Amazon SES Pricing 2026
Plans, hidden costs, and cheaper alternatives compared
Is Amazon SES worth the price?
Amazon SES offers a highly competitive and generally fair pricing model, especially for its pay-as-you-go outbound and inbound email services at $0.10/1000 emails.
The dedicated IP options, particularly the Standard at $24.95/IP/month, provide flexibility for those needing strict control. This pricing is best for businesses of all sizes looking for a scalable and cost-effective email infrastructure.
Pricing Plans
Pay-as-you-go
$0.10/1000 emails
- Outbound emails
- $0.12/GB for attachments
- Email templates
- SMTP interface
- API access
Inbound Email
$0.10/1000 emails
- Receive emails
- $0.09/1000 email chunks
- Route to S3, Lambda, SNS
Dedicated IP (Standard)
$24.95/IP
- Static IP address
- Build your own reputation
- Full control over sending
Dedicated IP (Managed)
$15/account + usage
- Auto-scaling IPs
- Managed reputation
- Volume-based pricing
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Attachments at $0.12/GB add up.
Inbound email chunks are $0.09/1000.
Managed Dedicated IP has usage fees.
Data transfer out of AWS regions.
Which Plan Do You Need?
High-volume senders
Cost-conscious developers
AWS ecosystem users
How Amazon SES Compares to Competitors
Compared to SendGrid, which starts around $19.95/month for 50,000 emails, Amazon SES's $0.10/1000 emails is significantly more cost-effective for high volumes. Mailgun's Flex plan also offers a similar pay-as-you-go model, but SES often edges it out on raw per-email cost, especially when already leveraging other AWS services.
Amazon SES Pricing FAQ
How much does Amazon SES cost?
Amazon SES starts at $15/month on the Dedicated IP (Managed) plan. It offers 2 paid tiers ranging from $15/month up to $15/month. A free plan is also available with limited features.
Does Amazon SES have a free plan?
Yes. Amazon SES offers a free plan called "Pay-as-you-go". It includes: Outbound emails, $0.12/GB for attachments, Email templates.
What is the cheapest Amazon SES paid plan?
The cheapest paid plan for Amazon SES is "Dedicated IP (Managed)" at $15/month. Key features include: Auto-scaling IPs, Managed reputation, Volume-based pricing.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Amazon SES?
Yes. Popular alternatives to Amazon SES include Mailjet, SendGrid, Postmark. Free alternatives include Mailjet, SendGrid, Postmark. Compare them side-by-side on Toolradar.
Cheaper alternatives to Amazon SES
Direct competitors with similar features. Many offer free tiers or lower per-seat pricing.
