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) if a $0 base fee suits your usage-priced needs.
- Choose Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) if you want charges tied to email volume.
- Choose Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) only if you can verify its features elsewhere.
Mailgun Choose Mailgun if
- Choose Mailgun if you need documented API and SMTP email tools.
- Choose Mailgun if you want validation, previews, and inbound parsing.
- Choose Mailgun if 100 free emails per day cover your testing.
02Pricing compared
Amazon SES lists a $0 base subscription fee and usage charges: $0.10 per 1,000 outbound emails, $0.12 per GB of attachment data, and $0.10 per 1,000 inbound emails. Larger incoming messages can also incur $0.09 per 1,000 chunks over 256 KB. These SES figures are low-confidence in the published pricing data, and annual billing is not published.
Mailgun has a free plan with a 100-email daily limit, then Basic starts at $15/month for 10,000 emails. Foundation is $35/month for 50,000; Scale is $90/month for 100,000. Extra emails start at $1.80, $1.30, or $1.10 per 1,000 on Basic, Foundation, and Scale, respectively. Mailgun also lists a 30-day free trial; annual pricing is not shown. SES may cost less at low volume, but the published figures do not verify feature parity.
03Features and depth
Mailgun’s published product details are much more specific: it offers an email API and SMTP for sending, receiving, and tracking messages, plus deliverability tools, email validation, previews, and incoming email parsing. The source also says email data can connect to a CRM. Plan limits matter: Mailgun Free includes one custom sending domain, two API keys, one day of log retention, and one inbound route. Higher plans add volume and, on Scale, validations, SAML SSO, dedicated IP pools, and 30 days of log retention.
The published AWS homepage does not describe SES, so we cannot verify its features, integrations, or intended audience from these materials. Its usage pricing lists outbound and inbound email, attachment data, and charges for incoming message chunks over 256 KB, but those prices do not establish what controls or tools are included. If documented capabilities are the deciding factor, Mailgun is the clearer choice based on the available sources.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Neither source publishes a learning-curve rating, setup steps, or seat pricing, so we can’t make a sourced claim that one is easier to operate. Mailgun’s API and SMTP options, validation, previews, and inbound routing are documented in the published product details, but that alone does not tell us how much configuration a team will need.
The published AWS homepage does not explain SES or its setup, so we can’t assess its workflow from these materials. Before switching, compare the documentation for your sending, receiving, and monitoring needs, then confirm the current plan limits and usage charges. Don’t treat SES’s $0 base fee as a total-cost comparison: its listed usage charges apply, and its pricing data is marked low-confidence.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Amazon SES or Mailgun?
SES lists a $0 base fee and usage charges, including $0.10 per 1,000 outbound emails. Mailgun starts at $15/month for 10,000 emails, with overages priced separately. SES could cost less depending on usage, but the published SES pricing data is low-confidence and does not establish feature parity.
Does Mailgun have a free plan?
Yes. Mailgun lists a free plan for testing with 100 emails per day, one custom sending domain, two API keys, one day of log retention, and one inbound route. The pricing details also list a 30-day free trial; they do not show annual prices.
What does Amazon SES include?
The published AWS homepage does not describe SES-specific features, integrations, or setup. The pricing data lists usage charges for outbound and inbound email, attachment data, and incoming chunks for messages over 256 KB, but it does not verify which product tools or controls are included.
Which should we choose for email validation and previews?
Mailgun is the clearer choice in the published materials: its feature list includes email validation through an API or bulk upload, plus email previews. The sources do not verify whether SES offers equivalent features, so check current product documentation before deciding.