Direct answer: at public monthly prices, 10,000 transactional emails a month cost about USD 1/month on Amazon SES, 15 on Mailgun Basic and 20 on Resend Pro (which includes 50,000); 50,000 cost SES about 5, Resend Pro 20 and Mailgun Foundation 35; 100,000 cost SES about 10, Mailgun Scale 90 and Resend Scale 90. SES’s USD 0.10 per 1,000 is far below managed APIs, but you run sending operations, monitoring and deliverability yourself; Mailgun/Resend sell templates, analytics, support and less operations.
This guide is for engineering, operations and procurement teams choosing a transactional email API (password resets, order notifications, OTPs, receipts). Data cut-off: 5 November 2026; prices are US public list prices in USD, excluding tax, with no FX conversion; the TCO is an editorial calculation, not a vendor quote. All three bill on sending volume, but included volume, overage, dedicated IPs, attachments and inbound differ widely; comparing only “per 1,000” misses operations and add-ons.
Check monthly volume and free allowance, then overage/dedicated IP/attachments; then the labor cost of running it yourself; finally confirm templates, analytics, inbound and SSO. A USD 0.10 SES, a USD 0.40 Resend and a USD 0.70 Mailgun are not the same bill.
Three positions: cloud infrastructure, managed API, developer-first
Amazon SES is cloud infrastructure: per-email pricing plus attachments/dedicated IPs/validation/inbound, cheap but requiring your own sending configuration, bounce/complaint handling, monitoring and deliverability; it fits teams with AWS operations. Mailgun is a managed transactional email API: Basic/Foundation/Scale include 10k/50k/100k, with templates, analytics, inbound, dedicated IPs (request at 50k, one included at 100k+) and 1/5/30-day logs; it fits teams that want it ready-made. Resend is a developer-first API: Free 3k, Pro 50k (USD 20/month), Scale 100k (USD 90/month), React Email, broadcasts, inbound, 30-day retention and dedicated IPs at USD 30/month; it fits modern JS teams.
| Platform | Positioning | Pricing | Best fit | Boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon SES | Cloud email infrastructure | Per email + attachments/dedicated IP/validation/inbound | AWS operations, high volume | Templates/analytics/deliverability to build or buy |
| Mailgun | Managed transactional email API | Plans with 10k/50k/100k + overage | Templates/analytics/inbound/support | Dedicated IP request at 50k, one included at 100k+ |
| Resend | Developer-first API | Free 3k; Pro 50k; Scale 100k | JS/React teams, fast integration | Monthly only; dedicated IP/SSO add-ons |
Sources: Amazon SES Pricing, Mailgun Pricing and Resend Pricing (all accessed 5 November 2026). This is editorial grouping, not a vendor taxonomy; “boundary” covers only what the pricing pages verify and does not judge deliverability, latency or actual usability.
The official 2026 price lists
Amazon SES: USD 0.10 per 1,000 emails, attachments USD 0.12/GB; dedicated IP standard USD 24.95/IP/month, managed USD 15/month + 0.08/1,000 (0–10M); validation USD 0.01 each; inbound USD 0.10/1,000. Mailgun: Basic USD 15/month for 10k (overage 1.80/1k), Foundation USD 35 for 50k (1.30/1k), Scale USD 90 for 100k (1.10/1k; SAML SSO/dedicated IP pools/30-day logs). Resend: Free 0 (3k/month, 100/day), Pro USD 20 for 50k (overage 0.90/1k), Scale USD 90 for 100k (0.90/1k; SSO add-on/dedicated IP USD 30/month).
