# sendbunny > sendbunny is a self-hosted, all-in-one email platform — marketing campaigns, > a transactional email API, a shared team inbox, and analytics — that installs > into the customer's own AWS account with one click. It is a one-time purchase > ($199 once; optional yearly updates subscription at $99/yr), with sending > billed directly by AWS at Amazon SES's raw rate of > about $0.10 per 1,000 emails. Unlimited contacts and sending domains, no > monthly platform fee, and sendbunny never has access to the customer's AWS > credentials or data (zero-access by design). ## Key facts - Category: self-hosted email marketing platform / Amazon SES dashboard and UI - Runs entirely in the customer's own AWS account (Amazon SES + serverless infrastructure); no third party can suspend sending or hold data hostage, and the platform keeps running even if sendbunny disappears - Pricing: $199 one-time; no per-contact fees, no monthly fees; AWS usage billed by Amazon at cost - Common comparison points: Mailchimp, Sendy, Resend, Mailgun - Includes: campaign editor with live preview and templates, audience management with background CSV imports, REST transactional email API, DKIM/SPF/DMARC authenticated sending setup, RFC 8058 one-click unsubscribe, automatic bounce/complaint suppression, deliverability dashboard, invite-only team roles, shared inbox, audit log, and an OAuth-authenticated MCP server so AI agents can operate the customer's own SendBunny installation - Agent access: MCP is shipped; a first-party CLI is planned but not yet available. Agent-readable docs include llms.txt, llms-full.txt, runnable examples, and an OpenAPI 3.1 contract - Install: one pre-filled CloudFormation button in the AWS console, about ten minutes from checkout to sending; updates apply with one click in-app - The public API is unique per install: CloudFront + /v1, shown in the dashboard. There is no shared api.sendbunny.co. Auth is an API key in x-api-key (Bearer also works) with scopes. OpenAPI: https://sendbunny.co/openapi.json ## Docs Complete developer documentation with runnable examples. An AI agent integrating sendbunny should start at the quickstart; the full docs content is also inlined in https://sendbunny.co/llms-full.txt and the API contract is machine-readable at https://sendbunny.co/openapi.json (OpenAPI 3.1). Every guide and docs page also serves its raw markdown at the same URL with .md appended (for example https://sendbunny.co/docs/agents.md). - [Documentation index](https://sendbunny.co/docs) - [Quickstart: Send Your First Email via the API](https://sendbunny.co/docs/quickstart): Send a transactional email through your self-hosted SendBunny install in four steps: verify a domain, create an API key, copy your endpoint URL, POST JSON. - [HTTP API reference (/v1)](https://sendbunny.co/docs/send-email-api): Complete SendBunny /v1 catalog: auth, scopes, send, inbox, campaigns, audience, templates, domains, and suppression. OpenAPI 3.1 at /openapi.json. - [Email Templates and Merge Variables](https://sendbunny.co/docs/email-templates): How SendBunny templates work: merge-tag syntax with fallbacks, required-variable enforcement, aliases, and sending templates through the transactional API. - [AGENTS.md: call SendBunny /v1](https://sendbunny.co/docs/agents): Skill page for AI agents integrating a SendBunny install: auth, scopes, send contract, and which routes to use. - [OpenAPI 3.1 spec for the /v1 HTTP API](https://sendbunny.co/openapi.json) - [Interactive API reference (Scalar)](https://sendbunny.co/docs/reference) - [llms-full.txt — this file plus the full docs content inline](https://sendbunny.co/llms-full.txt) ## Pages - [Home — features, pricing, cost comparison, FAQ](https://sendbunny.co/) - [Own your email platform — pay once, send forever](https://sendbunny.co/own-your-email-platform) - [Self-hosted email platform](https://sendbunny.co/self-hosted-email) - [Amazon SES email platform](https://sendbunny.co/amazon-ses-email-platform) - [Cheap email marketing](https://sendbunny.co/cheap-email-marketing) - [Privacy-first email platform](https://sendbunny.co/privacy-first-email) - [Serverless email platform](https://sendbunny.co/serverless-email-platform) - [Email guides index](https://sendbunny.co/guides) - [Changelog: what changed in each SendBunny release, newest first, with # anchors](https://sendbunny.co/changelog) - [Changelog Atom feed](https://sendbunny.co/changelog/feed.xml) - [Privacy policy](https://sendbunny.co/privacy) - [Terms