Unlimited Auth Email Relay for AWS Cognito

Problem Context

Teams using AWS Cognito for user authentication hit a 50-email/day limit for verification/reset emails. AWS SES (Simple Email Service) requires marketing approval for production, which blocks auth-only use cases. Without a workaround, teams can’t scale user onboarding or password recovery, causing delays and manual workarounds.

Pain Points

Users are stuck with Cognito’s 50-email/day cap, which forces them to reject new signups or manually verify accounts. AWS SES sandbox only allows trusted domains, and production approval requires a marketing email plan—even for auth-only emails. Support teams waste hours navigating AWS’s approval process or building custom email relays, which adds technical debt.

Impact

The email limits directly block revenue growth by preventing new user signups or password resets. Teams waste 5+ hours/week on manual workarounds (e.g., CSV exports, manual verifications) or hire consultants to bypass AWS restrictions. Frustration grows as AWS support fails to understand auth-only use cases, leaving teams with no scalable solution.

Urgency

This is a blocking issue for teams scaling user bases. Without a fix, they can’t onboard new customers, recover lost passwords, or meet compliance requirements (e.g., GDPR’s right to be forgotten). The problem worsens as user demand grows, making it a critical bottleneck for growth-stage startups and mid-market SaaS companies.

Target Audience

Other teams using AWS Cognito for authentication—especially startups, mid-market SaaS companies, and internal tools teams—face the same limits. Developers in fintech, healthcare, and e-commerce also need reliable auth emails but are blocked by AWS’s marketing email requirements. Even teams not using Cognito may hit similar limits with other auth providers.

Solution Approach

A dedicated email relay service that bypasses AWS Cognito’s 50-email/day limit and SES’s marketing approval requirements. It acts as a middleman: teams send auth emails (verification, password resets) to our service, which delivers them via a pre-approved SES domain. No AWS approvals or marketing plans needed—just plug-and-play for auth-only use cases.

Key Features

1. SES Bypass: Uses a pre-approved SES domain to send auth emails without marketing approvals.
2. Template Library: Pre-built, compliant email templates for verification/reset flows (GDPR/CCPA ready).
3. Analytics Dashboard: Tracks delivery rates, bounces, and user engagement to ensure reliability.

User Experience

Teams integrate our API into their Cognito setup in <1 hour. Auth emails (e.g., ‘Verify your email’) are sent via our relay, bypassing AWS limits. Developers monitor delivery rates in the dashboard and get alerts for failures. No AWS approvals, no marketing plans—just reliable auth emails at scale. Support teams save hours by avoiding manual verifications.

Differentiation

Unlike generic email services (e.g., SendGrid, Mailgun), we specialize in auth-only emails for AWS Cognito, with pre-approved SES domains and no marketing spam restrictions. Competitors either lack Cognito integration or require AWS approvals. Our focus on auth workflows makes us 10x faster to set up than building a custom relay.

Scalability

Pricing scales with email volume (e.g., $29 for 1k emails/month, $99 for 10k). Teams add seats as their user base grows, and enterprise plans include dedicated support. The service handles millions of emails/month with no per-email fees, making it cost-effective for high-growth companies.

Expected Impact

Teams regain control over user onboarding and password recovery, eliminating AWS’s artificial limits. They save 5+ hours/week on manual workarounds and avoid hiring consultants. Auth email deliverability improves, reducing abandoned signups and support tickets. For startups, this directly translates to faster revenue growth.