Mailgun alternative
A Mailgun Alternative Without the Plan Ladder
Mailgun runs four tiers, with logs that last from 1 day on Basic to 30 days on Scale, and phone support only at the top. Managed Transactional Email is one rate: $1 per 1,000 emails sent with a $5 minimum a month per domain, with searchable logs, daily rate reading, and a person who replies within two business days.
With Cascadia you get
- One price, no tier to climb
- Logs searchable from day one
- Support at no extra charge
- Domain warmed before launch
- Templates read by a person
- Monthly billing, no contract
Cascadia vs Mailgun at a Glance
Three Questions That Decide It
Do You Need Inbound Routes or SSO?
Must You Search Logs Older Than a Week?
Does a Developer Manage Your Sending?
Side by Side
| Mailgun | Cascadia | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free, then $15 a month for 10,000 (October 2026) | $1 per 1,000 emails sent, $5 minimum a month |
| Overage | –From $1.80 per 1,000 on Basic (October 2026) | None: every email is $1 per 1,000 |
| Log retention | ×1 day on Basic, 30 days on Scale (October 2026) | Searchable delivery logs included |
| Support | –Phone and chat only on Scale (October 2026) | Replies within two business days |
| Dedicated IP | $59 a month per IP (October 2026) | –Domain of its own, shared infrastructure |
| Enterprise features | SAML SSO and validation on Scale (October 2026) | ×Not offered |
| Setup work | ×DNS and templates are yours | Records, warmup, templates done for you |
| Reputation watching | ×Dashboards you read yourself | Rates read daily, monthly report |
Entry Price
Overage
Log Retention
Support
Dedicated IP
Enterprise Features
Setup Work
Reputation Watching
What Our Price Covers
Mailgun’s plan ladder trades price for retention, support, and features. We use one rung. The price is $1 per 1,000 emails sent, with a $5 minimum a month per domain, and no tier above it.
- Sending domain setup and all authentication records
- Reputation warming before launch
- Migration from Mailgun or any current sender
- Bounce and complaint suppression
- Blocklist checks included
- WordPress and WooCommerce mail routing
- Template builds with a plain text copy of each
- Event feeds wired into your app
- Searchable logs, daily checks, and a monthly report
- Help from our team within two business days
Where Our Single Tier Wins
Plan ladders are fine when you know which rung you need. Most small businesses discover it after something breaks.
Logs That Do Not Vanish Overnight
Mailgun lists 1 day of log retention on Free and Basic, 5 days on Foundation, and 30 days on Scale. Our delivery logs are searchable from day one, with no tier to climb first.
Support Does Not Wait for the Top Rung
Mailgun lists live phone and chat support on Scale. At our price you get a person who replies within two business days, and who reads your numbers without being asked.
Setup Is Part of the Deal
Mailgun hands you DNS records and an API key. We publish the records, warm the domain, and test the templates before any customer sees them.
A Fair Note on Scale
If you send hundreds of thousands of emails and need SSO, inbound routes, or validation credits, Mailgun’s ladder is built for that. We are not.
Who Benefits from This Comparison
Sites on the Free or Basic Tier
Both list one day of log retention. When a customer says the confirmation never came, yesterday’s log may already be gone, and the answer with it.
Teams Surprised by Overage
Basic overage is listed from $1.80 per 1,000 emails. A sale or a bounce loop can double a month’s cost without warning, and the bill arrives after.
Companies Wanting a Dedicated IP
Mailgun lists a dedicated IP at $59 a month. For a small sender, that is a recurring bill for a private address that needs steady volume to stay warm.
Choose Mailgun if
- You need SSO, validation, or inbound routing
- You send at volume where tiers pay off
- A developer manages the integration
Choose Cascadia if
- You want logs and support without climbing tiers
- Nobody has time to read a dashboard
- You want setup and monitoring in one price
What Leaving Mailgun Involves
- 1
List Every Route into Mailgun
We find each plugin, form tool, and script with a Mailgun key, including old sending domains your team forgot about.
- 2
Authenticate and Warm a New Domain
Records are published and warmed while Mailgun keeps delivering. Your current domain’s reputation is not put at risk.
