Amazon SES
6.8/10Amazon 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.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) is the email sending and receiving infrastructure inside Amazon Web Services. Developers use its API or SMTP interface to send transactional messages, notifications and bulk marketing email. It handles SPF, DKIM and DMARC authentication, TLS encryption, a global suppression list and per-account sending quotas. New accounts start in a sandbox where they can only send to verified addresses, and they need AWS approval to send to the public. Pricing is metered. The a la carte rate is 0.10 USD per 1,000 outbound emails, and attachments cost 0.12 USD per GB. AWS also lists bundled Essentials, Pro (105 USD per month) and Enterprise (500 USD per month) plans with tiered per-email rates. Optional extras include dedicated IPs from 24.95 USD per IP per month, a managed dedicated IP pool, Virtual Deliverability Manager for deliverability analytics, Mail Manager for inbound routing and archiving, and paid security add-ons from Trend Micro, Spamhaus, Abusix and Vade. SES works best for engineering teams already on AWS, since it connects naturally with SNS, S3, Lambda and KMS. It also suits SaaS companies and high-volume senders that care more about cost per message than about a marketing interface. Its main limitation for marketers is that it is infrastructure, not a campaign tool. It has no drag-and-drop editor, landing pages or marketing automation, and reviewers describe setup, bounce handling through SNS and production access approval as work that falls to the user.
Our Rating
Who Amazon SES is best for
Good fit
Tiered volume pricing past 100M emails, dedicated IPs, BYOIP and an Enterprise plan suit large senders.
Very low per-email cost and AWS credits help, but production access approval and DIY setup take developer time.
Less suited
- Mid-Market6/10
It is cost-effective at scale for companies with engineering resources on AWS.
It is cheap, but the technical setup and limited hands-on support make it hard to use without a developer.
Reviewers note it lacks marketing automation, advanced analytics and a user-friendly interface for non-developers.
Pros & Cons
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.
Key Features
Amazon SES Pricing
Pro
- 0.22 USD per 1,000 emails up to 10M
- 0.12 USD per 1,000 emails above 100M
- 105 USD per month per account per region
- 0.17 USD per 1,000 emails from 10M to 100M
Enterprise
- 0.23 USD per 1,000 emails up to 10M
- 0.13 USD per 1,000 emails above 100M
- 500 USD per month per account per region
- 0.18 USD per 1,000 emails from 10M to 100M
A la carte (pay as you go)
- 0.12 USD per GB of attachments
- 0.10 USD per 1,000 outbound emails
- New AWS accounts get up to 200 USD in free tier credits
- 0.10 USD per 1,000 inbound emails plus 0.09 USD per 1,000 incoming chunks
Essentials
- No fixed monthly fee listed
- 0.16 USD per 1,000 emails up to 10M
- 0.11 USD per 1,000 emails above 100M
- 0.14 USD per 1,000 emails from 10M to 100M
Frequently Asked Questions
New AWS accounts get up to 200 USD in credits that can be applied to eligible services, including SES. The free plan lasts 6 months after account creation, and the credits must be used within 12 months.
New accounts start in a sandbox where they can send only to verified identities, with limits on daily volume and sending rate. To send to anyone else, you submit a request through the AWS Support Center.
A standard dedicated IP costs 24.95 USD per month. Managed dedicated IPs cost 15 USD per month plus a per-email fee that starts at 0.08 USD per 1,000 emails.
No. SES is a sending API and SMTP service. Third-party reviewers point out that it lacks marketing automation and advanced analytics, so marketers usually pair it with another tool.
AWS monitors bounce and complaint rates, and Virtual Deliverability Manager can warn you as you approach the thresholds. Third-party guides say high complaint rates can put an account under review or get it throttled.
SES supports SPF, DKIM and DMARC authentication, TLS 1.2 and above, and KMS encryption for mail written to S3. Virus scanning and IP reputation filtering are available as paid add-ons.
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