Mailgun vs Mailjet: Which is Better in 2026?
Mailgun and Mailjet are siblings (both owned by Sinch) with different personalities. Mailgun is the developer's choice for transactional email with powerful APIs. Mailjet balances transactional and marketing with a user-friendly interface. Having integrated both, I choose based on one question: who's sending the emails, developers or marketers?
Bottom line: The 6 head-to-head categories below are split between Mailgun and Mailjet.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Mailgun
Send, parse, and validate emails with a reliable developer API
Best for you if:
- • Developers building transactional email systems, SaaS applications sending notifications, and high-volume senders who need deliverability tools
Mailjet
Email marketing and transactional email
Best for you if:
- • Marketing teams sending campaigns, businesses needing both transactional and marketing email, and teams who want email design without coding
| At a Glance | Mailgun | Mailjet |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $35/mo, billed monthly Foundation plan | Free plan, paid from $9/mo flat, billed monthly Starter plan |
Category | Email API Tools | Email Marketing Transactional Email |
Rating | 4.1/5 Trustpilot 4.1 · G2 4.2 1,850 reviews | 4.1/5 Capterra 4.2 · G2 3.9 630 reviews |
Free plan | Yes | No |
Watch out for | High overage fees on lower tiers | n/a |
Choose Mailgun or Mailjet?
Choose Mailgun if
- Developers building transactional email systems, SaaS applications sending notifications, and high-volume senders who need deliverability tools
- You want a free tier before you commit
- You want powerful API
- You want email validation
- You work in email, not email marketing
Choose Mailjet if
- Marketing teams sending campaigns, businesses needing both transactional and marketing email, and teams who want email design without coding
- You want good email delivery
- You want fair pricing
- You work in email marketing, not email
In-Depth Analysis
Mailgun
Strengths
- Pro: Superior API design and developer documentation
- Pro: Powerful email validation and verification
- Pro: Detailed analytics and deliverability tools
- Pro: Flexible pay-as-you-go pricing (Flex plan)
- Pro: Better for high-volume transactional email
Weaknesses
- Con: Marketing email features are basic
- Con: Email editor is rudimentary
- Con: No marketing automation
- Con: Support can be slow on lower tiers
Best For
Developers building transactional email systems, SaaS applications sending notifications, and high-volume senders who need deliverability tools.
Mailgun is the developer's email service. The API is excellent, documentation is comprehensive, and the focus on transactional email shows. If you're building email into your product, Mailgun should be your first consideration.
Mailjet
Strengths
- Pro: Excellent drag-and-drop email editor
- Pro: Marketing automation included in Premium
- Pro: Better for mixed transactional + marketing
- Pro: Collaborative features (20 users on Premium)
- Pro: A/B testing built-in
Weaknesses
- Con: API is less sophisticated than Mailgun
- Con: Pricing scales quickly at higher volumes
- Con: No credit rollover (unused emails lost)
- Con: Deliverability tools not as advanced
Best For
Marketing teams sending campaigns, businesses needing both transactional and marketing email, and teams who want email design without coding.
Mailjet is the balanced choice. It handles transactional email well AND provides marketing features that marketers can actually use. The email editor and automation make it accessible to non-developers.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Developer Experience
Mailgun winsMailgun's API is cleaner, documentation is better, and SDKs are more comprehensive. Developers will prefer Mailgun.
Email Editor
Mailjet winsMailjet's Passport editor is excellent for creating marketing emails without code. Mailgun's editor is basic at best.
Marketing Features
Mailjet winsMailjet includes automation, A/B testing, and campaign management. Mailgun focuses on transactional, marketing is an afterthought.
Pricing Flexibility
Mailgun winsMailgun's Flex plan (pay-as-you-go) is better for variable volume. Mailjet's plans have fixed monthly allocations with no rollover.
Deliverability Tools
Mailgun winsMailgun offers better email validation, analytics, and deliverability features. Both have good inbox placement, but Mailgun provides more tools to optimize it.
Team Collaboration
Mailjet winsMailjet Premium includes 20 user accounts. Mailgun doesn't emphasize team features, it's developer-focused, not team-focused.
Migration Considerations
APIs are different, so plan for code changes. Both support SMTP as a fallback if you need quick migration. DNS records (SPF, DKIM) will need updating. Consider running both in parallel during transition to verify deliverability.
Plans and prices: Mailgun vs Mailjet
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mailgun |
| mailgun.com/pricing read Oct 31, 2026 |
| Mailjet |
| mailjet.com/pricing read Nov 1, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Mailgun pricing and Mailjet pricing.
Key Takeaways
Mailgun
- Choose if you want send, parse, and validate emails with a reliable developer API
Mailjet
- Choose if you want email marketing and transactional email
The Bottom Line
Use Mailgun if developers own the email system and you're primarily sending transactional messages (receipts, notifications, password resets). Use Mailjet if marketers need to send campaigns without developer help, or if you need both transactional and marketing from one platform. For pure transactional at scale, Mailgun. For marketing-heavy or mixed use, Mailjet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mailgun or Mailjet cheaper?
For transactional email, Mailgun's Flex plan is often cheaper due to pay-as-you-go pricing. For marketing campaigns with fixed monthly volume, Mailjet may be better value with included features.
Can I use Mailgun for marketing emails?
Technically yes, but it's not optimized for it. No good email editor, no automation, no A/B testing. Use Mailjet or a dedicated marketing tool instead.
Which has better deliverability?
Both have good deliverability, they're owned by the same company. Mailgun offers more tools to optimize and monitor deliverability, but actual inbox rates are similar.
Should I use both Mailgun and Mailjet?
Possible but usually unnecessary. Pick based on your primary use case. If you truly need best-in-class for both, consider Mailgun for transactional + a dedicated marketing tool like Brevo or Klaviyo.