8 Best Mailgun Alternatives for Transactional & Marketing Emails in 2025

Mailgun is a leading email automation service designed specifically for developers to send transactional and marketing emails easily. 

If you are a developer, then you know how important it is to have a reliable, developer-friendly email service that ensures your emails get delivered promptly and securely, whether it’s order confirmations, password resets, or newsletters.

That’s why you often seek alternatives due to pricing concerns, unique feature needs, or specific use cases that Mailgun may not fully address.

So, in this article, you’ll discover 10 top Mailgun alternatives that focus on powerful APIs, scalable infrastructure, and developer-focused features.

So, let’s start.

Mailgun Alternatives: A Quick Overview

Before diving into the details, here’s a quick look at some alternatives to Mailgun among the best transactional email services for different needs:

Tool	Best For	Key Features (Short)	Pricing (Starting)	Free Plan
SendGrid	Developers & marketers needing both email types	API + SMTP, marketing tools, deliverability suite, webhooks, analytics	$19.95/month for 50K emails	Free trial for 60 day, 100 emails/day
Postmark	High-speed transactional emails	Instant delivery, message streams, analytics, dedicated IP, templates	$15/month for 10K emails	100 emails/month
Amazon SES	Scalable, budget-friendly email sending	API + SMTP, CloudWatch, deliverability monitoring, templates	$0.10 per 1,000 emails	3000 emails/month
Brevo	Small teams needing all-in-one tools	Email + SMS, marketing automation, CRM, transactional API, SMTP	$9/month for 5K emails	300 emails/day (~9,000/month)
Mailtrap	Devs needing testing + delivery pipeline	Sandbox testing, API + SMTP, spam scores, analytics, suppression tools	$15/month for 10K emails	1,000 emails/month (testing only)
Mailchimp	Marketers need a full-stack solution	API + SMTP, templates, integrations, analytics, transactional add-on	$20 for 25K transactional emails	1000 email/month(Marketing only)
MailerSend	Startups & small teams	API + SMTP, dynamic templates, email verification, analytics, collaboration tools	$28/month for 50K emails	3,000 emails/month
MessageBird	Developers needing deep analytics	Real-time analytics, API + SMTP, predictive inboxing, reputation tools	$20/month for 10k emails	100 emails/day (~3,000/month)

What to Look for in a Mailgun Alternative?

When evaluating alternatives to Mailgun, it’s crucial to consider what developers truly need for seamless email integration, reliable delivery, and long-term scalability. Here are the key features and pain points to keep in mind:

• API and SMTP Integration: Look for services that offer RESTful APIs and SMTP support, along with official SDKs for languages like Python, Node.js, PHP, and Go.
• Scalability: Your email solution should scale smoothly from a few hundred to millions of emails per month without a complete infrastructure overhaul.
• Deliverability Optimization: Support for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is essential to ensure your emails land in inboxes, not spam folders.
• Analytics and Tracking: Real-time tracking of opens, clicks, bounces, and spam complaints helps you monitor performance and quickly address deliverability issues.
• Pricing Transparency: Transparent, flexible pricing (especially pay-as-you-go or generous free tiers) can make a big difference.
• Developer-Focused Documentation and SDKs: Well-written docs, clear email API references, and active developer support communities save hours of debugging and make onboarding painless.

8 Best Mailgun Alternatives for Developers & Marketers

So, it’s time to dive deeper into the top transactional email services, and you’ll see exactly why each of them is best. Whether you’re looking for better deliverability, affordable pricing, or a generous free plan, this comparison table will help you find the right fit.

SendGrid – A Developer-Friendly Email Delivery Platform by Twilio

SendGrid is a cloud-based email service owned by Twilio that helps developers and businesses send transactional and marketing emails at scale. It’s known for its powerful infrastructure, flexible APIs, and high deliverability, sending over 148 billion emails every month.

If you’re using Mailgun for transactional emails and want something that also offers built-in email design tools, marketing automation, and better team collaboration, SendGrid is worth checking out. It’s more of an all-in-one platform, while Mailgun stays focused on raw email delivery.

Key Features of SendGrid

• Flexible APIs and Libraries: RESTful API with JSON; supports major languages and quick integration using open-source SDKs
• Webhooks and Event Tracking: Real-time webhooks to track opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes with detailed analytics
• Deliverability Tools: SPF, DKIM, DMARC support with dedicated IPs, domain authentication, and deliverability insights
• SMTP Integration: Universal SMTP relay available for teams not using the API
• Scalability: Sends from 100 to billions of emails monthly with a powerful  Mail Transfer Agent (MTA) and smart queue handling

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Supports both marketing and transactional emails	Pricing grows fast with volume
Clean UI for managing templates and analytics	Free tier has limited support
High deliverability with robust reputation tools	Shared IP pools may affect inbox rates without an upgrade
Trusted by global brands like Uber and Airbnb

Pricing

SendGrid offers a  free trial on both the Email API and Marketing plan for 60 day and you can send up to 100 emails per day.

