So you need to send emails from your app or product, and you’re comparing options. Maybe you’ve heard of Mailgun, or maybe it’s SendGrid or Postmark or some other provider making big promises. The problem: they all sound the same on the surface, but once you dig in, the differences actually matter.
This guide is for folks who want to cut through the noise and figure out how to actually compare Mailgun with other email API providers—without getting lost in marketing fluff. Whether you’re a developer, a product manager, or someone who just got stuck with “figuring out email,” you’ll get a practical process you can use.
1. Nail Down What You Actually Need
Before you get sucked into features and pricing tables, stop and make a list. What do you really need? “Sending email” is the obvious answer, but specifics matter a lot.
Start with these questions: - What types of emails? Transactional (password resets, receipts), marketing (newsletters), or both? - How many emails per month, realistically? (Don’t guess—look at your user numbers.) - Do you need analytics, templates, inbound email parsing, or just plain sending? - Is deliverability critical? (If your emails don’t show up, nothing else matters.) - Do you need to handle attachments, internationalization, or compliance (GDPR, HIPAA)? - Who’s building this—do you have developers, or are you hoping for a no-code solution?
Pro tip:
Write it all down. You’ll thank yourself when you’re knee-deep in feature matrices.
2. Identify the Main Players
Let’s keep it real: there’s a long tail of email API services, but most people end up looking at the same handful:
- Mailgun
- SendGrid
- Postmark
- Amazon SES
- Mailjet
- SparkPost
- Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Each has its own vibe. Some are easier to use, some are dirt cheap, some have better support or deliverability. Don’t just read their homepages—dig into docs, developer forums, and (if you have time) third-party reviews.
What to ignore:
Don’t get distracted by providers that sound “innovative” but have little track record or tiny user bases. Email is mission-critical; you want boringly reliable, not bleeding-edge.
3. Compare Core Features (And Ignore the Fluff)
Here’s what actually matters with email APIs:
a. Deliverability
This is the big one. If your emails go to spam, you’re sunk.
- What to check: Ask about dedicated IPs, reputation management, and built-in tools for authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
- Red flags: If a provider can’t show real data or customer reports on deliverability, be wary.
b. API Ease-of-Use
You (or your devs) will live in this API. How’s the documentation? Are there client libraries for your language? Is it straightforward to send attachments, HTML, and custom headers?
- Pro tip:
Test their API with a quick “hello world” script. Bad docs or clunky endpoints are a warning sign.
c. Analytics & Reporting
Do you need open rates, click rates, bounce logs, or message tracking? Some providers offer real-time dashboards; others make you dig.
- Pro tip:
Don’t pay extra for analytics you’ll never look at.
d. Templates & Personalization
If you’re sending more than bare-bones emails, template support is a must. Some APIs let you store templates and inject variables; others make you handle it all yourself.
- What to look for:
A simple way to manage and update templates without redeploying code.
e. Inbound Email Handling
Not all providers support parsing incoming emails (think support@yourcompany.com). If you need this, check for built-in routing and parsing features.
f. Compliance & Security
If you’re in healthcare, finance, or Europe, you probably have legal boxes to check (HIPAA, GDPR, etc.). Not all providers are equal here.
4. Price Out the Real Monthly Cost
Here’s where most comparison posts get useless: they just copy whatever’s on the pricing page. But the devil’s in the details.
a. Volume-Based Pricing
Most providers have a “free tier,” but you’ll almost always outgrow it. Look at your actual email volume, then price it out:
- What’s the cost per 10,000 or 100,000 emails?
- Are there overage fees? What happens if you spike for a week?
- Do you pay extra for dedicated IPs, analytics, or premium support?
b. Hidden Costs
Some providers charge for things you’d expect to be free, like additional domains, template storage, or API calls above a certain threshold.
- Pro tip:
If you’re running on razor-thin margins, watch out for nickel-and-diming.
c. Deliverability Extras
Things like dedicated IP addresses, domain authentication, and warmup tools can all add to the bill.
d. Migration & Lock-In
Switching providers later isn’t always easy. Some services make it hard to export data or templates. Factor that in if you think you might outgrow them.
5. Test Support—Before You Need It
You hope you’ll never need support, but with email, something always breaks: DNS, blocklists, weird bounces. The difference in response times and expertise can be huge.
- Open a test ticket with a simple but specific question (e.g., “How do I improve deliverability to Gmail?”).
- See how long it takes to get a useful, human answer—not just a copy-paste from the docs.
- Bonus: check for live chat or phone support. Some providers only offer email support, and it can be slow.
What to ignore:
Don’t get wowed by promises of “24/7 support” unless they actually deliver. Look for real reviews and anecdotes.
6. Consider the “Annoyance Factor”
A lot of people pick a provider based on features or price, but they end up switching because of headaches down the road.
- Onboarding: How easy is it to actually get started? Some providers require domain verification, paperwork, or even a sales call.
- Uptime and reliability: Do they have a public status page? What’s their track record?
- API stability: Do they make breaking changes every year? Or is it stable and boring?
- Billing and account management: Are invoices clear? Can you add team members without jumping through hoops?
Pro tip:
Read through Reddit threads or developer forums. You’ll find out fast which providers are a pain in the neck.
7. Make a Shortlist & Run a Real-World Test
Don’t try every provider. Pick your top 2 or 3 based on the steps above.
- Set up a test account.
- Send test emails to different inbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.) and check deliverability and inbox placement.
- Try out the API, templates, and analytics.
- See how support handles your questions.
- Track setup time and frustration level.
What to ignore:
Don’t sweat tiny differences in features unless they truly matter to your use case. Focus on what’ll make the day-to-day easier.
8. Decide—and Document Why
Pick the one that fits your needs, not what some review site says is “best overall.” Write down why you picked it. If you ever need to justify the choice (or revisit it later), you’ll have your thinking right there.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Grow
Email APIs are a classic case of “boring, but important.” Don’t get sucked into endless comparisons or fancy marketing claims. Figure out what you really need, test a couple of providers in the real world, and move on. You can always switch later if you outgrow your choice—just keep notes so you don’t repeat the same research.
The most important thing: get your emails reliably into inboxes, with as little hassle as possible. Everything else is icing on the cake.