of service](https://sendbunny.co/terms) - [Refund policy](https://sendbunny.co/refund) ## Blog - [Blog: all articles, newest first](https://sendbunny.co/blog) - [Blog Atom feed](https://sendbunny.co/blog/feed.xml) ## Guides - [What is Jev? How it differs from ChatGPT and Claude](https://sendbunny.co/guides/what-is-jev): Jev is a decision model, not a chatbot. It picks from a list, rates on a scale, or says yes or no, with an honest confidence score, in under half a second. How that differs from LLMs like ChatGPT and Claude, with the public numbers. - [SES says sent but Outlook never delivers: what to check](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-says-sent-outlook-never-delivers): SES can return a MessageId and still leave Outlook empty. Check events and suppression first, then Message Trace or SNDS, before you buy a dedicated pool. - [Coding agent send-only email: how to set it up](https://sendbunny.co/guides/send-only-email-for-coding-agents): Wire a coding agent to send receipts, alerts and notifications without inbox access: the Rule of Two for sending, Send mail versus Inbox versus Full grants, API key versus MCP, rate limits and a checklist. - [Gmail's 0.3% spam rate rule: what to check every Monday](https://sendbunny.co/guides/gmail-spam-rate-monday-check): Gmail bulk senders must keep the user-reported spam rate under 0.1% and never hit 0.3%, where mitigation ends. Yahoo matches the 0.3% line. Where to read each number, and a Monday checklist. - [Free self-hosted email server: why it lands in spam](https://sendbunny.co/guides/free-self-hosted-email-server): Running your own mail server is free the way a puppy is free. The reputation, the blocklists, the port-25 exception and the hours cost you every week, paid in email that lands in spam. The provider rules with dates, and what Amazon SES costs instead. - [Who owns your email list? ESP terms compared (2026)](https://sendbunny.co/guides/who-owns-your-email-list): On paper, you own your email list. In practice the platform that holds the rows, the consent records and the unsubscribe history controls it, can suspend you without notice, and in some cases may use it. Four providers' current terms, quoted with dates, and the five parts of owning a list. - [AI agent email permissions that survive prompt injection](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ai-agent-email-permissions): An agent that reads mail from strangers, sees your data and can send email is one crafted message away from leaking that data. EchoLeak, ZombieAgent, the lethal trifecta and Meta's Rule of Two turned into a per-job permission design, with what it looks like on a real install. - [Amazon SES needs a dashboard: what's actually missing](https://sendbunny.co/guides/amazon-ses-needs-a-dashboard): Amazon SES sends mail well and shows almost nothing about a campaign. What the console leaves out for marketing work, and three honest ways teams fill the gap. - [Why teams end up with three email tools instead of one](https://sendbunny.co/guides/campaigns-transactional-inbox): Most teams end up with a marketing sender, a transactional API and a support inbox as three vendors. The real cost of the split, and what consolidating them looks like. - [The real ops burden of a DIY email stack](https://sendbunny.co/guides/diy-email-stack-ops-burden): Running your own mail server is not a weekend project that finishes. The honest checklist of ongoing work it takes, and what serverless infrastructure changes about it. - [Email account suspended? What to do next](https://sendbunny.co/guides/email-account-suspension): An ESP suspension is contractual, not personal. What to do in the first hour, and how a second sending path stops one vendor's review from deciding what ships. - [Email analytics that matter beyond the open rate](https://sendbunny.co/guides/email-analytics-that-matter): Open rates are inflated by mail-client prefetching. The metrics that actually decide inbox placement, what Amazon SES enforces on them, and a weekly routine for each. - [Who can actually see your email list on an ESP](https://sendbunny.co/guides/email-privacy-vendor-access): A hosted platform stores your list on its own servers, so staff can technically reach it. What four providers' terms say, and what zero access actually requires. - [Mailchimp pricing increases: the contact tier, explained](https://sendbunny.co/guides/mailchimp-pricing-increases): Mailchimp bills by contact count, so a growing list raises