Pick a scale or set your usage. Each tool shows its cheapest plan for it, cheapest first, with the arithmetic and the vendor's pricing page. Price is one input — which one fits your situation matters as much.
Amazon SESÀ la carte$5.00/mo50k emails × $0.1 per 1,000 emails$0.10 per 1,000 outbound emails (per recipient), plus $0.12 per GB of attachments. New accounts since July 21, 2026 start on the Essentials plan ($0.16 per 1,000 up to 10M, then $0.14, then $0.11 above 100M; no monthly fee) but can switch to à la carte at any time. Pro ($105/mo + $0.22 per 1,000) and Enterprise ($500/mo + $0.23 per 1,000) bundle deliverability tools. New AWS customers get up to $200 in Free Tier credits.
SendGridEssentials 50k$20/mo$20 planOverage charges exist but the pricing page doesn't publish the rates, so each step is modeled as a cap (you'd move up a step instead). Pro 100k ($89.95) is omitted — same volume as Essentials 100k at a higher price, adding dedicated IPs and SSO. The free trial (100 emails/day) ends after 60 days. Above 2.5M/month is Premier (custom pricing).
ResendPro 50k$20/mo$20 planTransactional emails (the /emails API; inbound emails count too). Free is also limited to 100 emails a day. Overage needs pay-as-you-go turned on and is billed in buckets of 1,000. Scale 100k ($90) is omitted — same volume as Pro 100k at a higher price, with more features. Above 3M/month is Enterprise (contact sales). Monthly billing only.
MailgunFoundation 50k$35/mo$35 planFree is 100 emails a day (≈3,000/month). Bundle prices and overage rates come from the page's volume calculator. Scale 100k ($90, $1.10 per 1,000 extra) is omitted — same volume and overage as Foundation 100k at a higher price, with more features (SAML SSO, longer retention, 5,000 validations). Above 2.5M/month is Enterprise (request a quote). Foundation and Scale start with a one-month free trial.
PostmarkBasic 50k$55/mo$55 planVolume steps and prices come from the pricing calculator on the page. Pro (from $16.50/mo for 10k, $1.30 per 1,000 extra; adds inbound processing) and Platform (from $18/mo, $1.20 per 1,000; unlimited domains) cost more at each step's included volume and aren't modeled; their lower overage rates only make them cheaper well past a step (e.g. Pro 1.5M beats Basic 1.5M above ~1.65M emails). The 1.5M step covers up to 3M/month; above that Postmark asks you to contact sales.
Read from each vendor's pricing page (oldest check 2026-10-03). The model is plan fee + usage beyond what's included × the vendor's rate; volume discounts, annual billing, taxes and regional prices are left out — see each tool's notes. Always confirm on the vendor's page before you commit.
Each tool's cheapest usable plan as the product grows.
| Tool | Side projectemails 5k emails | Growingemails 50k emails | Scalingemails 1M emails |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon SES | $0.50À la carte | $5.00À la carte | $100À la carte |
| SendGrid | $20Essentials 50k | $20Essentials 50k | $799Pro 1.5M |
| Resend | $20Pro 50k | $20Pro 50k | $650Scale 1M |
| Mailgun | $15Basic | $35Foundation 50k | $700Scale 750k |
| Postmark | $15Basic 10k | $55Basic 50k | $775Basic 1.5M |
What each transactional email plan costs, includes and caps, as modelled here.
Amazon SESPay per email with no monthly fee: $0.10 per 1,000 on à la carte pricing, plus $0.12 per GB of attachments.| Plan | Monthly fee | Emails per month |
|---|---|---|
| À la carte | None | $0.1 per 1,000 emails |
$0.10 per 1,000 outbound emails (per recipient), plus $0.12 per GB of attachments. New accounts since July 21, 2026 start on the Essentials plan ($0.16 per 1,000 up to 10M, then $0.14, then $0.11 above 100M; no monthly fee) but can switch to à la carte at any time. Pro ($105/mo + $0.22 per 1,000) and Enterprise ($500/mo + $0.23 per 1,000) bundle deliverability tools. New AWS customers get up to $200 in Free Tier credits.
