Overview
Mailgun is an email delivery platform for developers: send through an HTTP API or SMTP, receive mail through inbound routes, and track delivery, opens and clicks with webhooks. One account can send through US or EU infrastructure, so data can stay in the region you choose.
The Free plan allows 100 emails a day with a single domain and one day of logs, which is enough to wire up an app but little else. Basic ($15, 10,000 emails) removes the daily cap. Foundation ($35, 50,000 emails) is where most production apps land: 1,000 sending domains, templates, full inbound routing and five days of logs. Scale ($90, 100,000 emails) adds SAML SSO, dedicated IP pools, send-time optimization, phone support and 30 days of logs.
Log retention is short on the lower plans (one day on Free and Basic), so debugging older sends needs Foundation or above. Email validation and the Optimize deliverability suite are separate products with their own charges.
Pricing and plans
Free tier
100 emails a day, 1 custom domain, 1 inbound route, 1 day of logs, 1 user
At the limit Not stated The vendor does not say what happens at the limit, or we have not found it yet.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 100 emails/day, 1 domain, 1 day log retention |
| Basic | $15/mo | 10,000 emails, extra from $1.80/1,000, 1 domain, 5 inbound routes |
| Foundation | $35/mo | 50,000 emails, extra from $1.30/1,000, 1,000 domains, templates, 5 days logs |
| Scale | $90/mo | 100,000 emails, extra from $1.10/1,000, SAML SSO, 5,000 validations, 30 days logs |
| Enterprise | Custom | Deliverability services and burst sending SLA |
What it does
- US and EU regions
- Choose per domain whether mail and data are processed in the US or EU.
- Inbound routing
- Match incoming mail by rules and forward it to URLs or addresses; full access from Foundation.
- Templates
- Template builder and API from the Foundation plan.
- Dedicated IPs
- Available from 50,000 emails; one included at 100,000+, with automated warm-up.
- Email validation
- Address validation API, with 5,000 validations included on Scale.
- Subaccounts and RBAC
- Subaccounts, user roles and role-based API keys on higher plans.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- EU and US hosting from a single account
- Permanent free plan of 100 emails a day
- Foundation includes 1,000 sending domains for $35
- Mature inbound routing
Limitations
- Free and Basic keep only one day of logs
- Free plan limited to one user and one domain
- SAML SSO only on Scale ($90+)
- Validations and deliverability tools cost extra
Who it suits
Good for
- Apps that must keep email data in the EU
- SaaS platforms sending from many customer domains
- Apps that parse inbound email
Look elsewhere if
- Teams that need weeks of logs on a small budget
- Projects that need more than 100 free emails a day
Alternatives to Mailgun
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brevo Email marketing and transactional platform | $9/mo | Free tier | |
| Mailtrap Email API/SMTP Email sending API, SMTP and testing sandbox | $15/mo | Free tier | |
| SparkPost Email sending API | $15/mo | Free tier | |
| Notifuse Open-source email platform | $19/mo | ||
| Resend Email API for developers | $20/mo | Free tier | |
| Lettermint Transactional and broadcast email API | €10/mo | Free tier |
Questions
Is Mailgun free?
Yes, the Free plan allows 100 emails a day with one custom domain and one inbound route.
How much does Mailgun cost for 50,000 emails?
The Foundation plan includes 50,000 emails for $35 a month after a free first month.
Does Mailgun have an EU region?
Yes, one account can send through US or EU infrastructure so data stays in the chosen region.
Does Mailgun include a dedicated IP?
One dedicated IP is included at 100,000+ emails a month; more cost $59 per IP per month.
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