| Platform / plan | Monthly fee (USD) | Included volume | Overage/add-on | Key capability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon SES (pay-as-you-go) | 0 | Per email | 0.10/1k; attachments 0.12/GB | API/SMTP, dedicated IP, validation, inbound |
| Mailgun Free | 0 | 100/day | No overage | Testing, one domain |
| Mailgun Basic | 15 | 10,000/month | 1.80/1k; validation 1.20/100 | One domain, 1-day logs |
| Mailgun Foundation | 35 | 50,000/month | 1.30/1k; validation 1.20/100 | 1,000 domains, 5-day logs, templates |
| Mailgun Scale | 90 | 100,000/month | 1.10/1k; validation 0.80/100 | SAML SSO, dedicated IP pools, 30-day logs |
| Resend Free | 0 | 3,000/month (100/day) | No overage | 3 domains, 3 inboxes |
| Resend Pro | 20 | 50,000/month | 0.90/1k | 10 domains, no daily limit, 5 webhooks |
| Resend Scale | 90 | 100,000/month | 0.90/1k | 1,000 domains, SSO add-on, dedicated IP add-on |
Sources: Amazon SES Pricing (0.10/1k, attachments 0.12/GB, dedicated IP 24.95 standard or 15+0.08/1k managed, validation 0.01, inbound 0.10/1k), Mailgun Pricing (Basic 15/10k, Foundation 35/50k, Scale 90/100k; overage 1.80/1.30/1.10; validation 1.20/0.80 per 100), Resend Pricing (Free 3k, Pro 20/50k, Scale 90/100k; overage 0.90/1k). USD, excluding tax; SES also has plans/add-ons, and this article uses pay-as-you-go.
10k / 50k / 100k: annual cost
10k/month: SES 12/year, Mailgun Basic 180/year, Resend Pro 240/year (but includes 50k). 50k/month: SES 60/year, Resend Pro 240/year, Mailgun Foundation 420/year. 100k/month: SES 120/year, Mailgun Scale 1,080/year, Resend Scale 1,080/year. The larger the volume, the larger SES’s absolute saving: at 50k SES saves 180/year vs Resend and 360 vs Mailgun; at 100k it saves 960/year vs both.
| Monthly volume | Amazon SES | Mailgun | Resend | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 12 | 180 (Basic) | 240 (Pro 50k) | SES |
| 50,000 | 60 | 420 (Foundation) | 240 (Pro) | SES |
| 100,000 | 120 | 1,080 (Scale) | 1,080 (Scale) | SES |
| 250,000 | 300 | 3,060 (Scale overage 1.10/1k) | 2,700 (Scale overage 0.90/1k) | SES |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. SES = 0.10/1k × monthly volume × 12; Mailgun/Resend = plan fee × 12 (the 250k row uses overage); excludes tax, attachments, dedicated IPs, validation, inbound, support and implementation. The 250k row only shows the overage slope; volume pricing is negotiable.
The easiest misreading is “SES is 10× cheaper, so always choose SES”. SES’s 0.10/1k is raw sending, excluding templates, analytics, dedicated IPs (standard USD 24.95/IP/month), validation, inbound and operations; Mailgun/Resend’s 20–90 includes templates, analytics, logs/support and less operations. At 10k/month SES 12/year vs Resend 240/year is a 228 gap; if your engineer spends two hours a month on bounces/complaints/deliverability, the labor can exceed the gap.
Effective price per 1,000: volume tiers and overage
Spread over included volume: SES 0.10/1k; Mailgun Basic 1.50/1k, Foundation 0.70/1k, Scale 0.90/1k; Resend Pro 0.40/1k, Scale 0.90/1k. Note that Mailgun/Resend’s upper tiers are not cheaper per 1,000: Scale includes more domains/SSO/logs, so the unit price can be higher than Foundation/Pro. Overage: SES 0.10/1k, Mailgun 1.10–1.80/1k, Resend 0.90/1k. Before buying, calculate “actual volume ÷ plan volume”, not just the plan fee.
| Option | Included volume | Monthly fee | Per 1,000 | Overage/1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon SES pay-as-you-go | Per email | 0 | 0.10 | 0.10 |
| Mailgun Basic | 10,000 | 15 | 1.50 | 1.80 |
| Mailgun Foundation | 50,000 | 35 | 0.70 | 1.30 |
| Mailgun Scale | 100,000 | 90 | 0.90 | 1.10 |
| Resend Pro | 50,000 | 20 | 0.40 | 0.90 |
| Resend Scale | 100,000 | 90 | 0.90 | 0.90 |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Per 1,000 = monthly fee ÷ included volume × 1,000; SES 0.10/1k; excludes tax, attachments, dedicated IPs, validation, inbound, support and implementation. Mailgun/Resend overage uses the page’s “from” price and may change with volume/contract.
