A comparison guide from UseSES
Compare 4 ways to send email from HighLevel
See the cost, setup work, deliverability control, bounce handling, and support burden for LC Email, DIY Amazon SES, another email provider, and UseSES.
The right choice depends on volume and who will run the system
LC Email
Best for low volume and agencies that want no extra setup. The published rate is $0.675 per 1,000.
DIY Amazon SES
Best for a technical team that wants the lowest raw cost and will own setup, monitoring, suppression, usage tracking, and support.
Another email provider
Cost and features vary. Check how the provider connects to HighLevel, handles suppression, and reports usage by sub-account.
UseSES
Best for agencies that want a lower rate and better control without running the system themselves. UseSES costs $0.33 per 1,000.
*$29 monthly minimum, credited against usage.
LC Email rate checked against HighLevel's published documentation on September 2, 2026.
Compare the 5 things that change the decision
| Criterion | LC Email | DIY Amazon SES | Another email provider | UseSES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $0.675 per 1,000, no minimum | Lowest raw rate, plus the tools and staff you add | Varies by provider and plan | $0.33 per 1,000 |
| Setup | Already active | You set up AWS, domains, events, suppression, and the HighLevel connection | Varies | Guided setup and staged move |
| Deliverability control | Limited view of the sending setup | Full control and full responsibility | Varies | Managed authentication, reputation, suppression, and sending controls |
| Bounces and complaints | Handled by HighLevel with limited control | Your team builds and runs the process | Varies | Included, with suppression and status updates |
| Ongoing support | HighLevel support | Your team | Provider support varies, connection support may stay with you | UseSES supports the managed connection and delivery flow |
Cost
- LC Email
- $0.675 per 1,000, no minimum
- DIY SES
- Lowest raw rate, plus the tools and staff you add
- Other provider
- Varies by provider and plan
- UseSES
- $0.33 per 1,000
Setup
- LC Email
- Already active
- DIY SES
- You set up AWS, domains, events, suppression, and the HighLevel connection
- Other provider
- Varies
- UseSES
- Guided setup and staged move
Deliverability control
- LC Email
- Limited view of the sending setup
- DIY SES
- Full control and full responsibility
- Other provider
- Varies
- UseSES
- Managed authentication, reputation, suppression, and sending controls
Bounces and complaints
- LC Email
- Handled by HighLevel with limited control
- DIY SES
- Your team builds and runs the process
- Other provider
- Varies
- UseSES
- Included, with suppression and status updates
Ongoing support
- LC Email
- HighLevel support
- DIY SES
- Your team
- Other provider
- Provider support varies, connection support may stay with you
- UseSES
- UseSES supports the managed connection and delivery flow
See the technical comparison
| Criterion | LC Email | DIY Amazon SES | Another email provider | UseSES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to start | Immediate. | Days to weeks for AWS approval, domains, events, and the connection. | Varies by provider approval and domain setup. | Days, after the onboarding brief and domain records. |
| Domain and DNS work | Minimal, guided inside HighLevel. | You publish DKIM, SPF, DMARC, and custom MAIL FROM for every domain. | Usually DKIM and SPF per domain, sometimes tracking domains. | You publish the records we give you for each domain, and we confirm them. |
| Usage by sub-account | You can rebill, but your cost floor is the published rate. | You build per-sub-account tracking to rebill accurately. | Depends on the provider's account model. | Included, so you can rebill by sub-account. |
| Monitoring | None required from you. | Reputation, quota, throttling, failures, and alerts are yours. | Provider dashboards exist; someone still has to watch them. | Queues, retries, failures, and risk-based limits are managed for you. |
| Abuse and suspension risk | A bad sub-account can affect your account standing. | High complaint rates can pause your whole SES account. | Providers suspend accounts that breach thresholds. | We limit or stop risky senders; consent, lists, and content stay with you. |
Time to start
- LC Email
- Immediate.
- DIY SES
- Days to weeks for AWS approval, domains, events, and the connection.
- Other provider
- Varies by provider approval and domain setup.
- UseSES
- Days, after the onboarding brief and domain records.
Domain and DNS work
- LC Email
- Minimal, guided inside HighLevel.
- DIY SES
- You publish DKIM, SPF, DMARC, and custom MAIL FROM for every domain.
- Other provider
- Usually DKIM and SPF per domain, sometimes tracking domains.
- UseSES
- You publish the records we give you for each domain, and we confirm them.
Usage by sub-account
- LC Email
- You can rebill, but your cost floor is the published rate.
- DIY SES
- You build per-sub-account tracking to rebill accurately.
- Other provider
- Depends on the provider's account model.
- UseSES
- Included, so you can rebill by sub-account.
Monitoring
- LC Email
- None required from you.
- DIY SES
- Reputation, quota, throttling, failures, and alerts are yours.
- Other provider
- Provider dashboards exist; someone still has to watch them.
- UseSES
- Queues, retries, failures, and risk-based limits are managed for you.
Abuse and suspension risk
- LC Email
- A bad sub-account can affect your account standing.
- DIY SES
- High complaint rates can pause your whole SES account.
- Other provider
- Providers suspend accounts that breach thresholds.
- UseSES
- We limit or stop risky senders; consent, lists, and content stay with you.
Choose the route that matches your agency
Stay with LC Email
Choose LC Email when your total volume is below about 43,000 emails a month or when no extra setup matters more than the rate.
Run Amazon SES yourself
Choose DIY SES when your team already runs email infrastructure and can own domains, events, suppression, metering, limits, abuse risk, and support.
Use UseSES
Choose UseSES when you want the lower cost and deliverability controls of SES without building and running the connection yourself.
Compare the full cost, including the work around each send
A raw provider rate covers the send. Your full cost can also include domain setup, bounce and complaint processing, suppression, usage tracking, monitoring, retries, abuse controls, and support.
Common questions about HighLevel email providers
Which email provider should a HighLevel agency use?
It depends on total monthly volume across your sub-accounts and who will run the system. Below about 43,000 emails a month, LC Email at $0.675 per 1,000 usually costs less. Above that, DIY Amazon SES gives a technical team the lowest raw cost, and UseSES gives most of the saving at $0.33 per 1,000 without the setup and day-to-day work.
Is there an LC Email alternative that keeps HighLevel workflows working?
Yes. HighLevel's custom email provider connection can replace LC Email. HighLevel documents standard workflow email modules and bulk email as supported through its custom email provider. HighLevel documents triggers as unsupported through that route. Confirm the email types you depend on before moving traffic.
Can you use Amazon SES for HighLevel email?
Yes, through HighLevel's custom email provider connection. You can connect your own SES account and own the setup, bounce handling, suppression, usage tracking, and monitoring, or use UseSES to run that work for you.