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Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

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Re: Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

#51

Post by staticautomatic »

ebiester wrote: post #43
kick wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sending an email is absolutely a solved problem. I can send a message to my address in 2020 using a 2003 Fedora Core 1 box without a domain using only what's part of the POSIX standard, and I'll receive it just fine. I just did a few days ago, actually. It even got past my provider's spam filter. I could probably have done it using earlier software than 2003-era mail/mailx, but that was the quickest way I could find…

You can still do that. However, I, as a receiver of email, get thousands of spam messages a day. So, I use services that block them before they even reach my view, or get sent directly to the spam folder. If you want to send me an email, that's solved. If you want to send it to ten thousand people on your mailing list, and not have it end up in the spam folder, you may have more work.

This raises what's really the ultimate question, which is whether and how much individuals should be made to suffer so that advertisers can send spam. Certainly the recipients are not responsible for the advertisers' decisions to spam, or more charitably, to blur the lines. Yet it's individuals who pay, in this case literally, for the advertisers' privilege of spamming them. It's extremely fucked.

Re: Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

#52

Post by ticmasta »

chrisgoman wrote: post #28

Maybe a better idea for them would be to say charge you $10 upfront for 12.5k email credits which should last you a while. Seems like a better deal for "hobbyists" vs a bill at the end of a couple of months. For MG, they can collect payment upfront. I guess maybe for some people, going from free to $10 might be too much of a leap? We were on the "free" Mandrill plan which became PAID (which we were fine paying) but y…

This is what twilio does right? you buy credits ahead of time and then consume them via service usage?

Re: Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

#53

Post by veeralpatel979 »

10k emails per month is generous. Maybe too generous. Selfishly I wish they didn't increase the price, but as a aspiring SaaS founder, it's totally fair that they did. They do provide value.

But 625 emails per month amounts to around 20 emails per day. If you have 5 customers, then you can send them 4 emails per day. So not much.

I wish they found a middle ground here.

Re: Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

#54

Post by giarc »

ticmasta wrote: post #52
chrisgoman wrote: post #28

Maybe a better idea for them would be to say charge you $10 upfront for 12.5k email credits which should last you a while. Seems like a better deal for "hobbyists" vs a bill at the end of a couple of months. For MG, they can collect payment upfront. I guess maybe for some people, going from free to $10 might be too much of a leap? We were on the "free" Mandrill plan which became PAID (which we were fine paying) but y…

This is what twilio does right? you buy credits ahead of time and then consume them via service usage?

Correct. Purchasing phone numbers is recurring ($1/month for residential and toll free numbers).

Re: Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

#56

Post by sam_goody »

black1101 wrote: post #14

Is there any alternative to Mailgun for sending / receive mails for free? Let's say 500mails per month? Thank you.

Mailjet, even though it is owned by Mailgun, has a higher free tier.

Sendgrid is owned by Twillio, and has a similar free tier.

Ses is pretty cheap, for 500 mails, it is essentially free.

Or get a dedicated IP, use mailinabox or other similar one click setups.

Re: Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

#57

Post by scaryclam »

gshdg wrote: post #12

Unsurprising, given that that has to be a huge spam magnet.

Historically they've been very careful. No DNS, you don't get to send to non-verified test emails. High bounce rate? No more mailing for you until you contact them and explain.

All in all they seem reasonably switched on and protective of their IP addresses.

Re: Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

#58

Post by sethammons »

black1101 wrote: post #14

Is there any alternative to Mailgun for sending / receive mails for free? Let's say 500mails per month? Thank you.

Disclaimer: I work with Twilio SendGrid.

We have the inbound parse webhook which turns incoming SMTP into an HTTP post to your URL. Our free plan is is 100/day after the trial period which has a much higher limit.

Re: Tell HN: Mailgun lowers free-tier API from 10k to 625 emails per month

#59

Post by ada1981 »

veeralpatel979 wrote: post #53

10k emails per month is generous. Maybe too generous. Selfishly I wish they didn't increase the price, but as a aspiring SaaS founder, it's totally fair that they did. They do provide value. But 625 emails per month amounts to around 20 emails per day. If you have 5 customers, then you can send them 4 emails per day. So not much. I wish they found a middle ground here.

Who cares though? If you have customers the cost to send an email is still almost zero.
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