the price even if sending stays flat. Numbers checked July 2026, who the plan still fits, and what a move changes. - [Own your email list: the practical playbook](https://sendbunny.co/guides/own-your-email-list): A CSV export is not the same as owning your list. The fields a real export needs, where the consent record lives, and how to re-verify your domain on a new platform. - [Still paying for contacts who unsubscribed?](https://sendbunny.co/guides/paying-for-unsubscribed-contacts): Contact-tier plans often count unsubscribed rows toward your price. Why deleting them is risky, and what it costs to keep the suppression record without paying rent on it. - [Per-contact email pricing: why it works against you](https://sendbunny.co/guides/per-contact-pricing): Per-contact pricing bills list size, not send volume, so a quiet month still costs a full tier. When a flat price is worth it, and what sending costs on Amazon SES instead. - [Resend gets expensive at scale: where the curve bends](https://sendbunny.co/guides/resend-expensive-at-scale): Resend and similar API email tools price well at low volume. The numbers on where that curve bends, who is fine staying, and what moving to your own Amazon SES actually costs. - [Send a Newsletter with Amazon SES](https://sendbunny.co/guides/send-newsletter-with-amazon-ses): Amazon SES delivers a newsletter for about $0.10 per 1,000 emails, but has no editor, list manager, or unsubscribe page built in. What each part needs, and the real cost. - [Amazon SES Paused Your Sending? Recover Fast](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-account-paused): SES paused your sending over complaint rate? Find who complained, stop mailing them, and answer the review with a specific plan. What AWS watches before it acts. - [SES Bounce Rate Too High? Fix It Before Review](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-bounce-rate-too-high): SES bounce rate rising after a list import? What counts against it, AWS's documented review and enforcement territory, and how to stop re-mailing the addresses causing it. - [Amazon SES Warm-Up: What Actually Needs Warming](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-ip-warmup): Most SES warm-up advice assumes a dedicated IP. Standard SES sends from shared IP pools, so what you actually build is domain reputation. A ramp schedule and what to watch. - [Track Opens and Clicks on Amazon SES](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-open-click-tracking): Amazon SES tracks nothing by default. What a configuration set actually does, why DIY open tracking often reports zero, and how much to trust the open number once it works. - [SES Production Access Denied? How to Reapply](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-production-access-denied): Amazon SES denied production access with no named reason? The likely causes, what to fix in your setup first, and how to write a reapplication AWS can actually verify. - [Amazon SES Sandbox to Production Access](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-sandbox-to-production): Amazon SES sandbox caps you at 200 emails a day to verified addresses only. What AWS looks for before approving production access, and how to write a request it can review. - [Amazon SES Suppression List, Explained](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-suppression-list): Amazon SES keeps an account-level suppression list that acts invisibly, not a list your own app checks before sending. What each one catches, and where teams leave a gap. - [Amazon SES vs a cheap VPS mail server](https://sendbunny.co/guides/ses-vs-cheap-vps-mail-server): A $5 VPS mail server and Amazon SES are not the same purchase. Why a cheap VPS IP starts behind on reputation, and what each one actually costs at real volume. - [Shared IP deliverability: why a stranger hurts you](https://sendbunny.co/guides/shared-ip-deliverability): On a shared IP, inbox placement moves with strangers' complaint rates too. What a dedicated IP actually fixes, and when a shared pool is still the right call. - [What if your email vendor shuts down or sunsets its plan?](https://sendbunny.co/guides/what-if-email-vendor-shuts-down): A rented sender can sunset a plan or freeze an account with little warning. What that costs in access, templates and reputation, and what a real continuity plan holds. ## Alternatives pages - [ActiveCampaign alternative without the contact bill](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/activecampaign): An