About Mailgun
Overview
Mailgun is a transactional email delivery and deliverability platform founded in 2010 by developers, for developers. It lets engineering teams send, receive, track, test, and optimize email through RESTful APIs and SMTP relays, backed by cloud infrastructure that scales from thousands to millions of messages. More than 150,000 businesses use the platform, including 8 of the 10 largest technology companies in the world, and it sends over 600 billion emails a year.
The platform covers the full email lifecycle: Send for delivery, Optimize for engagement and deliverability, Validate to clean email lists, and Inspect for pre-send quality assurance. Data centers in the US and EU let customers choose where their data resides, and the service carries SOC I and II, GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 compliance.
Key Benefits
- RESTful Email API and SMTP relay integrate email into any application with documented client libraries for Python, Ruby, Java, and C.
- Real-time logs and analytics track performance by email service provider, device type, and location.
- Email validation uses cached send data to remove invalid and high-risk addresses quickly.
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI authentication protects sender reputation and stops spoofing.
- 99.99% server uptime with SOC I and II, GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 compliance.
- Built on Google infrastructure with automated warmup of dedicated IP addresses.
How It Works
Sign up for free and find a personalized API key in your dashboard. Send email from your application through the RESTful API or standard SMTP, or use published client libraries for common languages. Track deliveries, opens, and clicks in real time, and extend the pipeline with list validation, send time optimization, and inbound routing.
Use Cases
- Developers add transactional email such as signup confirmations and password resets to their apps.
- E-commerce teams send order confirmations, shipping updates, and cart recovery messages at volume.
- Marketers lift engagement and avoid the spam folder with send time optimization and deliverability analytics.
- Growth teams validate signup lists to stop fake signups and remove invalid addresses.
- Large enterprises parse incoming messages and connect email data to their CRM.
- Design and creative teams preview campaigns and fix accessibility issues before sending.
Why Choose This Product
Mailgun was born in 2010 when its founders could not find an API-based email service and was incubated in Y Combinator's 2011 class before being acquired by Rackspace. Customer results reported on the site include a 21% decrease in bounces, 65% higher open rates, and 100% more clicks, supported by a Forrester Total Economic Impact study. A free tier of 100 emails per day lets teams start without payment.
Mailgun Pros & Cons
- Free tier includes 100 emails per day
- SOC I and II, GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001 compliant
- 99.99% server uptime guarantee
- RESTful Email API plus SMTP relay
- Real-time logs and analytics across ESP, device, and location
- Free plan capped at 100 emails per day
Key Features
RESTful Email API
All plansSend transactional email from applications through RESTful HTTP APIs that return flexible JSON output.
SMTP Relay
Deliver email through standard SMTP endpoints as an alternative to the REST API.
Real-time Analytics
Track opens, clicks, and delivery failures by email service provider, device type, and location.
Inbound Routing
All plansParse and route incoming email messages with configurable inbound routes.
Email Authentication
All plansApply SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and BIMI protocols to protect sender reputation and stop spoofing.
Email Validation
ScaleValidate email lists through the real-time API or drag-and-drop to remove invalid and high-risk addresses.
Send Time Optimization
ScaleSchedule sends for the moment each recipient is most likely to engage, using AI-powered tools.
Template Builder
Foundation+Build and manage email templates with the template builder and its API.
Email Inspect
Preview emails before sending and fix common accessibility issues to align with compliance and improve delivery.
Mailgun Pricing
View full pricing →- 100 emails per day included
- RESTful email APIs and SMTP relay
- 1 custom sending domain
- Tracking, analytics, and webhooks
- Ticket support
- 1 inbound route
- 10,000 emails per month included
- No daily email limit
- RESTful email APIs and SMTP relay
- 5 inbound routes
- Email analytics and reporting
- 50,000 emails per month included
- Full access to RESTful APIs and SMTP relays
- 1,000 custom sending domains
- Email template builder and API
- 5 days log retention
- Full access to inbound routing
- 100,000 emails per month included
- SAML SSO
- 5,000 email validations included
- Dedicated IP pools
- Send time optimization
- 30 days log retention
| Feature | Free Free/mo | Basic $15/mo | Foundation $35/mo | Scale $90/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RESTful Email API | ||||
| Inbound Routing | ||||
| Email Authentication | ||||
| Email Validation | ||||
| Send Time Optimization | ||||
| Template Builder |
Pricing extracted from the product website and may change. Check the source for current details.
Frequently asked questions about Mailgun
How can I upgrade my account?
You can upgrade your account at any time to get more volume, more features, or both, directly from within your account settings.
How does Mailgun work?
Mailgun is an email delivery and deliverability service that sends email from your applications using cloud-based infrastructure that scales and handles billions of emails per month. It is free to sign up and easy to get started, with documentation explaining how it works.
How does your billing work?
Upon signup you are billed only the prorated amount of the selected plan for the current month. After that, your monthly plan cost plus any extra emails and validations used are billed at the start of each month for the previous month. If you cancel, any remaining balance is charged before the account can be closed.
How do I send my emails with Mailgun?
Mailgun exposes both an HTTP API and an SMTP endpoint, so you can choose the sending method that fits your application. Both approaches let you send transactional email, and you can also use published client libraries in common programming languages.
Is Mailgun free?
Mailgun offers a free plan with optional paid upgrades. See the pricing section for what's included in each tier.
How much does Mailgun cost?
Mailgun offers the following plans: Free, Basic, Foundation, Scale. See the pricing section for what's included in each tier and any per-seat or usage-based costs.