5 Best Email API for Python Developers Tested & Compared

The best email APIs for Python developers are Mailtrap, Mailgun, SendGrid, Amazon SES, and Postmark.
Let's dive into details!

SDK quality & framework compatibility

All five providers offer Python SDKs and they’re compatible with popular frameworks. I tested each with Django, Flask, and FastAPI to assess real-world integration. Even so, note that the given packages have their quirks, some requiring manual intervention and additional configurations to work as intended. 

Developer experience

Setup time & learning curve

Generally, all providers offer a relatively fast setup and quickstart instructions after you get verified as a sender. I haven’t accounted for the domain and sender verification since it partially depends on the domain you’re using. And there are provider specific procedures, for instance, AWS SES keeps you in a Sandbox for one or two work days.

• Mailtrap: ~5 minutes - Clear documentation and intuitive API key setup make the process pretty easy.
• Postmark: ~5 minutes - Similar to Mailtrap, Postmark requires minimal configuration and clean documentation helps speed up the process.
• Mailgun: 10-15 minutes - Navigating the docs to get the SDK up and running can get tricky, especially if you want to add the email verification.
• SendGrid: 10-15 minutes - There are additional configurations for API key management, and you can also structure payloads in different ways.
• Amazon SES: 15-20 minutes - the steepest learning curve mostly due to AWS specifics, including the IAM setup. The given estimate is for someone already familiar with Amazon setup, not a novice.

Documentation quality

Overall, I can’t say that any of the providers have poor documentation, otherwise they wouldn’t be in the list. However, the clarity and depth of the docs make all the difference.

For instance, Mailtrap and Postmark are the clearest and easiest to navigate. SendGrid is the most comprehensive by far, but it’s at the expense of navigation (maybe even clarity) since they have a bunch of legacy docs. 

Webhooks

Webhooks let your application react to email events in real-time. Here's what each provider supports:

Mailtrap: Best Python email API

G2: 4.8/5 Capterra: 4.8/5

Mailtrap works best for Python development teams building applications that require high inboxing rates and industry-best analytics.

The platform offers both SMTP and API-based sending with no rate limits and customizable throttling. Key capabilities include 500 messages per batch call, up to 10MB payload support, and 40 webhook retries every 5 minutes with event batching up to 500 events per call.

Security & compliance

Mailtrap is ISO 27001:2022 certified (since April 2024) and GDPR compliant. The platform is actively pursuing SOC 2 certification. All data is encrypted in transit via TLS, with SSO and 2FA support.

Mailgun: Best for validation

G2: 4.2/5 Capterra: 4.3/5

Mailgun is built for developers who need to send at scale and want granular control over routing, validation, and delivery optimization. The comprehensive email validation tools help maintain clean recipient lists and protect sender reputation.

The service provides both REST API and SMTP access, plus inbound email parsing. Features include message IDs for debugging and comprehensive webhook support for delivered, opened, clicked, bounced, complained, and unsubscribed events.

Security & compliance

Mailgun holds SOC 2 Type II certification, ISO 27001, and is HIPAA eligible (BAA available). GDPR compliant with DPA available.

Wrapping up

We hope you have found this article to be useful and interesting, and in case you want to read the full version and see who other 3 best email API for Python developers are, check the Mailtrap's blog!