Amazon SES vs Mailgun: email API pricing compared
Updated 2026-11-10 · listed A to Z, not ranked
Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) is AWS’s email sending API. It now has three plans, each with a per-1,000-email rate that falls at higher monthly volumes.
Mailgun sends transactional and bulk email through an API and SMTP, priced by monthly email volume with a per-1,000 rate above the plan.
Listed A to Z, from aws.amazon.com and mailgun.com. Every figure below is quoted from those pages.
- Main price table
- 0 to 10 million, 10 to 100 million, Over 100 million, Monthly plan fee (per account, per region)
- Free option
- None in the published plan table
- Published prices
- Essentials from $0.16 per 1,000 emails, Pro $0.22, Enterprise $0.23, with lower rates above 10M emails a month.
- Main price table
- Free, Basic, Foundation, Scale
- Free option
- Free: $0
- Published prices
- Free 100 emails a day, Basic $15 (10k), Foundation $35 (50k) and $75 (100k), Scale from $90, overage rates and add-ons.
How we checked: Prices quoted from each official pricing page: Amazon SES checked Nov 10, 2026, Mailgun checked Nov 10, 2026. Taxes, usage overages and promotions can change what you pay; confirm with each provider before you buy.
How they compare
- Main price table. Amazon SES lists 4 entries (0 to 10 million, 10 to 100 million, Over 100 million, Monthly plan fee (per account, per region)); Mailgun lists 4 (Free, Basic, Foundation, Scale).
- Free option. Amazon SES: none in the published plan table. Mailgun: Free: $0.
- How prices are quoted. Amazon SES: “Outbound email, per 1,000 emails”. Mailgun: “Plans”.
Amazon SES plans and prices
| Monthly volume | Essentials | Pro | Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 10 million | $0.16 | $0.22 | $0.23 |
| 10 to 100 million | $0.14 | $0.17 | $0.18 |
| Over 100 million | $0.11 | $0.12 | $0.13 |
| Monthly plan fee (per account, per region) | None | $105 | $500 |
Volume tiers apply marginally. AWS says new accounts start on Essentials from July 21, 2026.
From aws.amazon.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Amazon SES pricing.
Mailgun plans and prices
| Plan | Price per month | Emails per month | Extra emails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 per day | — |
| Basic | $15 | 10,000 | From $1.80 per 1,000 |
| Foundation | $35 / $75 | 50,000 / 100,000 | $1.30 / $1.10 per 1,000 |
| Scale | $90 / $215 / $400 / $550 / $700 / $1,250 | 100k / 250k / 500k / 750k / 1M / 2.5M | $1.10 down to $0.40 per 1,000 |
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Free | 1 sending domain, 1 day of logs, 1 user |
| Foundation | 1,000 domains, 5 days of logs |
| Scale | SAML SSO, 5,000 validations, dedicated IP pools, 30 days of logs |
| Email validations | From $1.20 per 100 |
| Extra dedicated IP | $59 per IP per month |
| Trial | 30-day free trial on paid plans |
From mailgun.com, checked Nov 10, 2026. Full breakdown: Mailgun pricing.
FAQ
How much does Amazon SES cost?
Essentials from $0.16 per 1,000 emails, Pro $0.22, Enterprise $0.23, with lower rates above 10M emails a month. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
How much does Mailgun cost?
Free 100 emails a day, Basic $15 (10k), Foundation $35 (50k) and $75 (100k), Scale from $90, overage rates and add-ons. (checked Nov 10, 2026).
Do Amazon SES and Mailgun have a free option?
Amazon SES: none in the published plan table. Mailgun: Free: $0.
Which is better, Amazon SES or Mailgun?
We do not pick a winner. The two price and package their products differently; the tables above quote each official pricing page so you can match a plan to your own usage.
Where do these prices come from?
Each vendor's own pricing page: aws.amazon.com (checked Nov 10, 2026) and mailgun.com (checked Nov 10, 2026). Prices change; confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Sources (official pages, read 2026-11-10)
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