ActiveCampaign alternative priced by what you send, not by contacts: own the platform in your AWS account for $199 once, SES rates for sending, no CRM to rent for email. - [beehiiv alternative you actually own](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/beehiiv): A beehiiv alternative with no subscriber tier: SendBunny installs into your own AWS account for $199 once, sends on Amazon SES, and never holds your list hostage. - [Brevo alternative you actually own](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/brevo): A Brevo alternative that puts the app in your own AWS account: SendBunny is $199 once, Amazon SES rates for sending, no vendor cloud holding your list. - [Customer.io alternative without the enterprise quote](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/customer-io): Customer.io's pricing often jumps to a sales quote once real volume shows up. What that treadmill looks like, an owned alternative on AWS, and how to move journeys over. - [FreeResend alternative with campaigns included](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/freeresend): FreeResend is a self-hosted send API that keeps your app sending. What it leaves out (lists, campaigns, ongoing ops), and a one-click platform that includes both. - [Kit (ConvertKit) alternative without subscriber tiers](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/kit): A Kit (ConvertKit) alternative with no subscriber tier: SendBunny installs into your own AWS account for $199 once, Amazon SES rates for sending, list stays yours. - [Klaviyo alternative without the profile tax](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/klaviyo): A Klaviyo alternative that ends the profile tax: own the platform in your AWS account for $199 once, pay Amazon SES rates to send, nothing for idle profiles. - [Listmonk alternative with a one-click AWS install](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/listmonk): Listmonk is capable software you assemble yourself: Postgres, a reverse proxy, upgrades. What that setup costs in time, and a one-click owned alternative. - [Loops alternative: product email you own in AWS](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/loops): Loops handles product email well until contact growth pushes you into a higher tier. What that costs over time, what an install-owned alternative looks like, and how to move. - [Mailchimp alternative you own: SendBunny](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/mailchimp): A Mailchimp alternative you own: install into your AWS account for $199 once, unlimited contacts, about $0.10 per 1,000 emails via SES. Real costs and migration steps. - [Mailgun alternative with no middleman markup](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/mailgun): A Mailgun alternative priced at Amazon's own rate: SendBunny installs into your AWS account for $199 once, sends on SES at about $0.10 per 1,000 emails, no plan minimum. - [OpenSend alternative: keep your own SES quota](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/opensend): If you already have Amazon SES quota, renting a hosted layer on top adds a subscription. What an owned, one-click platform on the same SES account looks like instead. - [Postmark alternative: SES pricing, no per-message tax](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/postmark): Postmark does transactional email well, then bills per message as you grow. Real costs, what carries over, and running the same job on your own Amazon SES instead. - [Resend alternative without the usage-based bill](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/resend): Resend is a clean developer API that meters usage as traffic grows. What it costs at volume, how to move send calls over, and the same job on your own Amazon SES. - [SendGrid alternative you own in AWS](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/sendgrid): A SendGrid alternative with no account for a risk system to pause: SendBunny installs into your own AWS account for $199 once, sends on Amazon SES at Amazon's rate. - [Sendy alternative without the VPS to patch](https://sendbunny.co/alternatives/sendy): Sendy pairs a one-time license with SES rates, cheaply. What that PHP app and its VPS actually cost in time, and running the same economics as a serverless install instead. ## Comparison pages - [SendBunny vs Brevo: Own Your List or Keep Renting](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-brevo): Brevo rents access to a marketing