• Email API plans start at $19.95/month for 50,000 emails, in the Pro plan starts at $89.95 per month for 100,000 emails
• Marketing plans start at $15/month up to 100,000 contacts and send up to 300,000 emails per month

Bonus: For a details comparison between SendGrid and Mailgun, you can check our article on SendGrid vs Mailgun.

Postmark – Fast and Reliable Transactional Email Delivery

Postmark, now part of ActiveCampaign, is a transactional email service built with one mission: speed and reliability. It’s trusted by apps like Trello and Basecamp to deliver critical emails, like password resets and order confirmations, without delay.

If Mailgun is your go-to for deliverability, Postmark takes that focus and pushes it even further. While Mailgun supports marketing emails too, Postmark is all-in on transactional messaging, making it a great alternative if that’s your core need.

Key Features of Postmark

• Email API and SMTP: RESTful API and SMTP support with SDKs for Node.js, Python, Ruby, and more
• Deliverability Tools: Built-in SPF, DKIM, DMARC setup with optional dedicated IPs, and DMARC monitoring
• Real-Time Analytics: Tracks opens, clicks, bounces, spam; includes 45-day logs and event webhooks
• Testing and Debugging: Sandbox server for safe testing; supports inbound email processing
• Templates: Manage dynamic templates via API or UI for personalized transactional emails
• Instant Delivery: Prioritizes transactional emails for faster inbox placement
• Message Streams: Separates transactional and broadcast emails to boost deliverability

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Lightning-fast delivery for time-sensitive emails	No built-in tools for marketing emails
Consistent customer support across all pricing tiers	Pricing may be high for bulk senders
Great documentation and easy setup	Occasional reports of verification emails hitting spam folders
GDPR-compliant for handling EU customer data

Pricing

Postmark offers a free developer plan with 100 emails/month, which is great for testing.

• Basic plans start at $15/month for 10,000 emails for solo developers or small teams
• Pro Plans start at $60.50 per month for 50,000 emails per month for start-ups and small businesses.
• The Platform plan starts at $138/month for 125,000 emails per month.

Amazon SES – Scalable and Cost-Effective Email Sending

Amazon SES(Simple Email Service) is a powerful cloud-based email sending service designed for developers and businesses that need to send large volumes of email at a low cost. It’s part of the AWS ecosystem, making it an ideal choice if you’re already using Amazon’s cloud services.

If Mailgun focuses on ease of use and robust API features, Amazon SES stands out for its scalability and affordability, perfect if you want to send bulk transactional or marketing emails without breaking the bank.

Key Features of Amazon SES

• High Deliverability: Uses a global network of trusted IP addresses to boost inbox placement
• Flexible Integration: Supports SMTP, API, and SDKs for seamless setup across platforms
• Event Tracking: Webhooks (via SNS) and CloudWatch integration for tracking email events (sends, deliveries, bounces).
• Reputation Dashboard: Monitors your sending statistics, bounces, complaints, and reputation
• Email Templates & Personalization: Create reusable templates with dynamic content support
• Dedicated IP Addresses: Optional dedicated IPs to improve deliverability further
• Compliance & Security: Includes built-in DKIM, SPF, and DMARC support for email authentication

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Extremely cost-effective, especially for high-volume sending	The interface and setup can be complex for beginners
Seamless integration with other AWS services like Lambda and S3	Limited native email analytics compared to some competitors
Flexible sending options via SMTP or API	Customer support is primarily through paid AWS support plans
Strong focus on deliverability and sender reputation

Pricing

• Amazon SES provides a free tier where you can receive up to 3000 emails per month for the first 12 months after you start using it.
• Beyond that, pricing starts at $0.10 per 1,000 emails sent.
• Additional fees apply for dedicated IP addresses ($24.95/month) and for receiving emails.

Bonus: Here is a deep comparison of Amazon SES vs Mailgun, you can check.

Brevo – Affordable All-in-One Platform for Email, SMS, and More

Formerly Sendinblue, Brevo offers a complete communication suite including email, SMS, marketing automation, CRM, and transactional email, all from one dashboard. It’s ideal for growing teams looking to manage campaigns and transactional messages under one platform.

While Mailgun focuses strictly on transactional delivery, Brevo adds marketing tools, CRM, and SMS, all at a more affordable entry point.

