Mailgun vs SendGrid: Which One Is Better?

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Many websites utilize Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) to manage transactional emails. Most Email Service Providers (ESPs) provide SMTP support; therefore, searching for solutions with this in mind must be easy. However, the quality of service can be a problem, even if it does not affect Mailgun and SendGrid.

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To evaluate Mailgun vs. SendGrid, we must look at various aspects, like features and user-friendliness. Cost is another important element, of course. This article will help you choose which of the two solutions is the best for your site.

Let’s get started!

Table of Contents

The Introduction of Mailgun

Mailgun claims to be “the email service designed for programmers.” It provides SMTP relay capabilities as well as API integration options. Furthermore, this service can live the name of its brand as it has libraries that support multiple languages, which include Python, Ruby, and PHP. From the beginning, Mailgun has been an easy-to-use solution for developers.

Mailgun offers the most effective tools for the validation of emails that can improve the delivery of emails. It’s worth noting that, despite its tagline being a platform geared towards developers rather than marketing, Mailgun is incredibly user-friendly. We’ll explore this in greater depth later.

The Introduction of SendGrid

SendGrid is an application with an impressive array of tools for marketers and developers alike. Like Mailgun, You can access libraries for various languages, including PHP, Java, Python, and Ruby. Also, SendGrid is a developer-friendly solution that can be placed first on the list. If this is something, consider it.

With SendGrid, you can select between SMTP relay and the platform’s API to send your website’s email messages. One benefit of using SendGrid is the availability of powerful tools for marketing email design and personalization. It makes it a one-stop solution for transactional and marketing emails.

Mailgun vs SendGrid: Key Features

Both SendGrid and Mailgun have the same core functions. However, their offerings are targeted at different kinds of users. The first is that Mailgun focuses on ensuring deliverability and scalability are maintained. To achieve this, it has an effective tool to validate email addresses, which can test bulk email lists to ensure that each address is valid.

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Alongside helping improve your delivery rates, Mailgun can grow alongside your company. It is said to handle more than 15 million email messages per hour. Additionally, it provides very flexible pricing with other platforms.

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While SendGrid can create quick transactions with emails, it’s also not designed exclusively with marketing email in mind. The platform provides email campaign templates because of the connectivity to Mailjet. However, this isn’t one of the main selling points of the platform:

SendGrid, however, on the other hand, has many more options for email marketing. It also has tools to help improve delivery by validating and testing email messages.

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You can choose from many templates and utilize a drag-and-drop editor or HTML to create layouts. Furthermore, you can create sophisticated automation based on your desired sales funnels and flow.

Both SendGrid and Mailgun can handle most websites’ transaction-related email requirements. If you’re not thinking of using either of them to market your email, You can choose based on cost and user-friendliness, which we’ll discuss in the remainder of this article.

Mailgun vs SendGrid: Website Integration

If you look at both, you’ll see that each process is identical (particularly when using API Integration). But, the interface of Mailgun is perhaps more user-friendly:

However, the first display of SendGrid (in our case, we’ve opted to use the browser-based app, and it’s a bit like the WordPress plugin that is heavy on text and negative space, meaning that the menu’s most essential items are hidden within submenus.

WordPress users, they’ll be glad to learn that there are many plugins that you can install to connect to both of these services. An excellent choice to use is the Post SMTP plugin:

This tool lets you create SMTP relays on the two platforms or connect to your site through their APIs. Because setting up is easy for WordPress websites, Mailgun and SendGrid are given the same marks.

Mailgun vs SendGrid: Price

If you’re all seeking an SMTP service, the choice between Mailgun and SendGrid will likely be price-based. Of the two options, there is only one. SendGrid has the option of a free service. This plan lets you deliver up to 4000 messages within the initial 30 days, and then 100 messages a day from to the point of:

The free version allows you to use all of the features we’ve discussed up to this point, but not software for email verification. However, you get SMTP, API integration, access to analytics and a template editor, and much more.

While Mailgun doesn’t have an unlimited plan, it will allow users to test out the service by sending up to 5,000 free emails for three months. It is available with the Flex plan that costs $0.80 for every 1,000 emails after that:

All Mailgun plans include SMTP relay as well as API integration. Additionally, you can also access email analytics.

As you can see, both platforms have the same prices for their ‘professional’ levels. In the case of their entry-level plans, the choice is more difficult. SendGrid is the best choice for those with a modest website that only sends one or two daily transactions.

Mailgun, On the other hand, is a better choice for sites that require higher limits on email (such as websites that sell products online). Pay-as-you-go means you could spend around $2.4 monthly for 3000 emails, which SendGrid provides at no cost.

With SendGrid, the possibility of exceeding this limit could mean you’ll need to upgrade your plan. In contrast, Mailgun enables you to keep your billing flexible. It could be a better choice if you’re looking to use an automated email service that can be adapted to your requirements.

Conclusion

The comparison of Mailgun vs. SendGrid in terms of SMTP relays is challenging. Both platforms can handle massive quantities of transactional emails but have explicit distinctions. As far as WordPress is concerned, both platforms are simple to integrate into your website.

With that in mind, Here’s a list of who you should think about using every platform:

mailgun Make use of Mailgun for your primary use in transactions, and you need an affordable pricing structure.

SendGrid Utilize SendGrid when you have a small site that doesn’t require sending too many email messages or you’d like to use the marketing capabilities of SendGrid.

Have you got any questions regarding how to decide between Mailgun or SendGrid? Let’s discuss them in the comments below!