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Mailgun vs Twilio

Mailgun provides email APIs similar to SendGrid but lacks Twilio’s voice and messaging suite.

Which to pick

Pick Mailgun if you want…

  • Transactional email delivery and validation
  • Email API
  • Integrations with HTTP API, SMTP or Webhooks (on Mailgun's list, not Twilio's)

Pick Twilio if you want…

  • Multi-channel communication APIs
  • Integrations with Python, C# or PHP (on Twilio's list, not Mailgun's)

Side by side

What it is
Mailgun:Mailgun provides APIs for sending, receiving, validating and tracking transactional emails.
Twilio:Twilio provides APIs for SMS, voice, email, chat, and verification to build multi-channel customer communications.
Best for
Mailgun:Transactional email delivery and validation
Twilio:Multi-channel communication APIs
Who it’s for
Mailgun:Developers building email-enabled applications and services.
Twilio:Developers building messaging, voice, email, and authentication features.
Pricing
Mailgun:Freemium
Twilio:Freemium
Plans
Mailgun:Free $0/mo · Basic $15/mo per month · Foundation $35/mo per month · Scale $90/mo per month
Twilio:—
Works with
Mailgun:HTTP API, SMTP, Webhooks, Email template builder
Twilio:Python, C#, PHP, Ruby, Java, JavaScript, cURL

Mailgun features

  • RESTful Email API & SMTP relay. Send emails via HTTP API or SMTP with high reliability.
  • Email validation service. Real-time API and bulk upload to remove invalid addresses.
  • Analytics, tracking & webhooks. Detailed delivery, open, click data and event webhooks.
  • Inbox preview & accessibility checks. Preview emails before sending to ensure compliance and deliverability.
  • Dedicated IPs & IP pools. Control reputation with dedicated IPs, included in higher plans.
  • SAML SSO & multi-user access. Enterprise-grade security and role-based access control.
  • Log and message retention. Retention up to 30 days for logs and up to 7 days for messages.
  • Email template builder. Create and manage reusable email templates via API.

Twilio features

  • Messaging APIs. Send and receive SMS, RCS, WhatsApp, MMS and chat across a global network.
  • Voice APIs. Embed inbound and outbound calling, SIP trunking, and voice AI into apps.
  • Email APIs. Deliver transactional and marketing email at scale via SendGrid.
  • Conversation Memory. Persist and recall customer interaction context across channels.
  • Verification Services. Validate phone numbers and perform user identity checks to prevent fraud.
  • Serverless Builder Tools. Create flows with Studio, Functions, and Assets using pay-as-you-go pricing.

Mailgun vs Twilio FAQ

Is Mailgun or Twilio free?+

Mailgun has a free plan; paid plans start at $15/month (Basic). Twilio has a free plan and paid plans.

Do Mailgun and Twilio integrate with the same tools?+

Their integration lists don't overlap: Mailgun lists HTTP API, SMTP, Webhooks and Email template builder; Twilio lists Python, C#, PHP, Ruby and 3 more.

On DevHunt

Based on each tool's website and DevHunt data. Details may change; check the official sites.