Provider comparison
SendGrid vs Mailgun: Which Email API Is Better?
SendGrid vs Mailgun compared on price, free tier, domains, inbound email and security, with every figure checked on the vendors' own pages in October 2026.
SendGrid and Mailgun are both long-running email APIs with SMTP relay and REST sending. Mailgun's entry plan is $15 a month for 10,000 emails, and its $35 plan adds 1,000 custom domains and full inbound routing. SendGrid starts at $19.95 a month, bundles a dedicated IP from its Pro plan, and lists a 60-day free trial rather than a free plan. Prices were checked on each vendor's own pricing page in October 2026. A third option, SendHQ, is covered at the end.
Published · Updated
Key takeaways
- Free tier: Mailgun has a $0 plan with 100 emails a day and no stated end date. SendGrid has a 60-day free trial at the same 100 emails a day.
- Entry price: Mailgun Basic is $15 a month for 10,000 emails. SendGrid Essentials starts at $19.95 a month, with exact pricing set by volume and features.
- Mid-tier: Mailgun Foundation is $35 a month for 50,000 emails with 1,000 custom domains. SendGrid Pro starts at $89.95 a month and includes a dedicated IP, SSO and subuser management.
- Both can receive mail: Mailgun with inbound routes, SendGrid with its Inbound Parse webhook.
- Neither is built around inboxes for AI agents. SendHQ is a third option for that, covered at the end.
How we compared
We compared the two on criteria you can check on a vendor's own page: free tier, entry and mid-tier price, custom sending domains, inbound email, dedicated IPs and security features, and how each handles AI agents. As of October 2026. Prices are in US dollars and change; confirm on the vendor page before you buy.
- Price and free tier
- Custom sending domains and log retention
- Inbound email
- Dedicated IPs, validation and security
- Fit for AI agents
Pricing and free tier
Mailgun lists a Free plan at $0 a month with 100 emails a day, one custom sending domain, two API keys and one day of log retention. SendGrid's pricing page lists a free trial rather than a free plan: $0 a month for 60 days at 100 emails a day. If you want a free tier with no end date for a side project, Mailgun is the one that lists it. If you are migrating off SendGrid after the old plan ended, see our migration notes.
| Plan tier | SendGrid | Mailgun |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free trial: $0 a month for 60 days, 100 emails a day | Free: $0 a month, 100 emails a day, 1 custom domain, 1 day log retention |
| Entry paid | Essentials: starts at $19.95 a month; the page lists 50,000 to 100,000 emails a month and says price depends on volume and features | Basic: from $15 a month with 10,000 emails included; extra emails from $1.80 per 1,000 |
| Mid | Pro: starts at $89.95 a month for 100,000 to 2,500,000 emails | Foundation: $35 a month for 50,000 emails (first month free); extra emails from $1.30 per 1,000 |
| Higher | Premier: custom pricing, above Pro and higher than any SendHQ plan | Scale: $90 a month for 100,000 emails; extra emails from $1.10 per 1,000 |
Domains, logs and retention
On Mailgun, Free and Basic include one custom sending domain. Foundation and Scale include 1,000. Log retention is 1 day on Free and Basic, 5 days on Foundation and 30 days on Scale, with message retention up to 7 days on Scale. SendGrid's pricing page does not state a sending-domain count, so check its docs if you run many domains.
Inbound email
Mailgun includes inbound routing: 1 inbound route on Free, 5 on Basic and full access on Foundation and above. SendGrid receives mail through its Inbound Parse webhook, which posts parsed incoming messages to a URL you control (SendGrid docs). Both work, and both are webhook-style: your app receives the message and decides what to do with it.
Dedicated IPs, validation and security
SendGrid Pro includes dedicated IPs, subuser management, single sign-on, 1,000 additional teammates, 5 event webhooks and 2,500 email validations. Mailgun Scale includes SAML SSO, dedicated IP pools, 5,000 email validations, send time optimization and live phone and chat support. At roughly $90 a month for 100,000 emails, the two top self-serve tiers are close, and the choice comes down to which feature set matches your team.
Which one fits your use case
| If you need | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A free tier with no end date | Mailgun | Free plan at $0 with 100 emails a day; SendGrid's is a 60-day trial |
| The lowest entry price | Mailgun | Basic starts at $15 a month versus SendGrid Essentials from $19.95 |
| Many sending domains on a mid plan | Mailgun | Foundation includes 1,000 custom domains at $35 a month |
| Subusers and large teams on one account | SendGrid | Pro lists subuser management and 1,000 additional teammates |
A third option: SendHQ
SendHQ is a smaller email API, and it fits a different job than either of these. It gives every product, service and AI agent its own inbox and sending identity in one workspace, so sending and receiving share one place. It has a hosted MCP server for Claude and ChatGPT, a command-line tool, and an OpenAPI contract. Pricing is flat: Starter is $9 a month for 50,000 emails and 25 verified domains, and Scale is $39 a month for 200,000 emails and 100 domains.
SendHQ fits better when you are building agents or products that need to send and receive on several domains, and when you want a lower starting price than either SendGrid Essentials or Mailgun Foundation. It is not the better pick if you need an SMTP relay, because SendHQ is an HTTPS API with MCP, a CLI and a dashboard instead. See the detailed guides for SendGrid and Mailgun, or run your own numbers in the email cost calculator.
Sources and dates
Competitor prices and limits were read on these pages on . SendHQ details come from its own live site.
Questions teams ask
Is Mailgun cheaper than SendGrid?
Mailgun's entry plan is $15 a month for 10,000 emails, and SendGrid Essentials starts at $19.95 a month, with exact pricing set by volume. The plans cover different volumes, so compare at your own monthly number on both pricing pages.
Does SendGrid still have a free plan?
SendGrid's pricing page lists a free trial of $0 a month for 60 days at 100 emails a day. Mailgun lists a Free plan at $0 a month with 100 emails a day and no stated end date.
Can SendGrid and Mailgun receive email?
Yes. Mailgun has inbound routes, one on Free, five on Basic and full access from Foundation. SendGrid has the Inbound Parse webhook, which posts parsed incoming mail to your URL.
Which is better for many sending domains?
Mailgun Foundation at $35 a month includes 1,000 custom sending domains. SendGrid's pricing page does not state a domain count, so check its documentation before you plan around it.
Do SendGrid or Mailgun have an MCP server for AI agents?
Mailgun publishes an MCP server on GitHub (mailgun-mcp-server). SendHQ also has a hosted MCP server, aimed at giving agents their own inboxes.
When should I pick SendHQ instead?
Pick SendHQ when you want inboxes for AI agents, sending and receiving across several domains in one workspace, and a flat $9 a month for 50,000 emails. Do not pick it if you need an SMTP relay.