Softwr

Marketing · head to head

Mailgun vs Patreon

Mailgun logo

Mailgun

Marketing

Email delivery built for developers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Patreon logo

Patreon

Podcast & Audio Publishing

Membership platform for creators

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Patreon has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Mailgun free plan caps at 100 emails per day; Patreon takes 10% of the income a creator earns on the platform

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mailgun and Patreon actually diverge.

Attributes where Mailgun and Patreon differ
AttributeMailgunPatreon
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelusage-basedfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android
CategoryMarketingPodcast & Audio Publishing
FoundedUnknown2013

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Mailgun

Nothing recorded that Patreon does not also cover.

Only in Patreon

  • Membership tiers
  • Exclusive content
  • Private podcast feeds
  • Community features
  • Analytics
  • Payment processing
  • Discord
  • Podcast apps

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Mailgun

No use cases recorded yet. See the Mailgun review.

Patreon

  • Running a paid membership for fans of a creator or podcastnot Mailgun
  • Selling recurring access to exclusive content and communitynot Mailgun

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Mailgun

  • Free plan caps at 100 emails per day
  • Basic plan starts at $15/mo for 10,000 emails then overages from $1.80 per 1,000; Foundation and Scale plans discount overage rates but still meter every email beyond the included volume
  • Foundation ($35/mo) and Scale ($90/mo) plans are free for the first month only, then bill at full price

Patreon

  • Takes 10% of the income a creator earns on the platform
  • Payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees are charged on top of that 10% and are not quantified on the pricing page
  • The total deduction is therefore not calculable from the pricing page alone, and requires reading a separate support article

Pricing, plan by plan

Mailgun

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Mailgun review.

Patreon

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Free membership page
    • Basic features
    • Community tools
  • ProFree
    • All free features
    • Analytics dashboard
    • Priority support
  • PremiumFree
    • All Pro features
    • Dedicated partner manager
    • Custom onboarding

Which should you pick?

Choose Mailgun if

Nothing in the data separates Mailgun from Patreon on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Mailgun review

Choose Patreon if

  • You need membership tiers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want exclusive content.
Patreon review

Questions people ask

Is Mailgun or Patreon better?
Neither clearly leads. Mailgun starts at On request and Patreon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mailgun or Patreon?
Patreon has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Mailgun and Free for Patreon.
Does Mailgun or Patreon run on more platforms?
Mailgun runs on Web. Patreon runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Patreon for free?
Yes. Patreon has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Mailgun starts at On request.
What can Mailgun do that Patreon cannot?
Patreon covers Membership tiers, Exclusive content, Private podcast feeds, Community features.
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Related pages

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