Resend vs Mailgun: Which Email API Should You Use in 2026?

A side-by-side comparison of Resend and Mailgun covering pricing, deliverability, developer experience, and which one fits a small team's budget.

Updated 2026-10 · 2026

Resend

Email API built for developers, with React Email support

Free – $20+/momonth (3,000 emails free, 50,000 on Pro)

Strengths

+Clean, modern API and SDKs (Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go)
+Native React Email templating for building emails as components
+Generous free tier (3,000 emails/month, 100/day)

Weaknesses

-Newer product, smaller track record at high volume
-Fewer enterprise features (no dedicated IPs on lower tiers)
-Limited advanced email validation tools compared to Mailgun

Best for

Developers and small teams sending transactional email who want a modern API and don't need enterprise-scale infrastructure.

Mailgun

Established email delivery service for transactional and bulk email

$35+/mo (Foundation plan)month (50,000 emails included)

Strengths

+Mature platform with over a decade of deliverability data
+Dedicated IP options for high-volume senders
+Built-in email validation API

Weaknesses

-No meaningful free tier anymore — paid plans start immediately
-Dashboard and API feel dated compared to newer tools
-Pricing jumps quickly as volume scales

Best for

Teams sending higher email volumes who need validation tools, dedicated IPs, and a proven delivery track record.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Resend	Mailgun
Free tier	3,000 emails/month, 100/day	No ongoing free tier
Entry paid plan	$20/mo for 50,000 emails	$35/mo for 50,000 emails (Foundation)
React Email support	Native, built by the same team	Not supported
SMTP relay	Yes	Yes
Dedicated IPs	Not on lower tiers	Available on paid plans
Email validation API	No	Yes
Webhooks	Yes	Yes
Domain verification setup	Simple, guided	More manual DNS steps
SDK language coverage	Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, Java	Most major languages
Analytics dashboard	Basic, clean UI	More detailed, but dated UI
Bulk/marketing email support	Limited, transactional-focused	Yes, built for both
Support	Email support, community Discord	Email/ticket support, phone on higher tiers

The Verdict

Resend wins for small teams and developers who want a modern API, React Email templating, and a genuinely usable free tier. Mailgun makes sense once you need dedicated IPs, email validation, or are sending higher volumes where its deliverability track record matters more than developer experience.

How to switch from Resend to Mailgun

1Export your sending history and domain settings from Resend using their Emails API and Domains API, saving the results as JSON or CSV for your records.
2Pre-render any React Email templates to static HTML files, since Mailgun doesn't support React Email natively.
3Create a Mailgun account, add and verify your sending domain by updating DNS records (SPF, DKIM, MX) as instructed.
4Generate a Mailgun API key and update your application code or SMTP credentials to point to Mailgun's endpoints instead of Resend's.
5Recreate any webhooks (bounces, opens, clicks) in Mailgun's dashboard to match the automations you had running on Resend.
6Run a parallel test by sending a batch of emails through Mailgun, confirm deliverability and formatting, then cut over your production sending and remove the old Resend domain records.

Resend vs Mailgun: common questions

How do I export my data from Resend before switching to Mailgun?+

Resend doesn't have a one-click 'export all' button — you pull data via their API. Use the Emails API to fetch sent email logs and the Domains API to get your verified domain and DKIM/SPF records, saving the results as JSON or CSV. Templates built with React Email live in your own codebase, so those move over as regular files, not a platform export.

What do I lose by moving from Resend to Mailgun?+

You lose native React Email template rendering — Mailgun doesn't support it, so you'll need to pre-render your React Email components to HTML and send that via Mailgun's API. You also lose Resend's simpler dashboard and pricing clarity in exchange for Mailgun's more complex but more feature-rich interface.

Is Mailgun's free tier enough for a small team?+

Mailgun no longer offers an ongoing free tier — you'll need to go straight to a paid plan starting around $35/month for 50,000 emails. If your team is sending under 3,000 emails/month and wants to stay free, Resend's free tier is the better fit; switching to Mailgun means budgeting for a paid plan from day one.

Does Mailgun integrate with the same tools as Resend?+

Both support standard SMTP and REST APIs, so most apps that integrate with Resend (via SMTP credentials) will work with Mailgun the same way. Mailgun has broader third-party integration support (Zapier, various CRMs) built up over its longer history, while Resend's integrations lean more toward developer-first frameworks like Next.js.

Will switching to Mailgun cost more over time?+

At low volume (under 50,000 emails/month) Mailgun's Foundation plan at $35/month costs more than Resend's $20/month Pro plan for the same email count. At higher volumes the gap narrows and Mailgun's dedicated IP and validation features can justify the extra cost if deliverability at scale becomes a priority.