Comparison · updated July 2026
Volanea vs Mailgun.
Mailgun has been delivering email since before most email startups existed. Volanea is the new kid with a wider product. Which one fits depends on whether you need marketing features — and how much you send.
The short version
Mailgun is battle-tested infrastructure: over a decade of deliverability history, dedicated IPs, email validation at scale, and enterprise SLAs. For pure high-volume transactional sending with compliance requirements, it's the safer institutional pick.
Mailgun is transactional-only — campaigns and automation mean buying a second product. Volanea puts transactional email, campaigns, workflows, and segments on one contact graph, and it's cheaper at the free tier and at 50,000 (Volanea Growth $20 vs Mailgun's $35 Foundation), though Mailgun's $15 Basic undercuts Volanea in the 8,000–10,000 range. Volanea's free tier (1,000/month, no daily cap, full log retention) is friendlier than Mailgun's 100/day with 1-day retention.
Mailgun is one of the longest-running transactional email APIs, trusted for high-volume delivery, dedicated IPs, and enterprise support.
Side by side
At a glance.
| Volanea | Mailgun | |
|---|---|---|
| Transactional API | Yes | Yes |
| Marketing campaigns | Yes | No — separate product |
| Automation workflows | Yes | No |
| Dynamic segments | Yes | No |
| Contact limits | None | N/A (no contact store) |
| Free tier | 1,000/mo, every feature, no daily cap | 100/day, 1-day log retention |
| Paid entry plan | $5/mo — 7,500 emails | $15/mo — 10,000 (Basic) |
| Email validation | Yes — syntax, MX, disposable | Yes — mature, at scale |
| Signed webhooks | Yes — retried ~24h, replayable | Yes |
| Dedicated IPs | No | Yes (Scale plan) |
| Enterprise support & SLA | No | Yes |
| Track record | New in 2026 | 10+ years |
The math
What a month actually costs.
| You send | Volanea | Mailgun |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0 (free tier) | $0 (within 100/day cap) |
| 10,000 | $20 (Growth) | $15 (Basic) |
| 50,000 | $20 (Growth) | $35 (Foundation) |
| 100,000 | Contact us (Enterprise) | $90 (Scale) |
Volanea sells flat tiers (Free, $5 Starter for 7,500, $20 Growth for 50,000); Mailgun sells monthly tiers with overage. Volanea's free tier and $5 Starter are the cheaper entry, and at 50,000 Volanea's $20 Growth beats Mailgun's $35 Foundation. In the 8,000–10,000 range Mailgun's $15 Basic edges it, and past 50,000 Mailgun's volume tiers — plus dedicated IPs and longer retention — win.
Choose Volanea if
- You also need campaigns, automation, or segments — Mailgun makes those someone else's product.
- You send up to ~7,500/month ($5 Starter) or right around 50,000 ($20 Growth beats Mailgun's $35).
- You want a free tier you can actually build on: no daily cap, full features, real log retention.
Choose Mailgun if
- You send hundreds of thousands of emails and need dedicated IPs and an SLA.
- Compliance or procurement requires a long-established vendor.
- You already have a marketing stack and only need raw transactional delivery.
No hard feelings — the right tool is the one that fits. This page stays honest so you can trust the rest of it.
Questions
Asked before switching.
Is Volanea cheaper than Mailgun?
At the low end and at 50,000, yes: the free tier and $5 Starter beat Mailgun's paid entry, and Volanea's $20 Growth (50,000 emails) undercuts Mailgun's $35 Foundation. In the 8,000–10,000 band Mailgun's $15 Basic is cheaper, and above 50,000 Mailgun's volume tiers win.
Does Mailgun do email marketing campaigns?
No — Mailgun is a transactional email API. Campaigns and marketing automation are sold separately (Mailjet, under the same parent company). Volanea includes campaigns, automation workflows, and segments in the same API and price.
Can I migrate from Mailgun to Volanea?
Yes — both are REST APIs. Swap the send call, verify your domain in Volanea (new DKIM/SPF records), and re-point webhooks. If you use Mailgun's SMTP relay, note that Volanea's SMTP endpoint is coming soon; the REST API is the path today.