Does Amazon Simple Email Service Work in China?

What is Amazon SES?

Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) is a cloud-based email sending platform that allows businesses to send transactional and marketing emails at scale. It integrates with AWS infrastructure and supports features like deliverability tracking, configuration rules, and DKIM signing.

Is Amazon SES Available in China?

Amazon SES is not available in China regions. If your app is hosted outside China, email delivery to Chinese users may be delayed, filtered, or blocked due to the Great Firewall. Also, using SES from outside China without ICP Filing may violate local content delivery regulations.

What Solutions Are There?

Solution 1: Domestic Providers

If you need guaranteed deliverability inside Mainland China, domestic providers are the easiest path:

• SendCloud offers SDKs for approximately 10 languages, real-time delivery dashboards, and basic template tools. This option is good for teams that want a quick API integration plus SSL and live tech support.
• Tencent Cloud SES and Alibaba Cloud DirectMail are popular solutions for higher-scale operations. Tencent Cloud cites 97% average delivery, supports Console/API/SMTP, includes IP warm-up and adaptive throttling, and gives new users a generous free tier (no subscriber caps; pay by send volume). This option works well for e-commerce promos and re-engagement at mid-to-large scale. Alibaba Cloud DirectMail is proven under Double 11 traffic, with rich APIs, real-time analytics, and tiered per-send pricing—ideal for large transactional batches.

Solution 2: Self-Hosted Open Source

Engineering-heavy teams can self-host for maximum customisation and cost control:

• Postal is an enterprise-grade, SendGrid-like platform with org-level multi-tenancy, live delivery tracking, and DKIM/SPF support. In practice, a modest Docker deployment plus DNS and IP warm-up can deliver ~95.8% and reduce spam rates versus some cloud senders, at a fraction of the monthly SaaS cost at around 1M sends.
• Mailcow is a complete mail suite (web admin, anti-spam, AV) that’s containerised, supports ARM/Kubernetes, and offers paid support. This solution works best when you also need groupware.
• Poste.io can be used for ultra-light tests. Poste.io ships as a single-command Docker stack (Haraka SMTP + Dovecot IMAP), but expect to tune anti-spam rules for stable inboxing.

Which Solution Should I Choose?

• Do you have mid-to-large volume with strict inbox placement requirements? SendCloud, Tencent Cloud SES or Alibaba Cloud DirectMail are more suitable solutions that leverage big-provider IP reputation and automated warm-up. This means no self-hosting is required.
• Do you have an engineering team and need a cost-sensitive option? Pick Postal or Mailcow if you can manage servers and DNS (SPF/DKIM/DMARC).
• Are you doing light testing or personal use? Try PMail or Cuttlefish. Fast to validate flows; inboxing may fluctuate.

How AppInChina Can Help

AppInChina helps businesses that want to use Amazon SES in China by:

• Implementing local email delivery alternatives that comply with Chinese regulations. This includes alternatives such as SendCloud, Tencent Cloud SES and Alibaba Cloud DirectMail
• Managing all compliance steps. This includes ICP filing and anti-spam registration and any other filings, licenses, or certificates that are required to bring your solution into compliance with local laws and regulations.

Ensure reliable email delivery in China; contact us to get started!