Amazon SES vs EmailOctopus: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Amazon SES and EmailOctopus to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Amazon SES
6.8/10
Amazon Simple Email Service is AWS's pay-as-you-go cloud email API and SMTP service for sending transactional and bulk marketing email at high volume.
EmailOctopus
5.9/10
EmailOctopus is a low-cost email newsletter and campaign tool for small businesses, creators and nonprofits, with forms, landing pages and basic automations.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | A Amazon SES | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.8/10 | 5.9/10 |
| Analytics | 5/10 | 3/10 |
| Cost | 10/10 | 9/10 |
| Customization | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Ease of Use | 3/10 | 8/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 4/10 |
| Scalability | 10/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $105/mo Pro | $10/mo Pro (500 subscribers) |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $105/mo Pro | $10/mo Pro (500 subscribers) |
| Features | ||
| Email Marketing | ||
| A/B Testing | Not listed | |
| E-commerce Features | Not listed | |
| Landing Pages | Not listed | |
| Segmentation | Not listed | |
| SMS Marketing | Not listed | |
| Webinars | Not listed | |
Amazon SES vs EmailOctopus cost by team size
EmailOctopus costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Amazon SES | EmailOctopus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $105/moPro | FreeStarter |
| 5 users | $105/moPro | $10/moPro (500 subscribers) |
| 10 users | $105/moPro | $10/moPro (500 subscribers) |
| 25 users | $105/moPro | $10/moPro (500 subscribers) |
| 50 users | $105/moPro | $10/moPro (500 subscribers) |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
AWhy choose Amazon SES
- Higher Scalability score (10/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (8/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for e-commerce (6/10 vs 2/10)
Why choose EmailOctopus
- Has a free plan (Amazon SES does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: $10/mo vs $105/mo
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 3/10)
- Higher Support score (7/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for freelancers (8/10 vs 3/10)
Pros & Cons
AAmazon SES
Pros
- The a la carte rate of 0.10 USD per 1,000 emails is one of the lowest in the category, and several comparison articles call SES the cheapest option by volume.
- Tiered rates continue past 100M emails per month, so very high-volume senders can grow without changing providers.
- It supports SPF, DKIM and DMARC authentication, TLS 1.2 and above, and KMS encryption for mail stored in S3.
- Optional dedicated IPs, BYOIP and Virtual Deliverability Manager give large senders control over their sending reputation.
Cons
- New accounts start in a sandbox and must request production access, and users on re:Post and Reddit complain about denials.
- There is no visual campaign builder, marketing automation or landing pages, so marketers need a separate tool on top of SES.
- Reviewers on Capterra and G2 report a learning curve and setup effort, including configuring SNS to handle bounces and complaints.
- Hands-on support requires a paid AWS support plan, and add-ons such as VDM and dedicated IPs raise the total cost.
EmailOctopus
Pros
- The free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, more than many rivals offer for free.
- Pro pricing is low, starting around $10 a month for 500 subscribers, with a 20 percent lifetime discount for nonprofits.
- Reviewers on Capterra and GetApp say beginners can set it up quickly and the interface is easy to learn.
- Live chat support was fast in testing, connecting in about 40 seconds.
- Pro includes unlimited users, landing pages and forms.
Cons
- There is no built-in A/B testing, and automation triggers are basic, with no abandoned-cart flows.
- Shopify, WooCommerce and most other apps connect only through Zapier or Make, with limited functionality.
- Reporting is basic, with no heatmaps, custom reports or revenue tracking.
- The editor and landing page design controls are limited, with only five landing page templates.
- Contacts that appear in more than one list are counted, and billed, more than once.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon SES scores higher on our Marketing criteria: 6.8/10 against 5.9/10 for EmailOctopus. The largest gap is in Ease of Use: 3/10 for Amazon SES and 8/10 for EmailOctopus.
EmailOctopus costs less for 10 users: about $10/mo on its Pro (500 subscribers) plan, against about $105/mo on its Pro plan for Amazon SES, billed monthly.
EmailOctopus has a free plan; Amazon SES does not list one.
Amazon SES is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 8/10 for them, against 2/10 for EmailOctopus.
