We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
Most buyers should pick Postmark.
Choose Postmark for transactional and promotional email kept on separate sending infrastructure, plus templates, inbound email, and analytics. Choose Mailgun if you need its listed validation, email previews, incoming-message parsing, or CRM data connection. Both start at $15/month for 10,000 emails on Basic, but their free caps differ: Postmark allows 100 emails/month with no overages; Mailgun allows 100/day. Postmark scores slightly higher in the published reviews, 7.4 vs. 7.2.
01Side by side
| Postmark | Mailgun | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $15/month Basic; 10,000 emails | $15/month Basic; 10,000 emails |
| Free plan | 100 emails/month; no overages; does not expire | 100 emails/day; one domain; one-day log retention |
| Best for | Transactional and promotional email on separate streams | Sending with validation and preview tools |
| Core strength | Separate transactional and promotional infrastructure | Validation, previews, and deliverability tools |
| Learning curve | Review ease-of-use score: 8/10 | Review ease-of-use score: 8/10 |
| Integrations and data | API, SMTP, templates, inbound email, analytics | API, SMTP, validation, previews, parsing, CRM data |
| Team/seat costs | Seat costs not published; Platform is $18/month | Seat costs not published; Foundation is $35/month |
| Support | Review support score: 5/10 | Review support score: 5/10 |
Postmark Choose Postmark if
- Choose Postmark if separate transactional and promotional streams matter.
- Choose Postmark if you want templates and delivery analytics.
- Choose Postmark if 100 free emails/month covers testing.
Mailgun Choose Mailgun if
- Choose Mailgun if you need address validation tools.
- Choose Mailgun if email previews and accessibility checks matter.
- Choose Mailgun if CRM data connection is useful.
02Pricing compared
Both services list a $15 monthly Basic plan with 10,000 emails, and neither shows annual pricing. Postmark’s Basic plan includes five custom sending domains and charges $1.80 per extra 1,000 emails. Mailgun Basic includes one custom sending domain, five inbound routes, and the same $1.80 starting overage rate, according to its pricing page.
The free tiers differ sharply: Postmark allows 100 emails per month, with no overages, while Mailgun allows 100 per day. Mailgun’s next tier, Foundation, is $35 per month for 50,000 emails; Scale is $90 for 100,000. Postmark’s Pro and Platform plans cost $16.50 and $18 per month, respectively, each including 10,000 emails. Check the higher tiers against your sending volume and domain needs before comparing headline prices.
03Features and depth
Postmark’s clearest distinction is its Message Streams: the service keeps promotional and transactional email on separate sending infrastructure. It also lists an email API, SMTP sending, templates, inbound email, and delivery analytics. Inbound email processing is included on Pro and Platform, not Basic, according to the published pricing details.
Mailgun’s listed feature set covers API and SMTP sending, receiving, and tracking, plus address validation through an API or bulk upload. It also offers email previews, incoming-message parsing, and a CRM data connection. Its plans add specific controls as you move up: Foundation includes full access to inbound routing, while Scale includes 5,000 validations, SAML SSO, 30 days of log retention, and dedicated IP pools.
Choose based on the tools you need, not feature-count claims: Postmark separates sending streams; Mailgun lists validation and preview tools that Postmark’s published feature list does not mention.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The available material does not establish which service is easier to set up or manage, so we would not treat ease-of-use ratings as proof of a simpler workflow. The published reviews score both services 8 out of 10 for ease of use.
Plan limits may be more useful for estimating setup friction. Postmark Basic allows five sending domains, while Mailgun Basic allows one; Mailgun Basic includes five inbound routes. Postmark’s Pro plan adds inbound email processing, while Mailgun’s Foundation plan at $35 per month includes full access to inbound routing. If you need those capabilities, compare the exact tier requirements before switching.
Questions people ask
Are Postmark and Mailgun the same price?
Their Basic plans are both listed at $15 per month for 10,000 emails. The included limits differ: Postmark Basic has five custom sending domains, while Mailgun Basic has one and includes five inbound routes. Both list extra email charges starting at $1.80 per 1,000.
Which service has the more generous free plan?
Mailgun allows 100 emails per day on its free plan, compared with Postmark’s 100 per month. Postmark’s free plan does not allow overages and does not expire. Mailgun’s free tier also lists one custom sending domain, two API keys, and one inbound route.
What is the main feature difference between Postmark and Mailgun?
Postmark keeps promotional and transactional email on separate sending infrastructure and lists templates and delivery analytics. Mailgun lists email validation, previews, incoming-message parsing, and a CRM data connection. Pick according to which of those capabilities your sending workflow requires.
Which service is cheaper for sending more than 10,000 emails?
It depends on volume and plan. Postmark lists overages at $1.80 per 1,000 on Basic, $1.30 on Pro, and $1.20 on Platform. Mailgun lists Basic overages from $1.80 per 1,000, Foundation from $1.30, and Scale from $1.10; higher-volume plan prices differ.