Why teams switch from Mailgun to Mailhooks
Mailgun is built for outbound
Mailgun's core strength is sending email. Inbound is treated as a secondary feature with complex routing rules and filters. If your primary use case is receiving email via webhook, you're paying for features you don't use.
Complex pricing
Mailgun's pricing is tied to outbound volume and requires a credit card to start. Their inbound-only plans are buried behind higher tiers. Mailhooks offers a straightforward free tier and transparent pricing.
Routes and filters are overkill
Mailgun requires you to configure routes, priorities, and expression filters to handle inbound. With Mailhooks, every email at your domain is automatically captured and forwarded to your webhook — no routing rules needed.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Mailhooks | Mailgun |
|---|---|---|
| Inbound email webhooks | ||
| Setup time | 5 min | 30+ min |
| Free tier | 100 emails/mo | 5,000 emails/mo (credit card required) |
| Pricing transparency | Simple, predictable | Complex, usage-based tiers |
| Structured JSON payloads | ||
| Attachment URLs | ||
| Real-time webhook delivery | ||
| IMAP client access | ||
| Notion integration | ||
| Discord integration | ||
| n8n integration | ||
| TypeScript SDK | ||
| BYO cloud storage | ||
| Email parsing simplicity | Easy | Complex (routes + filters) |
| Outbound email sending |
Where Mailhooks shines
Setup in 5 minutes
Add DNS records, create a webhook, start receiving. No routes, no filters, no complex configuration.
Built-in integrations
Direct integrations with Notion, Discord, and n8n — set up email-to-tool workflows without writing code.
Predictable pricing
Free tier with 100 emails/month. No credit card required. Upgrade when you need more.
Developer-first DX
TypeScript SDK, clean JSON payloads, attachment URLs instead of base64, and thorough documentation.
When Mailgun might be the right choice
Mailgun excels at outbound email delivery — transactional sends, bulk campaigns, and email validation. If you need a full email platform that sends and receives, Mailgun covers more ground.
You need to send large volumes of outbound email
You need advanced email validation and deliverability analytics
Your team already uses Mailgun for outbound and wants a single provider