A comparison guide from UseSESUpdated September 2, 2026
Email systems for HighLevel agencies: costs, control, and trade-offs
An agency choosing a HighLevel email provider has four realistic routes. This guide compares them on the things that decide the outcome: what they cost per 1,000, how much DNS and operational work they create, how much deliverability control they give you, and where each one stops making sense.
Summary
The short version
If you only read one section, read this one. The table below shows the working.
LC Email
Right for low aggregate volume and for agencies that value zero setup. Published at $0.675 per 1,000 with no minimum. Below roughly 146,667 emails a month it is cheaper than a managed minimum outright.
DIY Amazon SES
Lowest raw infrastructure cost and full control. You own production access, authentication for every domain, events, suppression, per-client metering, throttling, abuse risk, and support. Fits a technical team with the volume to justify the time.
Generic SMTP or email provider
Viable where HighLevel's provider surface allows it. Pricing, reputation tooling, and suppression handling vary by provider, and syncing status back to HighLevel is your job. Check per-1,000 cost at your volume before assuming a saving.
Managed custom-provider route
Most of the SES saving with the operating layer handled. UseSES charges $0.33 per 1,000 with a $99 monthly minimum credited against usage. Fits meaningful volume and agencies that want reputation control and event visibility without a build.
The four routes
What each option actually is
LC Email
The built-in route. Zero setup, published per-1,000 rate, no control over the infrastructure underneath.
DIY Amazon SES
Your own SES account connected through HighLevel's custom provider surface. Lowest raw cost, most responsibility.
Generic SMTP or email provider
A third-party sending provider connected where HighLevel's provider surface technically allows it. Pricing and features vary by provider.
Managed custom-provider route
A managed layer around SES, such as UseSES. Wholesale-style rate plus a minimum, with the operations handled for you.
All three custom routes rely on the same platform surface. HighLevel's custom default email provider can replace Mailgun or LC Email. HighLevel documents standard email workflow modules and bulk actions as supported for the default custom provider. HighLevel documents triggers as unsupported for that route and points developers toward premium workflow actions. HighLevel provides message-status update capabilities for custom conversation providers. Whichever route you pick, confirm the specific sending paths your clients depend on before moving traffic.
Side by side
Ten criteria, four routes
Ratings are category-level judgments, not benchmarks. Where a current fact for a class of provider is not available, the cell says it varies rather than guessing.
- Strongclearly favorable
- Mixedworkable with trade-offs
- Weaka real cost or burden
- Variesdepends on the provider; no current fact available
| Criterion | LC Email | DIY Amazon SES | Generic SMTP or email provider | Managed custom-provider route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time to startHow quickly a sub-account can send after you decide. | Strong Immediate. It is already on. | Weak Days to weeks. AWS account, production access request, identities, DNS, webhooks, then the HighLevel provider setup. | Varies Varies by provider. Typically account approval, domain setup, then connection. | Mixed Days. Onboarding inputs, DNS records, and a connection check before traffic moves. |
| Per-email infrastructure costWhat the sending layer costs per 1,000 emails, before your own time. | Weak $0.675 per 1,000, published across plans. No minimum. | Strong Lowest raw per-message price. Amazon publishes SES pricing; you also pay for any AWS resources you add around it. | Varies Varies by provider and plan. Often tiered by monthly volume with a base subscription. | Strong UseSES: $0.33 per 1,000 with a $99 monthly minimum credited against usage. |
| Domain and DNS workAuthentication records you or your clients must publish. | Strong Minimal. HighLevel guides sending-domain setup inside the platform. | Weak You own it. DKIM, SPF, DMARC, and custom MAIL FROM for every sending domain, plus verification in SES. | Varies Varies by provider. Usually DKIM and SPF per domain, sometimes tracking domains too. | Mixed Guided. You still publish records for each domain; UseSES tells you exactly which ones and confirms them. |
| Deliverability controlHow much of the reputation and authentication picture you can see and shape. | Weak Limited. You share infrastructure with every other LC Email sender and see what the platform surfaces. | Strong Full. Your identities, your reputation, your dashboards, your configuration sets. | Varies Varies. Most providers offer domain-level reputation views and shared or dedicated IP options. | Strong High. Agency-owned SES account where practical, managed authentication, reputation and sending controls. |
