Resend vs Mailgun: Which Is Easier If You Don’t Code?
Resend vs Mailgun for people who build with Claude Code but don’t code: setup steps, free plans, prices checked October 2026, and which is easier to use.
Quick answer
Resend vs Mailgun: if you don’t code, Resend is usually the easier pick. Its free plan sends 3,000 emails a month, and you can connect it to Claude Code from on-screen settings and sign in. Mailgun’s free plan is smaller and its Claude connection runs on your computer. Both are built mainly for developers.
Last checked: October 2026
On this page
You're building a SaaS or site with Claude Code, it needs to send emails, and you've been pointed to Resend or Mailgun. This comparison of Resend vs Mailgun is for people who build with Claude Code but don't write code themselves.
You'll get a quick verdict, setup steps side by side, current prices, and what each is like once it's running.
Resend vs Mailgun: the quick verdict
For most people who don't code, Resend is the easier of the two. Its free plan is bigger, it keeps your send history longer, and it has a hosted connection to Claude Code that you add from on-screen settings and sign in to.
Mailgun is built for developers and teams sending large volumes. It's a solid choice if you write code yourself or expect to send hundreds of thousands of emails a month.
| Resend | Mailgun | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Developers | Developers and high-volume senders |
| Free plan | 3,000 emails a month (100 a day) | 100 emails a day, limited to approved addresses until you add a card |
| Cheapest paid plan | $20 a month for 50,000 emails | $15 a month for 10,000 emails |
| Connecting to Claude Code | Hosted connector, sign in | Runs on your own computer, needs an API key |
| How long send history is kept | 30 days on every plan | 1 day on Free and Basic, up to 30 days on Scale |
Prices checked October 2026.
What are Resend and Mailgun?
Both are transactional email services. A transactional email service sends the automatic emails your project needs, such as welcome emails, password resets and receipts, and makes sure they come from your own address.
Resend calls itself "email for developers" and offers an official connector for Claude. Mailgun is part of Sinch, describes itself as an email API service for developers, and says it sends over 600 billion emails a year. An API is the way one piece of software talks to another.
How does setting up Resend compare with Mailgun?
The setup steps are much the same on both: create an account, verify your domain, create a secret key and let Claude Code add the sending code. Mailgun adds a test domain with tight limits, and its domain step asks for a few more records.
| Step | Resend | Mailgun |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Create an account | Sign up on the Resend website | Sign up on the Mailgun website. Without a card on file, the free plan only sends to up to 5 approved addresses |
| 2. Testing before your domain is ready | A test mode lets you try sends without reaching real people. You need a verified domain before you email your users | A "sandbox" test domain is set up for you. It only sends to approved addresses |
| 3. Verify your domain | Add the SPF and DKIM records it shows you. Often verified within 15 minutes, but can take up to 72 hours | Add SPF and DKIM records, plus records for tracking (CNAME) and receiving (MX). Can take 24 to 48 hours |
| 4. Create a secret key | Create one on the API keys page. You can't view it again later | Use the main account key, or create a "sending key" for one domain, which Mailgun recommends for live projects. Shown once |
| 5. Add it to your project | Claude Code writes the sending code and stores the key | Claude Code writes the sending code and stores the key |
Domain verification proves to inbox providers that you're allowed to send from your address. It means adding a few DNS records, which are settings stored where your domain is registered. Our guide to verifying your domain for email walks through it in plain English.
The secret key in step 4 is an API key: a password your live project uses to send through the service. It belongs in your hosting settings or a .env file (a private settings file), never in your code. Claude Code will put it in the right place.
For every click on the Resend side, see our step-by-step guide to setting up Resend.
Resend vs Mailgun pricing compared
Resend is cheaper for most small projects, and its extra emails cost less. At 100,000 emails a month, both charge $90.
| Plan | Price a month | Emails included | Extra emails | Sending domains | Send history kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resend Free | $0 | 3,000 (100 a day) | Not available | 3 | 30 days |
| Resend Pro | $20 | 50,000 | $0.90 per 1,000 | 10 | 30 days |
| Resend Scale | $90 | 100,000 | $0.90 per 1,000 | 1,000 | 30 days |
| Mailgun Free | $0 | 100 a day | Not available | 1 | 1 day |
| Mailgun Basic | $15 | 10,000 | From $1.80 per 1,000 | 1 | 1 day |
| Mailgun Foundation | $35 (first month free) | 50,000 | From $1.30 per 1,000 | 1,000 | 5 days |
| Mailgun Scale | $90 (first month free) | 100,000 | From $1.10 per 1,000 | 1,000 | 30 days |
Prices checked October 2026, in US dollars.
Two things stand out:
- Under 3,000 emails a month, Resend's free plan covers you. Mailgun's free plan allows 100 a day, but you'll need to add a card before it can reach real users.
- How long your send history is kept matters more than it sounds. When a user says an email never arrived, you need the record. Mailgun keeps it for one day on its cheaper plans; Resend keeps it for 30.
