SendPigeon vs Amazon SES
Amazon SES is the cheapest way to send email at scale. But it's a raw API — no dashboard, no templates UI, no built-in bounce handling. SendPigeon gives you all of that out of the box.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | SendPigeon | Amazon SES |
|---|---|---|
| Email sending API | ||
| Built-in email sandbox SendPigeon test keys capture emails in dashboard. SES sandbox mode requires manual approval to exit and doesn't store test emails. | ||
| View sent email content SendPigeon shows full email body in dashboard. SES has no built-in content viewer. | ||
| Email dashboard SendPigeon includes a full dashboard for emails, domains, analytics. SES provides a basic AWS console with limited visibility. | ||
| Email templates SES supports templates via API but has no visual editor or template management UI. | API only | |
| Visual template editor | ||
| Open & click tracking SES supports tracking but requires manual configuration set setup with SNS or Firehose. | Via config sets | |
| Webhooks SES doesn't have native webhooks. You set up SNS topics and subscriptions manually for event notifications. | Via SNS | |
| Inbound email processing SES supports inbound email via receipt rules with Lambda, S3, or SNS actions. | ||
| Suppression management SES has an account-level suppression list but no UI for management. You use the API. | Manual | |
| Bounce handling SendPigeon handles bounces automatically. SES requires you to set up SNS topics, subscribe endpoints, and build your own bounce processing. | Manual via SNS | |
| Dedicated IP SES offers dedicated IPs at $24.95/month per IP. | ||
| SMTP relay SES supports SMTP. SendPigeon is API-only. | ||
| No AWS account required SendPigeon is standalone. SES requires an AWS account with IAM configuration. | ||
| TypeScript SDK SES uses the general AWS SDK. SendPigeon has a dedicated, focused email SDK. | ||
| Python SDK SES uses boto3 (general AWS SDK). SendPigeon has a dedicated email SDK. | ||
| Go SDK | ||
| PHP SDK |
Pricing Comparison
SendPigeon
All plans include multiple domains. No per-email fees.
Amazon SES
Which Should You Choose?
Choose SendPigeon if...
- You want a full-featured dashboard without building your own
- You want built-in email sandbox, templates, and suppression management
- You don't want to configure SNS topics, IAM roles, and CloudWatch for basic email features
- You want webhooks without building SNS-to-HTTP infrastructure
- You want to get started in minutes, not hours of AWS configuration
Choose Amazon SES if...
- You need the absolute lowest cost at high volume ($0.10/1K emails)
- You're already invested in AWS and want native integration
- You need to send millions of emails per month
- You want SMTP relay support
- You need dedicated IPs with full control over IP reputation
Ready to try SendPigeon?
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