Checked 2026-10-03 · pricing page ↗ · Amazon SES pricing in full →SendGridMonthly volume plans from $19.95 for 50,000 emails (Essentials) up to $1,099 for 2.5M (Pro), after a 60-day free trial.| Plan | Monthly fee | Emails per month |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials 50k | $20/mo | up to 50k emails |
| Essentials 100k | $35/mo | up to 100k emails |
| Pro 300k | $249/mo | up to 300k emails |
| Pro 700k | $499/mo | up to 700k emails |
| Pro 1.5M | $799/mo | up to 1.5M emails |
| Pro 2.5M | $1,099/mo | up to 2.5M emails |
Overage charges exist but the pricing page doesn't publish the rates, so each step is modeled as a cap (you'd move up a step instead). Pro 100k ($89.95) is omitted — same volume as Essentials 100k at a higher price, adding dedicated IPs and SSO. The free trial (100 emails/day) ends after 60 days. Above 2.5M/month is Premier (custom pricing).
Checked 2026-10-03 · pricing page ↗ · SendGrid pricing in full →ResendFree for 3,000 emails a month; paid plans are monthly volume tiers from $20 for 50,000 emails, with overage from $0.90 down to $0.46 per 1,000.| Plan | Monthly fee | Emails per month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | up to 3k emails |
| Pro 50k | $20/mo | 50k emails includedthen $0.9 per 1,000 emails |
| Pro 100k | $35/mo | 100k emails includedthen $0.9 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 200k | $160/mo | 200k emails includedthen $0.8 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 500k | $350/mo | 500k emails includedthen $0.7 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 1M | $650/mo | 1M emails includedthen $0.65 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 1.5M | $825/mo | 1.5M emails includedthen $0.52 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 2.5M | $1,150/mo | 2.5M emails includedthen $0.46 per 1,000 emails |
Transactional emails (the /emails API; inbound emails count too). Free is also limited to 100 emails a day. Overage needs pay-as-you-go turned on and is billed in buckets of 1,000. Scale 100k ($90) is omitted — same volume as Pro 100k at a higher price, with more features. Above 3M/month is Enterprise (contact sales). Monthly billing only.
Checked 2026-10-03 · pricing page ↗ · Resend pricing in full →MailgunFree for 100 emails a day; paid plans are monthly volume bundles from $15 for 10,000 emails, with per-1,000 overage rates that fall as the bundle grows.| Plan | Monthly fee | Emails per month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | up to 3k emails |
| Basic | $15/mo | 10k emails includedthen $0.0018 per email |
| Foundation 50k | $35/mo | 50k emails includedthen $0.0013 per email |
| Foundation 100k | $75/mo | 100k emails includedthen $0.0011 per email |
| Scale 250k | $215/mo | 250k emails includedthen $0.9 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 500k | $400/mo | 500k emails includedthen $0.75 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 750k | $550/mo | 750k emails includedthen $0.6 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 1M | $700/mo | 1M emails includedthen $0.5 per 1,000 emails |
| Scale 2.5M | $1,250/mo | 2.5M emails includedthen $0.4 per 1,000 emails |
Free is 100 emails a day (≈3,000/month). Bundle prices and overage rates come from the page's volume calculator. Scale 100k ($90, $1.10 per 1,000 extra) is omitted — same volume and overage as Foundation 100k at a higher price, with more features (SAML SSO, longer retention, 5,000 validations). Above 2.5M/month is Enterprise (request a quote). Foundation and Scale start with a one-month free trial.
Checked 2026-10-03 · pricing page ↗ · Mailgun pricing in full →PostmarkFree for 100 emails a month; paid plans are monthly volume steps from $15 for 10,000 emails, with extra emails at $1.70–$1.80 per 1,000.| Plan | Monthly fee | Emails per month |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | up to 100 emails |
| Basic 10k | $15/mo | 10k emails includedthen $0.0018 per email |
| Basic 50k | $55/mo | 50k emails includedthen $0.0018 per email |
| Basic 125k | $115/mo | 125k emails includedthen $0.0018 per email |
| Basic 300k | $245/mo | 300k emails includedthen $0.0017 per email |
| Basic 700k | $455/mo | 700k emails includedthen $0.0017 per email |
| Basic 1.5M | $775/mo | 1.5M emails includedthen $0.0017 per emailup to 3M emails |
Volume steps and prices come from the pricing calculator on the page. Pro (from $16.50/mo for 10k, $1.30 per 1,000 extra; adds inbound processing) and Platform (from $18/mo, $1.20 per 1,000; unlimited domains) cost more at each step's included volume and aren't modeled; their lower overage rates only make them cheaper well past a step (e.g. Pro 1.5M beats Basic 1.5M above ~1.65M emails). The 1.5M step covers up to 3M/month; above that Postmark asks you to contact sales.
Checked 2026-10-03 · pricing page ↗ · Postmark pricing in full →