How much does Mailgun cost for GoHighLevel?

Mailgun Flex plan starts at $35/month for 50,000 emails. For most GHL agencies, this covers initial needs. As you scale, costs increase: $75/month at 100K, $175/month at 300K. Consider self-hosted SMTP above 100K/month to reduce costs.

Why use Mailgun instead of LC Email in GoHighLevel?

LC Email is Mailgun on shared infrastructure — you're sharing IP reputation with thousands of other GHL users. Custom Mailgun gives you your own domain, your own reputation, better deliverability tracking, and eventual ability to get a dedicated IP.

Do I need a dedicated IP on Mailgun for GoHighLevel?

Not initially. Start on Mailgun's shared pool with your verified domain. Once you're consistently sending 50K+/month with good metrics (low bounces, low complaints), request a dedicated IP. Dedicated IPs require warmup.

Why are my GoHighLevel emails still going to spam after Mailgun setup?

Most likely: 1) DNS records aren't fully propagated yet (wait 24-48 hours), 2) SPF/DKIM/DMARC not all configured correctly (verify in Mailgun dashboard), 3) New domain needs warmup (start slow), or 4) Your email content or list quality needs attention.

Can I use one Mailgun account for multiple GHL sub-accounts?

Technically yes, but don't. Each client sub-account should have its own sending domain with its own authentication. Use one Mailgun account but verify separate domains for each client. This isolates reputation between clients.

GoHighLevel + Mailgun Setup: Complete Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Prerequisites

Before starting:

A GoHighLevel account (agency or sub-account level)
A Mailgun account (sign up at mailgun.com)
Access to DNS for your sending domain
A dedicated sending domain (e.g., mail.yourbrand.com or yourbrand.com)

For general GHL SMTP setup, see our complete SMTP guide. For authentication details, see GHL email authentication.

Step 1: Add Your Domain to Mailgun

Log into Mailgun → Sending → Domains → Add New Domain
Enter your sending domain (e.g., yourbrand.com)
Select your region (US or EU)
Mailgun generates DNS records you need to add

Step 2: Configure DNS Records

Mailgun provides 5 DNS records. Add all of them to your domain:

SPF (TXT Record)

If you don't have an existing SPF record:

yourbrand.com  TXT  v=spf1 include:mailgun.org -all

If you already have SPF (e.g., Google Workspace):

yourbrand.com  TXT  v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:mailgun.org -all

DKIM (TXT or CNAME Record)

Mailgun provides a DKIM record. Add it exactly as shown. It looks like:

selector._domainkey.yourbrand.com  TXT  k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3...

Tracking CNAME

email.yourbrand.com  CNAME  mailgun.org

This enables click and open tracking through your domain instead of Mailgun's.

MX Records (for receiving — optional)

Only needed if you want to receive email at this domain through Mailgun (for inbound processing).

DMARC (Add manually)

Mailgun doesn't auto-generate DMARC. Add it yourself:

_dmarc.yourbrand.com  TXT  v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]

Step 3: Verify Domain in Mailgun

Back in Mailgun dashboard → your domain → click Verify DNS Settings.

All records should show green checkmarks:

SPF: Valid
DKIM: Valid
Tracking: Valid

If any fail, wait 1-4 hours for DNS propagation and try again.

Step 4: Get SMTP Credentials

In Mailgun → Sending → Domain Settings → SMTP Credentials

Create a new SMTP user or use the default. Note:

SMTP Host: smtp.mailgun.org
SMTP Port: 587
SMTP Username: (shown in Mailgun, usually [email protected] or a custom user)
SMTP Password: (generated by Mailgun — save it)

Step 5: Connect to GoHighLevel

In GoHighLevel → Settings → Email Services
Click Add or Connect SMTP
Enter:
- Host: smtp.mailgun.org
- Port: 587
- Username: your Mailgun SMTP username
- Password: your Mailgun SMTP password
- Encryption: STARTTLS
Test the connection — GHL should confirm success
Set as your default sending method

Step 6: Test Deliverability

Send a test email from GoHighLevel to:

A Gmail address — check headers for SPF pass, DKIM pass, DMARC pass
An Outlook address — verify it reaches inbox
Mail-Tester.com — aim for 9+/10

If anything fails, the issue is almost always in the DNS records. Double-check Step 2.

Post-Setup: Warmup

If this is a new domain or you haven't sent from it before, start slow:

Week 1: 50-200 emails/day to your most engaged contacts
Week 2: 300-500/day
Week 3: 1,000-2,000/day
Week 4+: Normal volume

Monitor in Mailgun dashboard → Analytics for bounce rates and engagement.

Practitioner note: The most common mistake: people add the DNS records, don't wait for propagation, test immediately, it fails, and they assume something is wrong with the configuration. Wait 2-4 hours after adding DNS records before testing.

Practitioner note: For GHL agencies: create a separate Mailgun SMTP credential for each client domain. Don't reuse the same credential across sub-accounts. This gives you per-client monitoring and reputation isolation.

If you'd rather have this configured correctly without the back-and-forth, schedule a consultation — I can have your Mailgun + GoHighLevel SMTP configured and authenticated within a few hours.

Sources

Mailgun: Domain Verification
Mailgun: SMTP Credentials

v1.0 · March 2026