AWS SES (Simple Email Service) is one of the most cost-effective ways to send transactional and marketing emails at scale. With pricing starting at just $0.10 per 1,000 emails and a generous free tier for EC2-hosted applications, SES delivers significant savings compared to third-party email providers like SendGrid or Mailgun.
TL;DR: SES outbound email costs $0.10 per 1,000 messages, with 62,000 free emails per month when sent from EC2. Inbound email processing starts at $0.10 per 1,000 emails (first 1,000 free). Dedicated IPs cost $24.95 per month each. Use shared IPs and batch sending to keep costs minimal.
Outbound Email Pricing
| Component | Free Tier | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outbound emails (from EC2) | 62,000/month | $0.10 per 1,000 |
| Outbound emails (non-EC2) | None | $0.10 per 1,000 |
| Attachments | Included in message size | $0.12 per GB |
| Additional charges | N/A | Based on data transfer |
The 62,000 free emails per month applies only when your application runs on Amazon EC2. This free tier does not expire and is available indefinitely, making SES one of the cheapest email solutions for AWS-hosted applications.
Message Size Considerations
Each SES message is metered based on its total size, including headers, body, and attachments. Messages up to 10 MB are supported. Attachment data transfer is charged at $0.12 per GB on top of the per-message fee.
For a typical transactional email without attachments (around 20 KB), the attachment surcharge is negligible. However, sending PDFs or images at scale can add meaningful cost.
Inbound Email Pricing
| Component | Free Tier | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming messages | First 1,000/month | $0.10 per 1,000 |
| Incoming message chunks | N/A | Each 256 KB = 1 chunk |
SES can receive emails on your behalf and trigger actions via Lambda functions, store messages in S3, or publish to SNS topics. The first 1,000 inbound emails per month are free, with each additional 1,000 costing $0.10.
Dedicated IPs and Deliverability
| Feature | Price |
|---|---|
| Dedicated IP address | $24.95/month per IP |
| Dedicated IPs (managed) | $24.95/month per IP |
| Virtual Deliverability Manager | $0.07 per 1,000 messages |
Dedicated IPs
Shared IPs work well for most senders, but dedicated IPs give you full control over your sending reputation. Each dedicated IP costs $24.95 per month. AWS recommends maintaining a consistent sending volume of at least 10,000 emails per day per dedicated IP to build and maintain a healthy reputation.
Virtual Deliverability Manager
The Virtual Deliverability Manager (VDM) provides dashboard insights, engagement tracking, and deliverability recommendations at $0.07 per 1,000 outbound messages. VDM helps optimize inbox placement rates, which can indirectly reduce costs by lowering bounce rates and improving sender reputation.
Real-World Cost Examples
| Use Case | Monthly Volume | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Startup on EC2 | 50,000 emails | $0.00 (free tier) |
| Growing SaaS on EC2 | 200,000 emails | $13.80 |
| E-commerce transactional | 1M emails | $100.00 |
| Marketing platform | 5M emails + VDM | $850.00 |
| Enterprise with dedicated IPs (4) | 2M emails | $299.80 |
SES vs Third-Party Email Providers
| Provider | Cost per 100K Emails | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| AWS SES | $10.00 | Requires more setup |
| SendGrid (Essentials) | $19.95+ | Includes templates and analytics |
| Mailgun (Foundation) | $35.00+ | Includes validation and routing |
| Postmark | $50.00 | Focused on transactional email |
SES is 2-5x cheaper than competitors but requires you to handle bounce management, complaint processing, and template management yourself or via VDM.
Cost Optimization Tips
1. Send from EC2 for Free Tier
Host your email-sending service on EC2 to take advantage of the perpetual 62,000 free emails per month. Even a small t3.micro instance running a Lambda-triggered email queue qualifies.
2. Avoid Unnecessary Dedicated IPs
Shared IPs are sufficient for most senders doing under 100,000 emails per day. Each dedicated IP costs $24.95/month and requires consistent volume to maintain reputation.
3. Compress and Optimize Attachments
Since attachments are billed at $0.12 per GB, compress PDFs and images before sending. Consider hosting large files in S3 and including download links instead of attachments.
4. Use Configuration Sets for Monitoring
Configuration sets let you track bounces, complaints, and delivery events. Reducing bounce rates prevents AWS from throttling or suspending your account, avoiding costly re-sending.
5. Enable VDM Only When Needed
At $0.07 per 1,000 messages, VDM adds $70 per million emails. Enable it during initial ramp-up or when troubleshooting deliverability issues, then disable it once your reputation stabilizes.
Related Guides
- AWS SNS Pricing: Notifications, SMS, and Email
- AWS Lambda Pricing Guide
- AWS API Gateway Pricing Guide
FAQ
How does SES compare to SNS for email?
SES is designed for rich HTML email with attachments, templates, and deliverability features. SNS email is limited to plain text notifications. Use SES for transactional and marketing email, and SNS for simple system alerts.
Does the SES free tier expire?
The 62,000 free outbound emails per month from EC2 is a perpetual free tier that does not expire. The 1,000 free inbound emails per month is also ongoing.
Do I need dedicated IPs for good deliverability?
No. AWS maintains shared IP pools with strong reputations. Dedicated IPs are recommended only for high-volume senders (over 100,000 emails/day) who need full control over their sender reputation.
Lower Your SES Costs with Wring
Wring helps you access AWS credits and volume discounts to lower your SES costs. Through group buying power, Wring negotiates better rates so you pay less per email sent.