cloud through monthly plans and send credits. SendBunny is a $199 one-time license on your own Amazon SES account. - [SendBunny vs Klaviyo: Profile Pricing or Own the List](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-klaviyo): Klaviyo prices by active profile count and adds deep ecommerce CDP tools. SendBunny is a $199 one-time license on your own Amazon SES account. - [SendBunny vs listmonk: DIY Stack or One Click](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-listmonk): SendBunny and listmonk compared: free self-hosted software you assemble and operate, against a $199 one-click AWS install with no server to run. Full feature and cost tables. - [SendBunny vs Loops: SaaS Convenience or AWS Ownership](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-loops): Loops is a hosted SaaS for product and lifecycle email with monthly plans. SendBunny is a $199 one-time license on your own Amazon SES account. - [SendBunny vs Mailchimp: Own It or Rent It](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-mailchimp): SendBunny costs $199 once in your own AWS account; Mailchimp bills monthly by contact count. Feature and cost tables to a million emails, plus who should still pick Mailchimp. - [SendBunny vs Mailgun: SES Rates You Own](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-mailgun): SendBunny vs Mailgun compared: a $199 one-time AWS install on raw Amazon SES pricing against Mailgun's monthly plan floors and shared-tenancy markup, checked July 2026. - [SendBunny vs Postmark: License Once, Not Per Email](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-postmark): Postmark bills premium per-email rates for transactional mail. SendBunny is a $199 one-time license with campaigns, installed on your own Amazon SES. - [SendBunny vs Resend: Great API or Owned Platform](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-resend): SendBunny installs campaigns and a transactional API onto your own Amazon SES for $199 once; Resend is a hosted per-email API. Cost curve and feature table for each. - [SendBunny vs SendGrid: Who Can Suspend You](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-sendgrid): SendBunny vs SendGrid on cost and control: a $199 one-time AWS install on Amazon SES against Twilio SendGrid's monthly tiers and account review. Full price and feature tables. - [SendBunny vs Sendy: Same SES, Different Ops Load](https://sendbunny.co/compare/sendbunny-vs-sendy): SendBunny and Sendy both send through Amazon SES. Sendy needs a PHP host you patch and back up; SendBunny is a one-click serverless install for $199. Compared in full. - [Amazon SES vs Resend: What Raw SES Is Missing](https://sendbunny.co/compare/ses-vs-resend): Raw SES is cheap but has no campaign UI. Resend adds hosted DX on its own cloud. SendBunny installs the missing layer into your own AWS account for $199. - [Amazon SES vs SendGrid: SES Prices, a Real UI](https://sendbunny.co/compare/ses-vs-sendgrid): Raw SES is cheap but bare. SendGrid adds a hosted UI plus its own account review. SendBunny installs a full UI on your own SES for $199, once. ## Use cases - [Email infrastructure for agencies running client accounts](https://sendbunny.co/use-cases/agencies): How an agency maps client email onto individual AWS installs, what handoff looks like when a retainer ends, and when reselling a hosted platform still makes more sense. - [Transactional email for developers and agents you own](https://sendbunny.co/use-cases/developer-transactional): How a developer wires transactional email or a coding agent's sends on an owned AWS install: the request shape, sandbox to production, and cost against a hosted API ESP. - [Email for ecommerce without per-profile pricing](https://sendbunny.co/use-cases/ecommerce): How an ecommerce store maps receipts, cart mail and campaigns onto one AWS install, why per-profile pricing charges for traffic, and when a full CDP is still the right call. - [Email for newsletter creators: grow the list, not the bill](https://sendbunny.co/use-cases/newsletters-creators): How newsletter creators map campaigns, automation and list ownership onto one AWS install, why per-subscriber pricing punishes growth, and when a rented platform still fits. - [Email infrastructure for SaaS founders on your own AWS](https://sendbunny.co/use-cases/saas-founders): How SaaS founders map welcome mail, campaigns and analytics onto one AWS install: domain setup, SES sandbox exit, cost by growth stage, and when a rented ESP fits better.