Mailgun
The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying.
Transactional email infrastructure: an API and SMTP relay for the mail your application sends, with routing, validation, logs and deliverability tooling.
Do not run your own mail server. Reduce your dependence on this one instead. WHY NOT - Outbound mail from a new IP is filtered by default. Reputation takes months and one bad campaign undoes it - This is the clearest keep-paying case on the site WHAT TO BUILD INSTEAD: A PROVIDER SHIM - One interface in your code: send(to, subject, html, text, headers) - Two implementations behind it, SES and Postmark, chosen by an environment variable - Every send written to your own messages table before it leaves YOUR OWN LOG - Store recipient, template, a hash of the body, provider id, status and timestamps - Provider webhooks update the row: delivered, bounced, complained, opened if you track that - Now "did they get it" is answerable from your database, not from a vendor dashboard SUPPRESSION YOU OWN - Your own suppression table, written by the webhooks and consulted before every send Include the interface, both adapters, the schema and the webhook handler.
What you lose
- IP reputation and the feedback loops with Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo that decide whether your mail is delivered at all
- Message logs and a searchable event history for every send, which is what you need when a customer says they never got it
- Inbound routing, address validation and a suppression list maintained for you
If you would rather not build
- Amazon SES, usually the cheapest at volume
- Postmark, for transactional deliverability
- Resend, for a modern API over the same job
The escape hatch
open source · no votes, no paid placement
Postal
$0A self-hosted mail platform — only sensible if you already run mail infrastructure.
postalserver/postalfree · open source
Nodemailer
$0The transport layer, so switching provider is a config change.
nodemailer/nodemailerfree · open source
Why this verdict
our own opinion · changed only by a person
20/100
Verdict no at 20. Sending mail yourself is the classic mistake. The useful move is owning the log and the suppression list so switching provider is an afternoon.
History
tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten
Questions about Mailgun
answered from the record above
Is Mailgun free?
No — the plan we track is $15 a month. Basic from around $15/month billed monthly for 10,000 emails; higher volumes and dedicated IPs cost more.
Can you replace Mailgun by building your own?
KEEP IT. The value is the network, the data or the infrastructure. Keep paying. Replacement score 20 out of 100, build time longer than it saves. Read what you lose before you decide.
How much does Mailgun cost?
$15 a month on Basic — $180 a year. Recorded 9 Aug 2026.
What do you lose by replacing Mailgun?
IP reputation and the feedback loops with Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo that decide whether your mail is delivered at all; Message logs and a searchable event history for every send, which is what you need when a customer says they never got it; Inbound routing, address validation and a suppression list maintained for you. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to Mailgun?
Yes: Postal, Nodemailer. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.
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