| Bounce, complaint, and suppression handlingWho processes feedback events and keeps bad addresses off future sends. | Mixed Handled by the platform. Little visibility into thresholds or the suppression list itself. | Weak You build it. SNS or event destinations, a suppression store, and the logic that stops repeat sends. | Varies Varies by provider. Most maintain suppression lists; syncing status back to HighLevel is your problem. | Strong Included. Delivery, bounce, complaint, failure, and unsubscribe events feed suppression and status updates. |
| Agency rebilling and margin flexibilityWhether you can price email to clients independently of your cost. | Mixed You can rebill, but your cost floor is the published rate. | Strong Maximum flexibility on cost. You must build per-sub-account usage tracking to rebill accurately. | Varies Varies. Per-client usage reporting depends on the provider's account model. | Strong Wholesale to the agency with per-sub-account metering. Keep your price, share savings, or package a managed tier. |
| Ongoing monitoringWatching sending health, queues, failures, and thresholds every day. | Strong None required from you. | Weak Yours. Reputation dashboards, quota, throttling, failures, and alerts. | Varies Varies. Provider dashboards exist; someone still has to look at them. | Strong Included. Queueing, retries, failure visibility, and threshold-based throttling are part of the service. |
| Abuse and suspension responsibilityWho carries the risk when a client sends badly. | Mixed The platform enforces its policies. A bad sub-account can affect your account standing. | Weak Entirely yours. High complaint rates can pause your SES account, and every client sends under it. | Varies Varies. Providers suspend accounts that breach thresholds; the account is yours. | Mixed Shared. UseSES throttles or stops senders that cross safe thresholds. Consent, lists, and content stay with you. |
| Fit by aggregate volumeWhere each option makes sense as monthly volume grows. | Strong Best for low volume. Below roughly 146,667 emails a month it beats a $99 minimum outright. | Mixed Best at high volume with a technical team. The savings need to cover the engineering time. | Varies Varies. Provider tiers can suit medium volume; check per-1,000 cost at your level. | Strong Medium to high volume. Savings grow past the minimum; control matters at any level. |
| Operational and support burdenWho your team calls when something breaks. | Strong HighLevel support. One vendor. | Weak You. AWS support covers AWS; the integration, suppression, and metering are yours. | Varies Varies. Provider support for their side; the HighLevel connection is yours. | Strong Standard support and incident handling for the route, with clear setup, monitoring, and disconnect responsibilities. |
Time to start
How quickly a sub-account can send after you decide.
- LC Email
- Strong
Immediate. It is already on.
- DIY SES
- Weak
Days to weeks. AWS account, production access request, identities, DNS, webhooks, then the HighLevel provider setup.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies by provider. Typically account approval, domain setup, then connection.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Mixed
Days. Onboarding inputs, DNS records, and a connection check before traffic moves.
Per-email infrastructure cost
What the sending layer costs per 1,000 emails, before your own time.
- LC Email
- Weak
$0.675 per 1,000, published across plans. No minimum.
- DIY SES
- Strong
Lowest raw per-message price. Amazon publishes SES pricing; you also pay for any AWS resources you add around it.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies by provider and plan. Often tiered by monthly volume with a base subscription.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Strong
UseSES: $0.33 per 1,000 with a $99 monthly minimum credited against usage.
Domain and DNS work
Authentication records you or your clients must publish.
- LC Email
- Strong
Minimal. HighLevel guides sending-domain setup inside the platform.
- DIY SES
- Weak
You own it. DKIM, SPF, DMARC, and custom MAIL FROM for every sending domain, plus verification in SES.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies by provider. Usually DKIM and SPF per domain, sometimes tracking domains too.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Mixed
Guided. You still publish records for each domain; UseSES tells you exactly which ones and confirms them.
Deliverability control
How much of the reputation and authentication picture you can see and shape.
- LC Email
- Weak
Limited. You share infrastructure with every other LC Email sender and see what the platform surfaces.
- DIY SES
- Strong
Full. Your identities, your reputation, your dashboards, your configuration sets.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies. Most providers offer domain-level reputation views and shared or dedicated IP options.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Strong
High. Agency-owned SES account where practical, managed authentication, reputation and sending controls.
