Integration Types & When to Choose
An email connection is the account or provider that actually sends and/or receives mail on your behalf. The type you choose decides three things:
- Can it send campaigns? (bulk newsletters)
- Can it receive inbound email? (customers emailing you)
- Can it reply to / send support email? (one-to-one conversational replies)
Pick the connection type by the job you need, not by brand preference.
Capability matrix
| Connection type | Campaigns | Receive inbound | Reply / send support |
|---|---|---|---|
| SendSeven Managed (recommended, powered by SendGrid) | Yes | No | Yes (after domain verification) |
| SendGrid (your API key) | Yes | No | Yes (after domain verification) |
| Mailgun (your API key) | Yes | No | Yes (after domain verification) |
| Gmail | No | No (send-only) | Yes |
| SMTP / IMAP | No | Yes | Yes |
| Email Proxy (forwarding) | No | Yes | Only if an outbound provider is linked |
A few consequences worth internalizing:
- Provider connections (Managed / SendGrid / Mailgun) cannot receive inbound email. They are built for sending. To run a support inbox where customers email you, use Email Proxy or SMTP / IMAP.
- Gmail is send-only on SendSeven — it can send and reply, but it does not poll for inbound mail.
- Provider connections become reply-capable only once a sending domain is verified. Until then they can be created but not used to send.
When to choose which
| Your goal | Recommended connection |
|---|---|
| Send newsletters / marketing campaigns | SendSeven Managed (simplest), or SendGrid / Mailgun if you already own an account and want to keep your own sending reputation |
| Run a support inbox (customers email in, you reply in a conversation) | Email Proxy (forward your existing address to SendSeven) or SMTP / IMAP |
| Both campaigns and support | Add two connections — a provider connection for campaigns and a receiving connection (Proxy or IMAP) for support |
| Send transactional/support email from a Gmail account | Gmail (send/reply only) |
Managed vs. bring-your-own (BYOK)
Managed and BYOK (SendGrid / Mailgun with your own API key) cost the same per email. BYOK is about owning your sending reputation and provider relationship, not a lower rate. There is no Amazon SES option for customer accounts.
Setting up a connection
- Log in to SendSeven.
- Go to Settings > Email Configuration.
- Add a connection and choose a type from the list above.
- For a sending connection (Managed / SendGrid / Mailgun), verify your sending domain by adding the DNS records SendSeven generates — three CNAME records (
mail,dkim1,dkim2). SPF and DMARC records remain yours to manage. Optional link-branding adds two more CNAMEs.
Inbound needs no domain verification
Receiving email (Proxy / IMAP) does not require pointing an MX record at SendSeven or verifying a domain. Domain verification is a sending-domain concern only.
Next steps
- Mailboxes — set up sender identities on your connection
- Sending email — send and reply to conversational email
- Email Campaigns — build and send newsletters