On “per 1,000” alone, Resend Pro at 0.40 is below Mailgun Foundation at 0.70, but Resend Pro includes 50k, 10 domains and 5 webhooks; Mailgun Foundation includes 1,000 domains, 5-day logs and templates. SES at 0.10 is lowest, but a dedicated IP at 24.95/month pushes the 10k case to 2.60/1k ((24.95+1)/10k); Resend’s 30/month dedicated IP is similar. A dedicated IP only spreads thin at high volume.
Dedicated IP, validation, inbound, attachments
SES: standard dedicated IP USD 24.95/IP/month; managed dedicated IP USD 15/month + 0.08/1k (0–10M); email validation 0.01 each; inbound 0.10/1k; attachments 0.12/GB. Mailgun: dedicated IP request at 50k, one included at 100k+, extra by quote; validation 0.80–1.20/100; inbound routing included. Resend: dedicated IP USD 30/month (Scale, >3k/day); domains add-on USD 20/month for 100; SSO USD 150/month; inboxes USD 1 each; automations 0.0015/run.
| Item | Amazon SES | Mailgun | Resend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dedicated IP | 24.95/IP/month; managed 15+0.08/1k | Request at 50k; one included at 100k+ | 30/month (Scale, >3k/day) |
| Email validation | 0.01 each; auto 0.01/1k | 0.80–1.20/100 | Not listed |
| Inbound | 0.10/1k | Included (1–unlimited routes) | Included (3 inboxes+) |
| Attachments | 0.12/GB | Not listed | Not listed |
| Domains | Per account | 1/1,000/1,000 | 3/10/1,000 |
| SSO | AWS IAM | Scale (SAML) | SSO 150/month add-on |
Sources: Amazon SES Pricing (dedicated IP, validation, inbound, attachments), Mailgun Pricing (dedicated IP/validation/routing/domains/SSO), Resend Pricing (dedicated IP 30, domains 20/100, SSO 150, inboxes 1, automations 0.0015). Accessed 5 November 2026; USD, excluding tax; “not listed” means the pricing page has no public number and is not guessed here.
The dedicated IP is the biggest volume-price trap: SES standard at USD 24.95/month adds 2.50 per 1,000 at 10k/month; Resend’s 30/month is similar. Only at hundreds of thousands a month does the IP cost spread thin. Mailgun puts the dedicated IP in the 100k+ plan, effectively bundling IP and SSO; below 50k, a dedicated IP is usually not worth it.
Hidden costs: templates, analytics, logs, support
SES’s hidden cost is “build it”: templates, analytics, bounce/complaint handling, deliverability monitoring, logs and alerts are yours or add-ons (VDM/CloudWatch etc.). Mailgun Basic has 1-day logs, Foundation 5 days, Scale 30 days; Resend paid plans keep 30 days, SSO USD 150/month, dedicated IP USD 30/month. All three exclude tax, migration and implementation; volume/yearly discounts are negotiable.
| Platform | Hidden cost/limit | Public price | When it applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon SES | Templates/analytics/monitoring/logs | Build or add-on | Want it ready-made |
| Amazon SES | Attachments | 0.12/GB | Large attachments/invoice PDFs |
| Amazon SES | Dedicated IP | 24.95/IP/month | Independent reputation |
| Mailgun | Log retention | 1/5/30 days | Troubleshooting/compliance |
| Mailgun | SSO/phone support | Scale | Enterprise procurement |
| Resend | SSO | 150/month | Enterprise login |
| Resend | Dedicated IP/domains | 30/month; 20/100 domains | High volume/multi-brand |
Sources: Amazon SES Pricing (attachments/dedicated IP), Mailgun Pricing (1/5/30-day logs, SAML/phone support on Scale), Resend Pricing (30-day retention, SSO 150/month, dedicated IP 30/month, domains 20/100). Accessed 5 November 2026; USD, excluding tax; support/migration/implementation follow the contract.