Key Features:

• Transactional Email API & SMTP: RESTful API and SMTP relay with SDKs for PHP, Python, Node.js, Ruby, and Java
• Real-Time Tracking & Webhooks: Monitors opens, clicks, bounces, and deliveries, with event webhooks for automation
• Deliverability Features: SPF, DKIM, DMARC support with dedicated IPs, domain warm-up, and real-time performance monitoring
• Marketing Tools: Drag-and-drop email builder, SMS campaigns, automation workflows, and WhatsApp messaging
• CRM & Contact Management: Built-in CRM with segmentation, contact scoring, and team collaboration features

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Free plan includes both marketing and transactional features	API performance may lag behind specialized services like Mailgun or Postmark
Excellent for small teams needing marketing + transactional tools	Limited template versioning and preview options
Easy setup with intuitive UI and developer-friendly APIs	CRM is basic compared to full-scale tools like HubSpot or Zoho
Includes SMS, WhatsApp, and push notifications in higher tiers

Pricing:

• Free Plan: 300 emails/day (9,000/month) + core marketing features like email template, drag and drop editor, API, SMTP, Webhooks, etc
• Starter Plan: Starting from $9/month for 5000 emails per month.
• Business Plan: Starts from $18/month for 5000 emails per month with advanced features like (adds marketing automation, A/B testing, advanced reporting, and phone support)

Mailtrap – The All-in-One Email Platform Built for Developers

Mailtrap is a developer-first email delivery platform designed for safe testing, reliable sending, and deep analytics of transactional and bulk emails. It helps you debug, send, and monitor emails in one place, used by brands like Calendly and Adobe.

While Mailgun is more focused on large-scale sending, Mailtrap offers a safer, integrated workflow with robust testing tools for staging environments.

Key Features of Mailtrap

• Email API & SMTP support: RESTful API and SMTP relay, compatible with SendGrid, Mailgun, and more
• Sandbox Testing: Test emails in staging without sending. Get spam score, HTML preview, and inbox placement
• Analytics & Logs: Monitor delivery, opens, clicks, bounces, and store email logs for up to 60 days
• Deliverability Tools: Dedicated IPs, auto IP warmup, suppression lists, and smart alerts
• Security & Compliance: Easy domain setup, DKIM/SPF, and built-in security checks

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Ideal for staging and QA environments	Limited marketing automation features
Powerful analytics and log retention	No drag-and-drop email builder yet
24/7 support across all plans	Support via email only (no live chat or phone)
Easy migration from Mailgun with step-by-step guides

Pricing

They have plans for developers, which is perfect for testing email flow, QA environments, etc. On the Free plan, you can test 500 emails in one inbox, and and the Individual plan, you can test 5000 emails in 5 inboxes at $14.99 per month.

And the marketing plans included:

• Free Plan: 1,000 emails/month for 100 contacts (testing only)
• Basic Plan: Starts at $15/month for 10,000 emails + 5,000 contacts with no sending limits
• Business Plan: Starts at $85/month for 100,000 emails with 100,000 contacts
• Enterprise Plan: Starting from $750/month and sending 150,000 emails/month with a 30-day email log
• Custom Plans: Available for high-volume senders

Mailchimp – All-in-One Marketing with a Powerful Transactional Add-On

Now a part of Intuit, Mailchimp blends transactional email with advanced marketing tools. Its transactional engine (formerly Mandrill) lets developers send high-volume, automated emails like order confirmations or password resets, on top of marketing automation, CRM, and landing pages.

Mailchimp suits teams needing both transactional and marketing tools, while Mailgun focuses purely on developer-driven email infrastructure.

Key Features of Mailchimp

• Email API & SMTP: RESTful API and SMTP relay with SDKs for Python, PHP, Ruby, Node.js, and more
• Analytics & Webhooks: Real-time tracking for opens, clicks, and bounces via webhooks and campaign reporting
• Deliverability Tools: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, automated bounce handling, and dedicated IPs for large senders
• Integrations: 800+ integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, Salesforce, and Google Analytics
• Testing & Compliance: Inbox previews (via Litmus) and GDPR/CASL tools for privacy and consent management

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Unified platform for both marketing and transactional emails	It may be overkill for devs needing only transactional tools
Developer-friendly API with solid documentation	Email logs are only stored for 30 days on standard plans
Pay-as-you-go credits for flexible transactional sending	Email logs only stored for 30 days on standard plans
Deep integrations with top eCommerce and CRM platforms	Past security incidents (now resolved) may concern some teams

Pricing

• Free Plan: 1,000 monthly marketing emails to 500 contacts; transactional emails not included
• Transactional Email Plan: This plan is designed for the developer at $20 for 25,000 emails per month, requires Mailchimp plan (starts at ~$13/month)
• Marketing Plans: Essentials ($13 for 5000 emails)/month, Standard ($20 for 6000 emails)/month, Premium ($350 for 150,000 emails)/month.

