Overview

The answer to this depends on several factors; having a dedicated IP can be the perfect (or even necessary) setup for your account. Shared IPs are essentially like large public highways; most of the time, you can get everywhere you need to go, quickly, just fine. Sometimes though, the actions of others slow down or even halt your progress.

Contrast this with the dedicated IP; a nice private sending highway, just for you, to move about and fly through freely. 

However - a dedicated IP isn't a magic solution to all the problems you might encounter in sending email; if your account doesn't meet certain criteria, a dedicated IP won't be a great solution - just more on your invoice. Exactly what we don't want!

This being understood, here is some general guidance on the subject:

Use a dedicated IP if:

• You are consistently sending at minimum 100,000 messages per month. Since it's just you on the dedicated IP, there's a certain amount of sending necessary to establish and sustain a solid reputation. Otherwise, sending too few messages can be just as damaging as sending too many messages - mailbox providers treat the IP with suspicion. Consistency is key - this is all about establishing a trust relationship with the mailbox providers to whom you send.

Use a shared IP if:

• You are consistently sending less than 100,000 messages per month, or if your sending is volatile, with large spikes and dips in volume. Mailbox Providers may assume those large spikes fit spam patterns, and treat your sending with suspicion. Sending too few messages can be as bad as sending too many for an IP's reputation.

Use a pool of dedicated IPs if:

• You are a high volume sender*, as mailbox providers limit the total volume per IP per hour.
• To separate your bulk and transactional mail completely (or to separate other kinds of sending from one another). To do this effectively, you'd be using a distinct dedicated IP per domain, so that you don't have any crossover between domains, affecting one another.
• Ratios vary widely by need and use case, but a general average is 1 dedicated IP per 1 million emails per month.

Additional information about dedicated IP addresses and sending volume can be found in the Email Best Practices section of our documentation. 

Don't forget - these are general guidelines based on what we've seen demonstrated to work best for the majority of cases. Understanding each use case works slightly differently, if you believe a dedicated IP is the best option for your account, but don't happen to fit these exact numbers, contact our Support team via the Support option in your Mailgun control panel. We'll be happy to review your specific case to advise on the best course of action to optimize your account's IP arrangement. 

If your account does happen to match these guidelines and you'd like to add a dedicated IP, you'll just use that same Support option in your Mailgun control panel - our team is standing by to ensure we're getting your account setup with its best arrangement.

* High volume senders are those looking to send several million emails per month

Need Support?

Our Support Team here at Sinch Mailgun is happy to help! Reach out to us in the Support page of your Mailgun Control Panel, and we'll be with you shortly!