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Cloud email sending API · by Microsoft

Azure Communication Services Email

Microsoft Azure's pay-as-you-go email sending service at $0.25 per 1,000 emails plus data transfer, with SDKs, SMTP support and a choice of data geography.

Visit learn.microsoft.com ↗ Alternatives Paid EU region
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Overview

Azure Communication Services (ACS) is Microsoft's set of communication APIs for voice, video, chat, SMS and email. The email part sends application-to-person mail, including transactional, bulk and marketing messages, using production-ready SDKs or SMTP.

You can start with an Azure-managed domain (a random subdomain of azurecomm.net) or send from your own verified domain with SPF and DKIM. Microsoft Defender components scan outgoing mail, suppression lists handle opt-outs, and delivery status and engagement tracking come through Azure's monitoring and Event Grid.

Pricing is pure pay-as-you-go: $0.00025 per email plus $0.00012 per MB of data transferred to each recipient, so 100,000 small emails cost about $25. When you create the ACS resource you pick a data geography such as Europe, France, Germany, the UK or the United States, and data at rest stays there. Microsoft notes that ACS is introducing breaking changes and retiring some services, so check the retirement guide before you build.

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Pricing and plans

checked 28 Sept 2026
Plan Price What you get
Pay as you go $0.00025 per email Plus $0.00012 per MB transferred to each recipient

Rates come from Microsoft Learn's email pricing page, which says the figures are illustrative and may not reflect the latest Azure pricing; the Azure pricing page itself did not render prices for us. costAt counts emails only and excludes data transfer (for example 1,000,000 emails of 0.2 MB add about $24). Each recipient counts as one email. Throttling limits apply and can be raised through Azure Support.

Source: learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/communication-services/concepts/email-pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

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What it does

SDKs and SMTP
Production-ready email SDKs, REST APIs and SMTP support.
Azure-managed or custom domains
Send from a pre-provisioned azurecomm.net domain or your own verified domain.
Data geography
Choose where resource data is stored, including Europe, France, Germany and the UK.
Security scanning
Email hygiene and malware detection through Microsoft Defender components.
Suppression lists
Opt-outs are detected and respected automatically.
Multichannel
Combine email with SMS, chat, voice and video in the same Azure resource.
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Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • Low per-email price with no monthly fee
  • Choice of data geography, including several EU options
  • Fits into existing Azure billing, identity and monitoring
  • Email and SMS from one Azure service

Limitations

  • Data transfer is billed per MB on top of the per-email price
  • No free tier for email
  • Microsoft warns of breaking changes and service retirements in ACS
  • Default throttling limits need an Azure Support request to raise
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Who it suits

Good for

  • Teams already on Azure
  • Apps that need email plus SMS or chat
  • Organizations that need data kept in a specific geography

Look elsewhere if

  • Developers outside Azure looking for a quick standalone API
  • Apps that need inbound email processing
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Alternatives to Azure Communication Services Email

Tool From Free option Stages
Amazon SES Cloud email sending and receiving service
Usage-based Paid
Brevo Email marketing and transactional platform
$9/mo Free tier
Mailgun Email API and SMTP relay
$15/mo Free tier
AhaSend Transactional email API and SMTP relay
$10/mo Free tier
Bento Email marketing and automation
$29/mo Paid
Emailit Email API and SMTP with prepaid credits
Usage-based Paid

All transactional email apis →

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Questions

How much does Azure Communication Services email cost?

$0.00025 per email plus $0.00012 per MB transferred, per Microsoft Learn's pricing page.

Can Azure Communication Services send email over SMTP?

Yes, it supports SMTP as well as SDKs.

Can I keep Azure Communication Services data in Europe?

Yes, you choose a geography such as Europe, France or Germany when creating the resource, and data at rest stays there.

Do I need my own domain?

No, you can start with an Azure-managed azurecomm.net domain, but you can also verify your own.

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