Capability matrix: API, templates, inbound, dedicated IP, SSO
SES is strong on price, scale, AWS integration and granular billing; Mailgun is strong on templates, analytics, inbound routing, dedicated IP pools and managed support; Resend is strong on developer experience, React Email, broadcasts, modern APIs and 30-day retention. For lowest cost with operations: SES; for ready-made templates/analytics: Mailgun; for fast JS/React integration: Resend.
| Capability | Amazon SES | Mailgun | Resend |
|---|---|---|---|
| REST API/SMTP | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Templates | Build/configure | Yes (Foundation+) | Yes (React Email) |
| Analytics/logs | CloudWatch/VDM add-on | 1/5/30 days | 30 days |
| Inbound | 0.10/1k | Yes (1–unlimited routes) | Yes (3 inboxes+) |
| Dedicated IP | 24.95/IP or managed | One included at 100k+ | 30/month add-on |
| SSO | AWS IAM | Scale (SAML) | 150/month add-on |
| Support | AWS Support | Ticket/chat/phone (Scale) | Ticket/Slack (Scale) |
| Best fit | Low cost/scale | Managed/templates/inbound | JS/React teams |
Sources: the three official pricing pages (accessed 5 November 2026). This is an editorial comparison, not a full feature list; “build/configure” means the pricing page does not sell the capability as part of the plan, not that it cannot be implemented; actual deliverability, latency, API limits and support response were not tested.
Which option fits which scenario?
10k/month with operations: SES 12/year; ready-made: Mailgun Basic 180/year or Resend Pro 240/year (includes 50k). 50k/month: SES 60/year, Resend Pro 240/year, Mailgun Foundation 420/year. 100k/month: SES 120/year, Mailgun/Resend Scale 1,080/year each. Dedicated IP: SES 24.95/month, Resend 30/month, Mailgun one included at 100k+. Templates/analytics/inbound: Mailgun/Resend; lowest cost/scale: SES.
- 10k/month, with operations: SES 12/year; Mailgun Basic 180; Resend Pro 240 (includes 50k, ready to grow).
- 50k/month: SES 60/year; Resend Pro 240; Mailgun Foundation 420 (templates/5-day logs).
- 100k/month: SES 120/year; Mailgun Scale 1,080 (SAML/30-day logs/dedicated IP pools); Resend Scale 1,080 (1,000 domains/30 days).
- Dedicated IP: SES 24.95/IP/month or managed 15+0.08/1k; Resend 30/month; Mailgun one included at 100k+. Not worth it at low volume.
- Templates/analytics/inbound: Mailgun/Resend; SES requires building or add-ons.
- Large attachments: SES adds 0.12/GB; factor it in for invoice/image-heavy email.
What should procurement and acceptance specify?
At least eight things: monthly volume/peak, free allowance/overage, dedicated IP needs, attachments/inbound, templates/analytics/logs, SSO/support, migration/domain verification, and a two-week real-send POC. The POC should use the same emails and record deliverability, bounces/complaints, latency, API limits, logs, templates and the bill, not just per 1,000.
- Volume: monthly/peak/growth; calculate the plan and overage from the 12-month average.
- Price: free allowance, overage, dedicated IP, attachments, inbound, validation; do not compare only the base plan.
- Deliverability: shared/dedicated IP, warm-up, bounce/complaint handling, SPF/DKIM/DMARC.
- Templates/analytics: editor, events/webhooks, 1/5/30-day log retention, export.
- Inbound: receiving/parsing/routing; SES 0.10/1k, Mailgun/Resend included.
- SSO/support: SES IAM; Mailgun Scale SAML; Resend SSO 150/month; support SLA.
- Migration: domain/template/list import, IP warm-up, DNS cutover, rollback.
- POC: two weeks, real email, 50k–100k sends; record deliverability, bounces, complaints, latency, limits, logs and the bill.
FAQ
10k/month: what is cheapest?
SES about 12/year (0.10/1k) is cheapest; Mailgun Basic 180/year; Resend Pro 240/year (includes 50k). If you can run sending operations/monitoring, SES; for templates/analytics/support, Mailgun/Resend.
What about 50k/month?
SES 60/year; Resend Pro 240/year; Mailgun Foundation 420/year. SES is cheapest but more DIY; Resend at 20/month for 50k is 0.40/1k, the lowest managed unit price; Mailgun costs 180/year more but includes templates/5-day logs/1,000 domains.
What about 100k/month?
