Mailgun vs SendGrid (2026)
Mailgun and SendGrid are both email APIs for sending from your app. SendGrid is cheaper per email at 50,000 and 100,000 a month on its Essentials plan, and has a marketing campaigns product if you want one vendor. Mailgun has a permanent free tier, an EU region, and a dedicated IP on its Scale plan. For most developers the choice comes down to price at your volume and whether you need EU hosting.
Price
From each provider’s pricing page, September 2026:
| Emails a month | Mailgun | SendGrid |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 a day, ongoing | 100 a day for a 60-day trial |
| 10,000 | $15 (Basic) | $19.95 (Essentials covers up to 50,000) |
| 50,000 | $35 (Foundation) | $19.95 (Essentials) |
| 100,000 | $90 (Scale, dedicated IP included) | $29.95 (Essentials), or $89.95 on Pro with dedicated IPs |
| Extra emails | $1.10 to $1.80 per 1,000 by plan | Move up a volume tier |
For comparison, Amazon SES charges $10 for 100,000 emails. See the full email API pricing comparison.
Side by side
| Mailgun | SendGrid | |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Sinch | Twilio |
| EU region | Yes | EU data residency on some plans; check with SendGrid |
| Log retention | 1 day on Basic, 5 on Foundation, 30 on Scale | Varies by plan |
| Inbound email | Inbound routing | Inbound Parse webhook |
| Email validation | Paid add-on; 5,000 a month on Scale | 2,500 included on Pro |
| Marketing campaigns | Basic template tools, not a marketing platform | Separate Marketing Campaigns product, priced by contacts |
Which to pick
Cheapest at 50,000 to 100,000 emails a month: SendGrid Essentials.
Need a permanent free tier for a side project, or EU hosting: Mailgun.
Want a dedicated IP at around 100,000 emails: close between Mailgun Scale ($90) and SendGrid Pro ($89.95).
Lowest price at any volume: neither. Amazon SES is a fraction of both.
Need marketing email too: either works for sending, but you still need something to manage the list. Broadcast is self-hosted email marketing software that sends through Mailgun, SendGrid, Amazon SES or any SMTP, so you can pick the API on price and switch later without moving your list. It costs $250 once.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mailgun better than SendGrid?
Neither is better across the board. SendGrid is cheaper on its Essentials plan at 50,000 to 100,000 emails a month. Mailgun has a permanent free tier and an EU region.
Does SendGrid still have a free plan?
Not a permanent one. New accounts get a 60-day trial with 100 emails a day, then need a paid plan.
Can I switch from SendGrid to Mailgun?
Yes. Both use standard SMTP and REST APIs. Update your DNS records (SPF, DKIM and the return-path) for the new provider, warm up if volume is high, and point your app or email software at the new credentials.