Bounce, complaint, and suppression handling
Who processes feedback events and keeps bad addresses off future sends.
- LC Email
- Mixed
Handled by the platform. Little visibility into thresholds or the suppression list itself.
- DIY SES
- Weak
You build it. SNS or event destinations, a suppression store, and the logic that stops repeat sends.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies by provider. Most maintain suppression lists; syncing status back to HighLevel is your problem.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Strong
Included. Delivery, bounce, complaint, failure, and unsubscribe events feed suppression and status updates.
Agency rebilling and margin flexibility
Whether you can price email to clients independently of your cost.
- LC Email
- Mixed
You can rebill, but your cost floor is the published rate.
- DIY SES
- Strong
Maximum flexibility on cost. You must build per-sub-account usage tracking to rebill accurately.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies. Per-client usage reporting depends on the provider's account model.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Strong
Wholesale to the agency with per-sub-account metering. Keep your price, share savings, or package a managed tier.
Ongoing monitoring
Watching sending health, queues, failures, and thresholds every day.
- LC Email
- Strong
None required from you.
- DIY SES
- Weak
Yours. Reputation dashboards, quota, throttling, failures, and alerts.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies. Provider dashboards exist; someone still has to look at them.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Strong
Included. Queueing, retries, failure visibility, and threshold-based throttling are part of the service.
Abuse and suspension responsibility
Who carries the risk when a client sends badly.
- LC Email
- Mixed
The platform enforces its policies. A bad sub-account can affect your account standing.
- DIY SES
- Weak
Entirely yours. High complaint rates can pause your SES account, and every client sends under it.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies. Providers suspend accounts that breach thresholds; the account is yours.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Mixed
Shared. UseSES throttles or stops senders that cross safe thresholds. Consent, lists, and content stay with you.
Fit by aggregate volume
Where each option makes sense as monthly volume grows.
- LC Email
- Strong
Best for low volume. Below roughly 146,667 emails a month it beats a $99 minimum outright.
- DIY SES
- Mixed
Best at high volume with a technical team. The savings need to cover the engineering time.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies. Provider tiers can suit medium volume; check per-1,000 cost at your level.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Strong
Medium to high volume. Savings grow past the minimum; control matters at any level.
Operational and support burden
Who your team calls when something breaks.
- LC Email
- Strong
HighLevel support. One vendor.
- DIY SES
- Weak
You. AWS support covers AWS; the integration, suppression, and metering are yours.
- Generic SMTP
- Varies
Varies. Provider support for their side; the HighLevel connection is yours.
- Managed (UseSES)
- Strong
Standard support and incident handling for the route, with clear setup, monitoring, and disconnect responsibilities.
Which route, when
Three honest recommendations
Stay on LC Email
Low aggregate volume, or you value zero setup above everything
If your sub-accounts send well under 150,000 emails a month combined, the published rate is cheaper than a managed minimum and there is nothing to configure. Revisit this when volume grows or when a client's deliverability becomes a support problem you cannot see into.
Run Amazon SES yourself
A technically capable team willing to own operations
You get the lowest raw rate and complete control. In exchange you own production access approval, authentication for every domain, event processing, suppression, per-client metering, throttling, and the on-call. It works when someone on the team already runs infrastructure and the volume justifies their time.
Use a managed custom-provider route
Meaningful volume, and you want savings without the operational burden
If your combined volume is comfortably above the break-even and you want the reputation control and event visibility of SES without building the operating layer, a managed route captures most of the saving and hands you the controls. UseSES is one such route; the pricing page states exactly what is included.
A note on cost
Raw provider cost is not all-in cost
Amazon publishes SES pricing, and it is far below the LC Email rate. That number is the cost of the send. It is not the cost of running email for an agency. The all-in figure for DIY SES includes whatever AWS resources you add around it, the engineering time to build the operating layer, and the ongoing time to monitor and support it.
A managed route prices the operating layer into the rate. UseSES at $0.33 per 1,000 is above raw SES and about half of LC Email. Whether that gap is worth paying is a function of your team, not a universal answer, which is why this page recommends three different routes for three different agencies.
If you want to know what you are optimizing for, the cost guide walks through client price, infrastructure cost, contribution, and profit, and the calculator runs your own numbers with the minimum applied.
FAQ