SES 120/year; Mailgun Scale 1,080/year; Resend Scale 1,080/year. SES saves 960/year; Mailgun/Resend are the same price and differ on templates/logs/SSO/dedicated IP/support. For SAML/phone support choose Mailgun Scale; for 1,000 domains/React Email choose Resend Scale.
Why is SES so cheap?
The 0.10/1k is raw sending: templates, analytics, bounce/complaint handling, deliverability monitoring, logs and alerts are yours or add-ons; dedicated IP 24.95/month, attachments 0.12/GB, inbound 0.10/1k. Mailgun/Resend 20–90/month include more managed capability.
How are dedicated IPs priced?
SES standard 24.95/IP/month; managed 15/month + 0.08/1k (0–10M); Resend 30/month (Scale, >3k/day); Mailgun request at 50k, one included at 100k+. At 10k/month the SES dedicated IP adds 2.50 per 1,000, so it is not worth it at low volume.
How are attachments/inbound priced?
SES attachments 0.12/GB, inbound 0.10/1k; Mailgun/Resend do not list attachment/inbound per-unit prices on the pricing page, and inbound routing/inboxes are included (Mailgun 1–unlimited routes; Resend 3 inboxes+). Confirm large-attachment/inbound use separately.
Are there annual discounts?
Resend is monthly only with no annual discount; Mailgun’s page is monthly and annual/volume pricing is negotiable; SES is pay-as-you-go with AWS Free Tier/plans and negotiated volume pricing. Put the annual commitment and renewal price in the contract.
What other costs are hidden?
SES: templates/analytics/monitoring/logs, dedicated IP, attachments, inbound, validation; Mailgun: 1/5/30-day logs, SSO/phone support on Scale; Resend: SSO 150/month, dedicated IP 30/month, domains 20/100, automations 0.0015/run. All three exclude tax, migration and implementation.
Research method and limitations
This article separates “official facts” from “editorial modelling”: plan prices, included volume, overage, dedicated IP, attachments, inbound and validation come from the three official pricing pages; the 10k/50k/100k/250k TCO is monthly fee × 12 arithmetic, not a vendor quote. It does not compare actual deliverability, latency, API limits, template usability or support response.
Eight limitations: (1) only US public list prices are compared, excluding tax, attachments, dedicated IPs, validation, inbound, migration, implementation and support; (2) SES uses pay-as-you-go 0.10/1k, not its 2026 plans/Enterprise pricing, which include monthly account fees and different unit prices; (3) Mailgun/Resend overage uses the page’s “from” price and may change with volume/contract; (4) Resend is monthly only, while Mailgun annual/volume pricing is negotiable; (5) dedicated IPs are not worth it at low volume; the article gives unit prices, not a recommendation; (6) real deliverability, bounces/complaints, latency and limits were not tested; (7) template/analytics/logs/SSO/support availability was not verified; (8) mainland China network, data compliance and local pricing are excluded. Treat this as a unit-alignment template and replace assumptions with a two-week real-send POC.
Sources and basis
- Amazon, SES Pricing: aws.amazon.com/ses/pricing. Pay-as-you-go 0.10/1,000 emails; attachments 0.12/GB; dedicated IP standard 24.95/IP/month, managed 15/month+0.08/1k (0–10M); validation 0.01 each (auto 0.01/1k); inbound 0.10/1k; 2026 plans separate. Accessed 5 November 2026.
- Mailgun, Pricing: mailgun.com/pricing. Free 100/day; Basic 15/10k (overage 1.80/1k); Foundation 35/50k (1.30/1k); Scale 90/100k (1.10/1k; SAML SSO/dedicated IP pools/30-day logs); validation 1.20/0.80 per 100; dedicated IP request at 50k, one included at 100k+. Accessed 5 November 2026.
- Resend, Pricing: resend.com/pricing. Free 3k/month (100/day); Pro 20/50k (overage 0.90/1k); Scale 90/100k (0.90/1k; 1,000 domains; SSO add-on; dedicated IP 30/month); domains 20/100; SSO 150/month; inboxes 1 each; automations 0.0015/run. Accessed 5 November 2026.
Data cut-off 5 November 2026; prices are public list prices excluding tax; all models are editorial calculations. This is not procurement advice.