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 → | 6 | 10 |
| 500M+ | 2nd of 10 → | 9 | 24 |
From April 17th to July 16th, Knock routed 100M–500M messages through Mailgun and 500M+ through SendGrid. Mailgun reported 10 status page updates over the last 90 days, while SendGrid reported 24.
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 April 17th to July 16th. The top-line number is an average of these daily values: Mailgun averaged 137ms compared to 22ms for SendGrid. Mailgun's highest daily p50 was 167ms; SendGrid's was 31ms. SendGrid is 115ms 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 200ms compared to 78ms for SendGrid. The highest daily p90 was 8262ms for Mailgun and 88ms for SendGrid. SendGrid handles these slower requests 122ms 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 596ms at p99 while SendGrid reached 278ms. The highest daily p99 was 15385ms for Mailgun and 1833ms for SendGrid, indicating the worst-case response time during spikes or provider-side congestion. SendGrid shows a tighter tail, which may matter for time-sensitive notifications like one-time passwords or real-time alerts where even rare delays can impact user experience.
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% | 0.05% | Jul 16 | 89 | 2 |
| 0.00% | 0.02% | May 8 | 90 | 1 |
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 0.05% 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 Jul 13, 2026 — Resolved Jul 13, 2026
Jul 13, 12:56 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jul 13, 12:45 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jul 13, 12:24 PDT Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented. Jul 13, 11:51 PDT Update - We are continuing to investigate this issue. Jul 13, 11:23 PDT Investigating - We are currently investigating this issue.
Started Jul 10, 2026 — Resolved Jul 10, 2026
Jul 10, 13:11 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jul 10, 12:58 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jul 10, 12:48 PDT Update - A fix is in the process of being rolled out to impacted regions. Jul 10, 12:33 PDT Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue. Jul 10, 11:59 PDT Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue. Jul 10, 11:36 PDT Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue. J
Started Jun 25, 2026 — Resolved Jun 25, 2026
Jun 25, 13:35 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jun 25, 13:24 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jun 25, 13:21 PDT Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented. Jun 25, 13:03 PDT Update - We are continuing to investigate this issue. Jun 25, 12:21 PDT Investigating - We are currently investigating an issue with email previews not working. Outbound processing, inbound processing, logs and webhook de
Started Jun 23, 2026 — Resolved Jun 23, 2026
Jun 23, 09:09 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jun 23, 08:56 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jun 23, 08:25 PDT Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue. Some customers may see log delays. Outbound processing, inbound processing, and webhook delivery continue operating normally. Jun 23, 07:52 PDT Update - We are continuing to work on a fix for this issue. Some customers may see log delays. Outbound processin
Started Jun 18, 2026 — Resolved Jun 18, 2026
Jun 18, 03:24 PDT Resolved - This incident has been resolved. Jun 18, 03:11 PDT Monitoring - A fix has been implemented and we are monitoring the results. Jun 18, 02:53 PDT Identified - The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented. Jun 18, 02:11 PDT Update - We are continuing to investigate this issue. Jun 18, 01:34 PDT Investigating - Customers using the events/logs APIs or viewing logs in the customer portal may see delays in some events appearing. These delays are
Recent SendGrid incidents
Recent status page incidents for SendGrid
Ongoing since Jul 29, 2026
THIS IS A SCHEDULED EVENT Jul 29, 09:00 - 12:00 PDT Jul 9, 05:10 PDT Scheduled - On July 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM PT (originally planned for July 22), SendGrid incident and maintenance notifications will move to the Twilio Status Page: https://status.twilio.com. Your existing SendGrid Status Page subscription will be migrated. Depending on how you currently receive notifications, you may need to confirm your subscription to continue receiving updates. What to expect: EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: You shou
Started Jul 16, 2026 — Resolved Jul 16, 2026
Jul 16, 11:15 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed the issue with delay with account actions has been resolved. All services are now operating normally at this time. Jul 15, 20:12 PDT Monitoring - Our engineers have implemented a fix and are monitoring system performance. We will provide another update as soon as more information becomes available. Jul 15, 18:58 PDT Update - Our engineers are still investigating an issue with account actions. Users may experi
Started Jul 14, 2026 — Resolved Jul 14, 2026
Jul 14, 10:50 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have investigated and resolved the issues with email delays that involved a certain subset of users. From 10:20 AM PST to 10:25 AM PST customers may have experienced delays with email deliverability for a certain subset of users. This would have impacted Email API and Marketing mail sending. There was no data loss due to this incident. The issue has been resolved and all impacted services are operating normally.
Started Jul 13, 2026 — Resolved Jul 13, 2026
Jul 13, 10:15 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed the issue with account actions has been resolved. All services are now operating normally at this time. Jul 13, 09:36 PDT Monitoring - Our engineers have implemented a fix and are monitoring system performance. Account actions, such as password resets, are beginning to process as the system recovers and clears any remaining delays. As a reminder, this issue continues to have no impact on mail send. We will provid
Started Jul 11, 2026 — Resolved Jul 11, 2026
Jul 11, 13:35 PDT Resolved - Our engineers have monitored the fix and confirmed the issue has been resolved. All services are now operating normally at this time. Jul 11, 13:07 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. Jul 11, 12:23 PDT Identified - Our engineers have identified the issue and are working toward a fix. We will provide another update
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 137ms compared to 22ms for SendGrid.
Which is more reliable, Mailgun or SendGrid?
From April 17th to July 16th, 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 April 17th to July 16th compared to 500M+ for SendGrid. Mailgun volume has remained stable, 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.