For more services at different volumes, see our transactional email pricing comparison.
Which is easier if you don't code?
Resend is easier in practice, mainly because of how it connects to Claude Code.
Both services offer an MCP server. MCP is a standard way for AI tools to plug into other services, and the connection it creates is called a connector. With a connector, Claude Code can check your domain, send test emails and look at how emails are doing, all from the chat.
- Resend runs its connector online. It's listed in Claude's connector directory, or you can add it as a custom connector with its server address, then sign in to Resend when asked.
- Mailgun's connector runs on your own computer, and Mailgun says it doesn't offer a hosted version. It needs Node.js (a program developers install to run tools like this) and your account key added to a settings file. The setup guide is written for developers.
Neither connector is required. Without one, Claude Code can still write the sending code; you'll do more in each service's dashboard yourself.
What is working with Resend or Mailgun like day to day?
Once either service is running, real emails go out from your live project on their own, with no Claude Code involved. Day-to-day work is changing emails and sorting out problems.
With both services, the wording and design of each email usually live in your project's code, so changes mean asking Claude Code to edit the code and publish the update. When something goes wrong, you check the service's logs, either in its dashboard or through its connector if you've set one up. Our guide on checking whether an email actually sent covers what to look for.
If you're weighing other options too, see our roundups of Resend alternatives and Mailgun alternatives.
How is SimpleSends different for people who don't code?
SimpleSends is a transactional email service like Resend and Mailgun, built for people who build with Claude Code but don't write code. You set it up the same way: an account, a verified domain, a secret key and sending code. The difference is what working with it is like after that.
- Written for you. The sign-up, connect steps and help are written in plain English, without developer jargon.
- Everything after sign-up happens in the chat. You don't need a dashboard for day-to-day work. You brief Claude Code the way you'd brief a person.
- Claude Code does the whole job. It designs, writes, builds and changes every transactional email, so "set up all my transactional emails" is a reasonable brief.
- Problems get sorted in plain English. Claude Code can read send logs and delivery status through SimpleSends, so it can tell you whether an email went out and help work out why one didn't.
To connect SimpleSends:
- Sign up on the SimpleSends website and follow the steps there to set up the email address you'll send from. To send from your own domain, this includes adding a few DNS records where your domain is registered.
- In Claude Code, open Customize, then Connectors, choose Add, then Add custom connector. Name: SimpleSends. MCP server URL: https://mcp.simplesends.com/mcp
- When Claude prompts you to connect, log in to SimpleSends.
- Back in the Claude Code chat, tell Claude Code:
I've connected SimpleSends for all transactional email.
It takes it from there, including adding what your project needs to send email. Then you can ask for what you want:
Set up all the transactional emails my SaaS needs. Start with a welcome email and a password reset, match my site's colors, and send me a test of each before anything goes live.
Claude Code will suggest the full set of emails, show you drafts to approve, and send test copies to your inbox from the chat.
If you'd rather write and edit the code yourself, or you're sending very high volumes, Resend or Mailgun may suit you better.
Frequently asked questions
Why can Mailgun only send to five addresses on my account?
On Mailgun’s free plan without a card on file, or when you use the sandbox test domain it creates for you, you can only send to approved recipients. You can add up to five, and each one has to click a confirmation link first. Adding a card and verifying your own domain lifts this limit.
Do I need my own domain to use Resend or Mailgun?
For real emails to your users, yes. Resend asks you to verify a domain you own before you send. Mailgun gives every new account a sandbox domain, but it’s for testing and only reaches approved addresses. Both recommend sending from a subdomain, such as mail.yourcompany.com, rather than your main domain.
What happens if I send more emails than my plan includes?
On Resend’s paid plans, you can turn on pay-as-you-go, and extra emails cost $0.90 per 1,000. Mailgun’s paid plans charge extra emails at a per-1,000 rate that starts at $1.80 on Basic and drops on higher plans. Free plans on both services stop at their limits instead. Prices checked October 2026.
Can I switch email services later?
Yes. You verify your domain with the new service by adding its DNS records, and Claude Code updates the sending code and the secret key your project uses. Your email wording and design can stay the same. Plan the switch for a quiet time and send test emails before your users see anything.
Sources (13)
- Resend · Email for developers(checked October 5, 2026)
- Pricing(checked October 5, 2026)
- Add and verify a domain(checked October 5, 2026)
- Verified Domains(checked October 5, 2026)
- Manage API keys(checked October 5, 2026)
- MCP Server(checked October 5, 2026)
- Send emails with Claude Code(checked October 5, 2026)
- Mailgun Send pricing(checked October 5, 2026)
- Domain Verification(checked October 5, 2026)
- Sandbox Domain(checked October 5, 2026)
- Authorized Recipients(checked October 5, 2026)
- Authentication (API keys)(checked October 5, 2026)
- Mailgun MCP Server(checked October 5, 2026)
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