Mailgun alternative
A Mailgun alternative with a permanent free plan and business mailboxes
Rovela is a transactional email API with a permanent free tier, a simpler REST interface, and business mailboxes on your own domain — three things Mailgun no longer offers. Idempotency keys prevent duplicate sends, HMAC-signed webhooks deliver real-time events, and DKIM/SPF/DMARC alignment is automatic. Free plan, no card required.
How Rovela compares
| Rovela | Mailgun | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Trial period only | |
| Send from your own domain | ||
| Business mailboxes included | ||
| Receive inbound email | ||
| Signed delivery webhooks | ||
| Idempotency keys | ||
| Single REST endpoint | REST + SMTP, complex routing rules | |
| DKIM / SPF / DMARC on every send | ||
| 100 emails/month + 5 mailboxes, no card | Trial period only |
Why developers switch
A free plan that does not expire
Mailgun removed its permanent free tier. Rovela's is permanent — 100 emails and 5 mailboxes every month, no card, no trial clock.
A simpler API with less to configure
Mailgun routing rules, sending domains, SMTP credentials, and REST endpoints overlap in confusing ways. Rovela uses a single POST /emails endpoint and returns a message id. That is the whole API.
Business mailboxes on the same domain
Mailgun is a sending service. Rovela includes real mailboxes — hello@yourcompany.com — accessible in the browser and any IMAP client, with no second provider needed.
Common questions
- How long does it take to migrate to Rovela?
- Most teams are sending through Rovela within 30 minutes. You add a sending domain, update one DNS record for DKIM, swap the API endpoint and key in your code, and you are live. Business mailboxes take a few minutes more to set up DNS and verify.
- Do I need to change my DNS records when switching?
- Yes, but usually only two: the DKIM TXT record and the SPF TXT record. Rovela's dashboard shows the exact values, and suggests a DMARC record only if your domain has none. If your domain is on Cloudflare, Aliyun, or DNSPod, Rovela can apply the records in one click.
- Can I keep the same sending domain I use today?
- Yes. Rovela sends from any domain you own. You verify it by adding one DKIM TXT record and one SPF TXT record, and all messages go out signed and aligned with that domain. You can migrate gradually by sending some traffic through Rovela while keeping the existing provider for the rest.
- What is the difference between the free plan and a paid plan?
- The free plan includes 100 emails per month and 5 business mailboxes with no card required and no expiry. Paid plans raise the email and mailbox limits. Every plan, including free, gets DKIM signing, delivery webhooks, idempotency keys, inbound mail, and full delivery logs.