Mailgun vs SendGrid: Which One Fits Your Stack?

Picking the right email platform isn’t just another tech decision — it’s about finding a partner that’ll help you build meaningful connections, drive real engagement, and ultimately fuel your business growth.

Whether you’re juggling transactional notifications, promotional campaigns, or complex automated sequences, your chosen platform directly impacts how many of your messages actually land in inboxes (and how many get flagged as spam).

I’ve spent years working with both Mailgun and SendGrid across different projects, and they’ve clearly carved out their own niches in the email infrastructure world.

Mailgun has built its reputation on being exceptionally developer-friendly with an incredibly flexible API that makes it perfect for transactional emails.

SendGrid, meanwhile, has developed a more comprehensive offering with robust delivery infrastructure plus marketing tools that appeal to both technical teams and marketers alike.

Let’s break down how these platforms really compare across the metrics that matter most — from pricing structures and feature sets to ease of implementation and real-world performance.

By the end, you’ll have a clearer picture of which platform might be the better fit for your specific email needs.

Mailgun vs SendGrid — Quick Comparison

Feature Overview

Strengths & Weaknesses Overview

Mailgun vs SendGrid — Feature Comparison

Who Mailgun Really Works for

I’ve found Mailgun to be the perfect fit for development teams who want complete control over their email infrastructure. Its API-first philosophy gives you incredible flexibility for transactional emails, custom workflows, and building scalable solutions.

The downside? You won’t find built-in marketing tools like campaign builders or visual automation flows — making it best for companies with development resources or those focusing exclusively on transactional email delivery.

Who SendGrid Really Works for

In my experience, SendGrid offers a more balanced approach for organizations needing both reliable email infrastructure and basic marketing capabilities. Their user-friendly campaign builder, simple automation tools, and extensive integration library make it accessible without sacrificing functionality.

While the more sophisticated marketing features are limited unless you’re on higher-tier plans, SendGrid hits a sweet spot for companies wanting a hybrid solution that handles both transactional and promotional emails without requiring extensive technical setup.

Mailgun vs SendGrid — Pricing Comparison

The Real Cost Breakdown

Mailgun’s pricing structure favors businesses sending high volumes of transactional emails through their API. Their plans come with generous monthly email allowances, plus pay-as-you-go flexibility for companies that need to send massive numbers of emails without the frills of marketing features.

SendGrid, on the other hand, offers much more affordable entry points for smaller senders, making it great for businesses focusing on newsletters, marketing campaigns, and basic automation.

As your volume increases, Mailgun becomes more cost-effective for purely transactional use cases, while SendGrid delivers added value through its built-in marketing tools, templates, and segmentation capabilities.

Mailgun vs SendGrid — Free Plan Comparison

What this Means for You

Mailgun’s free offering is clearly designed for developers who want to test their transactional email sending via API. You get a generous 5,000 emails monthly for the first quarter, but then it drops dramatically to just 100 emails/month unless you upgrade.

There aren’t any marketing tools or automation features included — it’s purely for technical teams handling transactional email delivery.

SendGrid takes a different approach with their free plan, targeting small businesses and marketers who want to explore email campaigns without upfront costs. You can have up to 2,000 contacts and send 6,000 emails every month, with basic automation and signup forms available out of the box.

The catch? Your emails will carry SendGrid branding, and you’ll need to upgrade for more advanced features — but it’s a solid starting point for small teams testing email marketing.

Mailgun vs SendGrid — The Good, The Bad, and The Reality

The Ideal Mailgun User

From what I’ve seen, Mailgun shines brightest for development teams and technically-oriented businesses that need complete control over their email infrastructure. Its API-first approach, powerful deliverability tools, and flexible pricing make it perfect for companies sending large volumes of transactional emails.

The tradeoff? You won’t find built-in marketing features like campaign builders, visual templates, or landing pages — you’ll need additional tools or development resources to handle marketing use cases.

Mailgun works best for businesses with technical support that prioritize transactional email performance and custom workflows.

The Ideal SendGrid User

SendGrid has carved out its niche as a more balanced platform for businesses wanting both reliable email delivery and marketing capabilities without juggling multiple platforms.

Their intuitive campaign builder, automation workflows, and contact management features make it practical even for marketers without deep technical backgrounds. While pricing starts affordably, costs can increase substantially at higher tiers, especially for businesses rapidly scaling their email marketing.

I’ve found SendGrid to be the perfect fit for growing businesses, SaaS companies, and ecommerce brands that need dependable email delivery alongside practical marketing tools and integrations.

Mailgun vs SendGrid — What Real Users Are Saying

Overall rating:

4.2

/5

G2:

4.2

Trustpilot:

4.2

Capterra:

4.3

Overall rating:

3.1

/5

G2:

4.0

Trustpilot:

1.1

Capterra:

4.2

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About author

Emily Austin

Author

Sender

Emily is a content manager who has dipped her toes in almost all fields of marketing, including email marketing, PR, social media, and ecommerce. She loves perfecting digital content, ensuring everything is polished and ready to go live.