Mailgun vs SendGrid
Compare Mailgun and SendGrid based on observed API performance, features, and pricing
Live performance comparison
Real-world performance data from messages sent through Knock
| Provider | Message volume | Growth | Status page updates (30d) | Status page updates (90d) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100M–500M | 5th of 10 ↓ | 2 | 7 |
| 500M+ | 2nd of 10 → | 9 | 25 |
From March 3rd to June 1st, Knock routed 100M–500M messages through Mailgun and 500M+ through SendGrid. Mailgun reported 7 status page updates over the last 90 days, while SendGrid reported 25.
Response time
Response time measures how long each provider takes to accept an API request from Knock, including connection overhead and any automatic retries. Lower values mean faster message hand-off.
The chart above shows each provider's daily median response time (p50) from March 3rd to June 1st. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: Mailgun averaged 132ms compared to 23ms for SendGrid. Mailgun's highest daily p50 was 147ms; SendGrid's was 24ms. SendGrid is 109ms faster at the median, which can add up at high volumes.
The 90th percentile (p90) captures the slowest 10% of requests, revealing how each provider handles moderate stress. Averaged across all days, Mailgun has a p90 of 184ms compared to 76ms for SendGrid. The highest daily p90 was 220ms for Mailgun and 86ms for SendGrid. SendGrid handles these slower requests 108ms faster, suggesting more consistent performance across the board.
The 99th percentile (p99) represents the long tail — the slowest 1% of requests. Averaged across all days, Mailgun reached 410ms at p99 while SendGrid reached 386ms. The highest daily p99 was 642ms for Mailgun and 4037ms for SendGrid, indicating the worst-case response time during spikes or provider-side congestion. Both providers exhibit comparable tail response times, meaning neither is significantly more prone to outlier slowdowns.
Error rate
Error rate tracks the ratio of 5xx responses and timeouts to total requests. Knock automatically retries failed requests, so transient provider errors rarely affect end-user delivery.
| Provider | Avg. daily error rate | Highest daily rate | Peak error date | Zero-error days | Days above 0.01% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00% | 0.03% | Mar 17 | 90 | 1 |
| 0.00% | 0.02% | Mar 24 | 87 | 2 |
Averaged across the date range, Mailgun shows a 0.00% daily error rate compared to 0.00% for SendGrid. The highest single-day error rate was 0.03% for Mailgun and 0.02% for SendGrid. Both providers show similar reliability levels, with error rates well within acceptable thresholds. Knock automatically retries failed requests to both providers, minimizing the impact of transient errors on end-user delivery.
About these metrics: Data represents messages sent through Knock during the specified period. Response time measures time from Knock to provider acceptance. Error rate includes only provider 5xx responses and timeouts.
Recent Mailgun incidents
Recent status page incidents for Mailgun
Started May 25, 2026 — Resolved May 25, 2026
May 25, 08:55 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. May 25, 08:45 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. May 25, 08:35 PDT Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue. May 25, 07:46 PDT Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented. May 25, 07:10 PDT Update - We are continuing to investigate this issue. May 25, 06:38 PDT Investigating - We are currently investigating this issue. May 25,
Started May 7, 2026 — Resolved May 7, 2026
May 7, 11:42 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. May 7, 05:40 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. May 6, 12:46 PDT Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue. May 6, 08:40 PDT Identified - Customers creating domains with Automatic Sender Security may have CNAME records with no corresponding TXT records reflecting DKIM keys. A fix for this issue is being prepared.
Started Apr 17, 2026 — Resolved Apr 17, 2026
Apr 17, 10:15 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Apr 17, 10:05 PDT Update - We are continuing to monitor for any further issues. Apr 17, 10:05 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Apr 17, 09:45 PDT Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.
Started Apr 15, 2026 — Resolved Apr 15, 2026
Apr 15, 08:34 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Apr 15, 07:02 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Apr 15, 06:42 PDT Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented. Apr 15, 06:40 PDT Investigating - We are currently investigating an issue where customers making HTTPS requests to our API without Server Name Indication (SNI) enabled are being presented with an expired SSL/TLS certificate. This results in c
Started Apr 7, 2026 — Resolved Apr 7, 2026
Apr 7, 10:42 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Elevated 500 errors beginning at 17:25 UTC resolved at 17:30 UTC Apr 7, 10:32 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Apr 7, 10:30 PDT Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented.
Recent SendGrid incidents
Recent status page incidents for SendGrid
Started May 29, 2026 — Resolved May 29, 2026
May 29, 07:30 PDT Resolved - Customers have experienced elevated latency occurring in US East region from 6:30 AM to 8:58 AM Pacific time. Our engineers have investigated and resolved the issue. All impacted services are operating normally.
