Softwr

Marketing · head to head

Mailgun vs Plausible

Mailgun logo

Mailgun

Marketing

Email delivery built for developers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Plausible logo

Plausible

Marketing

Simple, privacy-friendly analytics

From
$9/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Mailgun has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Mailgun free tier limited to 100 emails per day, restricting high-volume use cases; Plausible there is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Mailgun and Plausible actually diverge.

Attributes where Mailgun and Plausible differ
AttributeMailgunPlausible
Starting priceFree$9/month
Free tierYesNo
FoundedUnknown2018

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Marketing).

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 Plausible does not also cover.

Only in Plausible

  • Page view tracking
  • Goal tracking
  • Real-time analytics
  • Outbound link click tracking
  • Privacy-focused
  • No cookies
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Mailgun

  • Transactional email delivery and SMTP relaynot Plausible
  • Email marketing at scale for developers and enterprisesnot Plausible

Plausible

  • Privacy-focused web analytics without cookies or personal datanot Mailgun
  • A Google Analytics replacement that needs no consent bannernot Mailgun
  • Self-hosted analytics on your own infrastructurenot Mailgun
  • EU-hosted measurement for data residency requirementsnot Mailgun

Where each one falls short

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

Mailgun

  • Free tier limited to 100 emails per day, restricting high-volume use cases
  • Log retention minimal on lower tiers (1 day on Free and Basic plans)
  • Add-on pricing for email validations and extra emails can accumulate quickly for high-traffic users

Plausible

  • There is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
  • Paid plans are metered on monthly pageviews, so a traffic spike moves you up a plan
  • Self-hosting is possible but means running and updating the service yourself
  • Deliberately simple, so there are no user-level profiles or funnel-by-individual reports the way a cookie-based analytics tool provides

Pricing, plan by plan

Mailgun

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 emails per day
    • Basic APIs
    • SMTP relay
  • Basic$15/monthly
    • 10,000 emails per month
    • No daily limits
    • Monthly overage options
  • Foundation$35/monthly
    • 50,000 emails per month
    • 1,000 custom domains
    • Email template builder
  • Scale$90/monthly
    • 100,000 emails per month
    • SAML SSO
    • 5,000 email validations

Plausible

$9/month
  • Starter$9/month
    • Up to 10k monthly pageviews
    • 1 site
    • 3 years data retention
  • Growth$14/month
    • Up to 3 sites
    • Up to 3 team members
  • Business$19/month
    • Up to 10 sites
    • Up to 10 team members
    • 5 years data retention
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • 10+ sites
    • Custom pricing

Which should you pick?

Choose Mailgun if

  • You want to start without paying.
Mailgun review

Choose Plausible if

  • You need page view tracking.
  • You also want goal tracking.
Plausible review

Questions people ask

Is Mailgun or Plausible better?
Neither clearly leads. Mailgun starts at Free and Plausible at $9/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Mailgun or Plausible?
Mailgun has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Mailgun and $9/month for Plausible.
Does Mailgun or Plausible run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Mailgun for free?
Yes. Mailgun has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Plausible starts at $9/month.
What is Mailgun best used for?
Mailgun is most often used for transactional email delivery and smtp relay, email marketing at scale for developers and enterprises. Of those, transactional email delivery and smtp relay and email marketing at scale for developers and enterprises are not what Plausible is typically brought in for.
What can Mailgun do that Plausible cannot?
Plausible covers Page view tracking, Goal tracking, Real-time analytics, Outbound link click tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Mailgun: What happens when I exceed my monthly email quota?

Mailgun allows monthly overage options on paid plans. Extra emails are charged from $1.30 to $1.10 per 1,000 emails depending on plan tier. Enterprise customers negotiate custom rates.

Source
Plausible: How much does Plausible Analytics cost?

Plausible offers plans starting at $9/month for the Starter tier, $14/month for Growth, and $19/month for Business. Enterprise pricing is custom. All plans include a 30-day free trial without requiring a credit card.

Source
Mailgun: Can I upgrade from Free to a paid plan and when does billing begin?

Yes, you can upgrade to paid plans anytime. The first month is free on Foundation ($35/month) and Scale ($90/month) plans, with billing starting on month two.

Source
Plausible: Is there a free version of Plausible?

Plausible does not offer a free plan; however, all paid plans include a 30-day free trial with full access to features.

Source
Mailgun: What currencies and billing periods does Mailgun support?

Mailgun supports monthly billing in USD, EUR, and GBP. Charges are prorated for mid-month signups. Annual billing options are not explicitly listed on the pricing page.

Source
Plausible: What is the difference between Plausible's pricing tiers?

The Starter plan covers up to 10k monthly pageviews for 1 site. Growth adds up to 3 sites and 3 team members. Business expands to 10 sites, 10 team members, and includes advanced features like API access and 5 years data retention.

Source
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