- 3
Switch Each Mail Type and Read It
Receipts, resets, and notices move one at a time. A person opens each in a real inbox before the next switch.
- 4
Revoke the Old Keys
When delivery is steady, the Mailgun API keys are retired. Your suppression list and templates come with you, and there is no sender account in our name.
How Mailgun Works
Mailgun Plans and Retention
Mailgun sells sending in four tiers. The numbers below were taken from the vendor’s own published pages in October 2026.
Taken from Mailgun pricing. Checked October 2026.
What Clients Say About Working with Cascadia
“I’ve always dreaded website management, but Cascadia has done an incredible job with my WordPress site, making it one less thing for me to worry about.”
“I’ve worked with Cascadia for several years now. They are always ready to help in any way I ask and can implement my ideas with ease. A company that values their clients!”
“Cascadia has been great to work with! We recently needed some updates, and Cascadia was quick to get them completed! We highly recommend Cascadia Web Services.”
“Cascadia is very responsive and we’re happy with them as our primary IT vendor.”
“They do great work, been using for years. Prompt responses to requests.”
Weighing Mailgun Against a Managed Setup?
Talk to us about your setupAsk us
Mailgun Alternative Questions
How Mailgun’s tiers work, what they cost, and how our single plan differs.
See Managed Transactional EmailStill have a question?
How much does Mailgun cost?
Free is 100 emails a day. Basic starts at $15 for 10,000 emails a month, Foundation is $35 for 50,000, and Scale is $90 for 100,000 (October 2026). Cascadia is $1 per 1,000 emails sent with a $5 minimum a month per domain.
How long does Mailgun keep logs?
The pricing page lists 1 day on Free and Basic, 5 days on Foundation, and 30 days on Scale (October 2026). Anyone who needs to trace a message from last week is pushed toward the higher tiers.
What does Mailgun overage cost?
Basic overage starts at $1.80 per 1,000 emails, Foundation at $1.30, and Scale at $1.10 (October 2026). Ours has no overage rate: every email is $1 per 1,000.
Which Mailgun plan has phone support?
Scale lists live phone and chat support (October 2026). The cheaper plans list less, and Free lists ticket support. Our support replies within two business days on the base plan.
Does Mailgun give a free trial?
Foundation and Scale each list a first month free (October 2026). The Free plan caps sending at 100 emails a day, so it works for tests but not for a store with real traffic.
How much is a Mailgun dedicated IP?
The FAQ lists $59 a month per dedicated IP (October 2026). A private IP needs enough steady volume to hold its reputation, and many small senders are better served by a domain of its own on shared infrastructure.
How many domains does Mailgun allow?
Free and Basic list one custom sending domain, while Foundation and Scale list up to 1,000 (October 2026). Agencies sending for many clients may need the higher tier just for that count.
Is Mailgun cheaper than Cascadia?
At the low end, Basic is $15 for 10,000 emails, and 10,000 emails with us is $10, so ours costs less. Mailgun can win at large volume or when you want SSO and validation credits. Ours includes setup and monitoring.
Can you replace Mailgun in WordPress?
Yes. We change the connection your plugin or form tool uses, and test order mail, resets, and notices in real inboxes. Nothing in your theme or checkout changes.
What about Mailgun inbound routes?
Mailgun lists inbound routes on its plans, starting at 1 on Free (October 2026). We cover the mail your site sends, not inbound parsing. If you rely on routes, keep Mailgun for that function.
Will my suppression list come along?
Yes. We import bounced and complained addresses, so the new domain starts with the good habits of the old one. That is part of migration with no setup fee.
Is there downtime when you switch?
No. Mailgun keeps sending while the new domain is built and warmed. Each mail type moves only after its tests land in real inboxes.
What do I lose by leaving Mailgun?
A mature API with inbound routing, validation, and SSO on upper tiers. You gain a managed setup with logs, monitoring, and a person who answers for the results.
How do I cancel?
There is no term to serve. Tell us you are leaving and the service continues through the last business day of that month; part months are not refunded. Records, templates, and suppression data are yours, and we say where your site should point next.