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Ternloop vs Mailgun: pricing and features compared

5 min read
Cover image comparing Ternloop and Mailgun on price and features

Quick summary

Mailgun is an email API from Sinch. Developers use it to send transactional and bulk email from code, and it offers detailed logs and routing tools. It is built for applications that need to send mail programmatically.

Ternloop is a newsletter and campaign tool. You write campaigns in a rich editor or block editor, import contacts, group them, and send or schedule the message from a dashboard. It focuses on campaigns you write in the editor. Pricing follows the number of emails you send each month.

If your team wants to send email from its own application, Mailgun is built for that. If you want to write a newsletter and manage a list from a dashboard, Ternloop is the simpler tool.

Pricing compare

The comparison page we reviewed lists Mailgun's Foundation plan at $35 a month for 50,000 emails and its Scale plan at $90 a month for 100,000 emails. Mailgun also offers a free plan that allows 100 emails a day. Mailgun's pricing changes over time, so check its current plans before you commit.

Ternloop's plans are shown below.

Ternloop plan Monthly price Annual price Emails per month Contacts
Free $0 $0 1,000 500
Pro 5,000 $4 $46 per year 5,000 3,000
Pro 10,000 $8 $92 per year 10,000 6,000
Pro 20,000 $15 $172 per year 20,000 12,000
Pro 50,000 $25 $286 per year 50,000 30,000
Pro 100,000 $50 $570 per year 100,000 50,000
Pro 150,000 $70 $810 per year 150,000 80,000

At 50,000 emails a month, Ternloop's Pro 50,000 tier costs $25 a month and includes a 30,000 contact limit. Mailgun's Foundation plan at 50,000 emails lists $35 a month in the comparison we reviewed. Ternloop is less expensive at this volume, while Mailgun's plan is priced for API sends and includes developer tools.

At 100,000 emails, Ternloop's Pro 100,000 tier costs $50 a month, while Mailgun's Scale plan lists $90 a month in the comparison we reviewed. Again, the two are not the same product. Ternloop includes a campaign editor and contact tools, and Mailgun includes an API and logs for application sends.

Feature compare

Feature Ternloop Mailgun
Contact management Groups, custom fields, and CSV import on Pro Mailing lists
Open and click tracking Included on every plan Included
Scheduling Included on Pro Available through API
Custom sending domain Included on Pro Included
Free plan 1,000 emails and 500 contacts a month 100 emails a day
Bounce and unsubscribe handling Automatic, based on SES webhooks Included

Mailgun is built for developers. It gives you an API, SMTP, webhooks, and detailed event logs, so an engineering team can build sending into its product and debug delivery. That makes it a strong choice for application mail.

Ternloop is built for the newsletter workflow. You compose a campaign in the editor, group your contacts, import a CSV, and schedule the send without writing code. The Pro plan adds scheduling, custom sending domains, and graph stats.

When to choose Ternloop

  • You send newsletters or campaigns and want a dashboard without writing code.
  • You want contact groups, CSV import, and scheduling on one plan.
  • You want a plan priced by monthly volume, with a clear contact limit.
  • You do not need a send API.

When to choose Mailgun

  • Your application sends transactional or bulk email from code.
  • Your developers need an API, SMTP relay, and webhooks.
  • You want detailed logs to debug delivery problems.
  • You are comfortable building your own list and campaign tools.

The choice depends on how your email is sent. Application mail belongs with an API. Newsletters and campaigns can live in a dashboard. Some teams use both, with Mailgun for product mail and Ternloop for the newsletter.

Start with Ternloop

Start on the free plan with 1,000 emails and 500 contacts each month. Import a small list, send a campaign, and check the open and click data. When your list grows, the Pro tiers scale with your sends. See the full breakdown on the pricing page.

Questions to ask before you switch

Start with what you send. Mailgun is built for developers who send application email through an API, such as password resets, receipts, and alerts. If your product depends on those messages, keep an API service for them. Ternloop is built for newsletters and campaigns that a person writes and schedules.

Next, compare costs at your volume. The comparison we reviewed lists Mailgun's Foundation plan at $35 a month for 50,000 emails, and its Scale plan at $90 a month for 100,000 emails. Ternloop's Pro plan for 50,000 emails is $25 a month, and its 100,000 email tier is $50 a month. Mailgun's free tier allows 100 emails a day. Check its current pricing before you decide.

Then look at your sending domain. Ternloop's free plan includes three sender emails on its default domain. Pro adds custom sending domains, with the number of domains depending on the monthly email volume. Confirm your domain setup before you move, so your messages arrive from the right address.

Finally, plan a test. Send a campaign to a small group, check the open and click reports, and confirm that bounces and unsubscribes update your list. Keep the old service running for transactional mail while you test the campaign side.

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