Substack vs Mailgun: Side-by-Side Comparison (2025)

Choosing between Substack and Mailgun comes down to your specific use case. Substack is built for writers monetising directly from subscribers, while Mailgun targets developers sending transactional and bulk email via API.

Quick Verdict

Overall winner
Mailgun
Better pricing
Substack
More features
Substack
For beginners
Substack
E-commerce
Substack

Feature Comparison

Feature Mailgun Substack
๐Ÿ’ฐ Pricing
Free Planโœ“โœ“
Starting Price$15/moFree
Free Trialโœ“โœ—
โš™๏ธ Features
Email Automationโœ—โœ—
Visual Workflow Builderโœ—โœ—
Landing Pagesโœ—โœ—
Built-in CRMโœ—โœ—
SMS Marketingโœ—โœ—
A/B Testingโœ—โœ—
E-commerce Integrationโœ—โœ—
Transactional Emailโœ“โœ—
Remove Brandingโœ—โœ—
๐Ÿค– AI Features
AI Subject Linesโœ—โœ—
AI Send-Time Optimisationโœ—โœ—
๐Ÿ›Ž Support
Email Supportโœ“โœ“
Live Chatโœ—โœ—
Phone Supportโœ—โœ—
Mailgun
โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜† 4.3/5
Substack
โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜…โ˜† 4.0/5
Our verdict

Mailgun is best for developers sending transactional and bulk email via API.

Try Mailgun Free โ†’
Our verdict

Substack is best for writers monetising directly from subscribers.

Try Substack Free โ†’

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Mailgun ifโ€ฆ

  • You are primarily focused on writers monetising directly from subscribers
  • You value paid subscriptions
  • You prefer revenue-share pricing
Try Mailgun โ†’

Choose Substack ifโ€ฆ

  • You are primarily focused on developers sending transactional and bulk email via API
  • You value email api
  • You prefer freemium pricing
Try Substack โ†’

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Substack better than Mailgun?

It depends on your use case. Substack wins for writers monetising directly from subscribers, while Mailgun is stronger for developers sending transactional and bulk email via API.

Which is cheaper, Substack or Mailgun?

Substack starts at a lower price point. Pricing scales with subscriber count so total cost depends on your list size.

Can I switch from Mailgun to Substack?

Yes, switching is possible. Most platforms support CSV import/export. Plan time to recreate automations and templates.