Started May 22, 2026 — Resolved May 22, 2026
May 22, 11:50 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed the issue with SenderAuth and Whitelabel domains has been resolved. All services are now operating normally at this time. May 22, 10:51 PDT Monitoring - Our engineers have implemented a fix and are monitoring system performance. We will provide another update in an hour or as soon as more information becomes available. May 22, 10:30 PDT Investigating - Starting around 10:17AM on May 22 2026, our engineers bega
Started May 14, 2026 — Resolved May 14, 2026
May 14, 10:47 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed the issue with Sender Engagement Quality (SEQ) API endpoint has been resolved. All services are now operating normally at this time. May 14, 10:12 PDT Monitoring - Our engineers have implemented a fix and are monitoring system performance. SendGrid Engagement Quality API endpoint is now working as expected with API keys. We will provide another update in 30 minutes or as soon as more information becomes available
Started May 13, 2026 — Resolved May 13, 2026
May 13, 08:30 PDT Resolved - Customers in US-East may have experienced intermittent high mail send latency from 5/13/2026 to 5/27/2026. Our engineers have investigated and resolved the issue. All impacted services are operating normally.
Started May 13, 2026 — Resolved May 13, 2026
May 12, 17:22 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed all services are now operating normally. May 12, 16:48 PDT Monitoring - Between 16:10 PDT and 16:27 PDT on 05/12/2026, our engineers began investigating an issue with a subset of services experiencing 5xx errors. Users may have experienced issues when accessing subusers, authenticating domains and link branding records, accessing the account, and checking account stats. This does not impact mail send. Our eng
Pros and cons
Mailgun
SendGrid
Pros
- Well-written documentation with comprehensive guides and best practices for deliverability
- Robust deliverability support with optional expert pairing to optimize sending
- Powerful inbound email processing with customizable routing rules
- Trusted by Lyft, American Express, and Wikipedia since 2010
Pros
- Comprehensive documentation with SDKs for most major languages
- Rich analytics tools with programmatic API access to engagement data
- Strong focus on deliverability with AI-powered intelligent delivery
- Trusted by Uber, Booking.com, and Yelp for high-volume sending
Cons
- Requires familiarity with email protocols and API integrations
- Pricing tiers can be confusing
- Email template features are basic without the Mailjet editor
Cons
- Extended email activity history requires a paid add-on
- Pricing can become complex at higher volumes
- Support response times vary by plan tier
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Mailgun and SendGrid?
Mailgun is a developer-focused email API platform owned by Sinch, known for flexible sending and receiving capabilities. SendGrid is a cloud-based email delivery platform owned by Twilio, known for high-volume transactional and marketing email. Mailgun is best suited for developer-focused sending + receiving, while SendGrid is geared toward high-volume transactional + marketing.
Which is cheaper, Mailgun or SendGrid?
Free tier includes 100 emails per day with no expiration. Paid plans start at $15/month for 10,000 emails with overages at $1.80/1K. Free tier includes up to 100 emails per day for 60 days. Paid plans start at $19.95/month for 50,000 emails on the Essentials plan, with an Essentials 100K tier at $34.95/month. Pro plans with dedicated IPs start at $249/month for 300,000 emails. The best value depends on your sending volume. Use the pricing calculator above to compare costs at your expected volume.
Which is faster, Mailgun or SendGrid?
Based on real-world data from Knock, Mailgun has a median API response time (p50) of 132ms compared to 23ms for SendGrid.
Which is more reliable, Mailgun or SendGrid?
From March 3rd to June 1st, Mailgun showed an error rate of 0.00% while SendGrid showed 0.00%. Both rates are within acceptable thresholds for production email delivery, and Knock automatically retries failed requests to minimize the impact of transient errors.
Which is more popular, Mailgun or SendGrid?
On the Knock platform, Mailgun handled 100M–500M messages from March 3rd to June 1st compared to 500M+ for SendGrid. Mailgun is currently seeing declining volume, while SendGrid volume has remained stable.
Can I use both Mailgun and SendGrid together?
Yes. Knock enables you to integrate multiple email providers into a single notification workflow. You can use Mailgun and SendGrid side by side, route traffic between them, or migrate from one to the other without changing your application code.
What are the main pros and cons of Mailgun vs SendGrid?
Mailgun strengths include well-written documentation with comprehensive guides and best practices for deliverability and robust deliverability support with optional expert pairing to optimize sending. SendGrid strengths include comprehensive documentation with sdks for most major languages and rich analytics tools with programmatic api access to engagement data. On the other hand, Mailgun drawbacks include requires familiarity with email protocols and api integrations, while SendGrid drawbacks include extended email activity history requires a paid add-on.
Use either provider with Knock
Knock enables you to integrate Mailgun, SendGrid, or any combination of email providers into a single notification workflow. Manage templates, orchestrate cross-channel delivery, and switch providers without changing your code.