MailerSend – Fast, Developer-Friendly Email & SMS for Modern Teams

MailerSend, built by the team behind MailerLite, offers transactional email and SMS delivery focused on simplicity, scalability, and team collaboration. It’s ideal for startups and small teams that want a quick setup with strong deliverability.

MailerSend emphasizes ease of use and teamwork, while Mailgun is more geared toward raw power and advanced developer control.

Key Features of MailerSend

• API & SMTP Access: RESTful email API with SDKs for PHP, Node.js, Go, and more, plus flexible SMTP support
• Email Verification: Built-in validation API to clean lists and reduce bounce rates
• Dynamic Templates: Use logic and variables inside drag-and-drop or code-based templates
• Analytics & Webhooks: Real-time tracking with custom domain analytics and event-based webhooks
• Team Collaboration: Multi-user access, domain-level settings, and workflow-friendly dashboard

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
3,000 free emails/month—great for testing and small projects	Fewer third-party integrations than top-tier competitors
Very fast integration and beginner-friendly interface	Advanced features like SMS require paid upgrade
Strong deliverability and reputation-managed IP pools	Not built for complex marketing without MailerLite
24/7 human support on all plans (no bots!)

Pricing

• Free Plan: 3,000 emails/month  with Email API, SMTP relay, drag and drop email builder
• Starter Plan: Start at $28/month for 50,000 emails, 100 SMS per month
• Professional Plan: Start at $88/month with 50,000 emails, 150 SMS, 400 email verification credits per month

MessageBird (formerly SparkPost) – Powerful Email API for Developers

MessageBird (formerly SparkPost) is a robust email delivery service designed with developers in mind, much like Mailgun. It focuses on providing high deliverability and detailed analytics to ensure your emails reach the inbox.

Also, MessageBird powers email for big names like LinkedIn and Pinterest, making it a trusted option for scaling transactional and marketing emails. If you want a Mailgun alternative with deep analytics and strong API support, MessageBird is a solid choice.

Key Features of MessageBird

• Real-time Analytics: Detailed insights into email performance, engagement, and deliverability
• Email API & SMTP: Flexible integration options to fit any workflow
• Deliverability Tools: Predictive inbox placement and engagement tracking
• Template Management: Manage and test templates efficiently
• Advanced Security: Supports TLS encryption and DKIM/DMARC standards

Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Comprehensive analytics for email optimization	Free tier is limited, focused on paid plans
Strong API with great developer tools and documentation	Can be complex for beginners without developer resources
High deliverability with advanced inbox placement technology	Pricing may be higher for small businesses or low-volume senders
Scalable plans suitable for startups to enterprises

Pricing

• Starter Plan: 10,000 emails/month — $20/month
• Premier Plan: 300,000 emails/month — $205/month (includes overage fees)
• High Volume: 1 million emails/month — $525/month (Premier tier)

Make Sure Your Transactional Emails Hit the Inbox, Not Spam

When it comes to sending transactional emails from your WordPress site, deliverability is everything. That’s where FluentSMTP comes in.

FluentSMTP is a 100% free WordPress plugin that connects your site to top email delivery services like Amazon SES, Mailgun, SendGrid, Brevo, and more. It ensures your order confirmations, password resets, and other crucial emails actually land in your user’s inbox, not the spam folder.

With features like real-time email logging, multiple SMTP connections, and no sending limits, FluentSMTP gives you complete control over your email delivery, without the cost or complexity.

Choose Your Mailgun Alternative for Seamless Email Delivery

Finding the right email service depends on what matters most for your business—whether it’s smooth integration, reliable deliverability, cost-efficiency, or powerful marketing features. Here’s a quick rundown to help you pick the perfect alternative:

• If you need a robust API, scalable infrastructure, and a reliable all-in-one platform, you can use SendGrid.
• Use Postmark for fast and reliable transactional email delivery and ensure email deliverability.
• You can use Amazon SES if you’re sending emails at scale and want a budget-friendly, pay-as-you-go solution.
• You can switch to Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) for an intuitive interface with powerful marketing and transactional email support.
• You can try Mailchimp if you need a simple, beginner-friendly platform with marketing automation.
• You can use MailerSend if you want a modern, developer-friendly experience with flexible email API tools.
• Try Elastic Email if you’re looking for affordable plans with both transactional and marketing capabilities.
• Mailtrap for a safe and efficient way to test your emails during development.

Now, it’s up to you to pick the email provider that matches your project’s needs. Each option has its own strengths, and no matter which one you go with, you’re already one step closer to building a better email experience.