Sending emails is essential for any online business or website, and ensuring proper deliverability of those is very crucial. While there may be plenty of reasons why an email might not get delivered, you surely won’t enjoy seeing the default PHP mail function as a reason.
And that’s where an SMTP plugin. It allows you to send emails through a dedicated server or third-party service, rather than the default PHP mail function. This can help to prevent emails from being marked as spam and improve overall deliverability.
But with so many SMTP plugins available, it’s very understandable if you get confused. That’s why we have done the research and compiled a list of the 6 best SMTP plugins you can rely on.
But first, let’s enlighten you a bit more about how does an SMTP plugin help.
Importance of WordPress SMTP plugins
An SMTP plugin is a must-have for any WordPress website that sends emails. By default, WordPress uses the PHP mail function to send emails, but this method can be unreliable and may result in emails being marked as spam. But when you use a dedicated server, that problem no longer exists. And that’s what an SMTP plugin does for you.
Along with that, an SMTP plugin can also help you with:
- Improving the overall deliverability of your emails. By using a dedicated server or third-party service, you can ensure that your emails are sent quickly and efficiently, which can help to improve the chances of your emails being delivered.
- Tracking and monitoring your emails. Most SMTP plugins come with analytics and reporting tools that allow you to track the performance of your emails. This can help you to identify any issues that may be affecting your email deliverability and make necessary adjustments.
- complying with email regulations and laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM-Act.
- Making your emails more credible with built in features such as SPF and DKIM that can also help with preventing misuses of your identity.
While choosing an SMTP plugin, there are plenty of things that you should keep in consideration. But not everyone is expert in this field, so they often don’t know what to watch out for while purchasing an SMTP plugin. Well, we’ll tell you about those as well later in the article.
For now, let’s get started with the list since you have understood the importance of SMTP plugins better than ever.
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1. FluentSMTP
People usually look for a product keeping two prime factors in their head. Prices and features are those. And we call it a great deal, only when the price is low and the features are high. And that’s exactly what FluentSMTP offers.
This plugin is a gift to the WordPress people from Wpmanageninja, and they plan on keeping it a forever free plugin. And the fact that it became one of the top SMTP plugins in no time goes to show how much people have loved it. And being free is obviously not the only reason behind, here are the remarkable features of FluentSMTP that makes it standout as a SMTP plugin.
- Integration options for email API keys including Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Sendinblue, Pepipost, PostMark, TransMail, SparkPost, and Elastic Email
- Other email services can be integrated via SMTP credentials
- Multiple SMTP integrations can be used simultaneously
- OAuth 2.0 integration is available with Google Workspace and Outlook
- A fallback option is available to switch to a different email service if the primary one fails
- Email delivery statuses can be viewed through email logs
- You can test email deliverability through the deliverability testing tools
- Automatically delete emails from the log after certain period to keep the database cleaner
- Options to choose whether you want to get weekly or daily notifications about how your emails are being delivered
2. WP Mail SMTP
WP Mail SMTP is another popular name around the WordPress community and a huge number of people relying on them. And why wouldn’t they! This plugin comes with almost all the features an SMTP plugin should have, and the price points are pretty good as well.
You can get started with the plugin for free, and to enjoy the advanced features, you’ll have to pay $99/Year. And if it seems a bit too much to you, these features might change your mind.
- offers a variety of integration options for email services, including SMTP.com, SendLayer, Sendinblue, Mailgun, SendGrid, Postmark, SparkPost, Amazon SES, and Zoho
- Integration with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 is available through OAuth 2.0
- Feature-packed email log with the ability to track click and open rate
- Alert through email notification for the failed emails
- The summary of whole week is delivered through notifications
3. Easy WP SMTP
If you are not really looking for a whole lot features in an SMTP plugin and rather focused on just getting the emails delivered, Easy WP SMTP plugin can be the option for you. It’s a pretty lightweight plugin that’s super easy to set up. And on top of that, you can use it for free.
That’s why it’s no wonder so many businesses are using this plugin to ensure their email deliverability. Here are the features that made this happen.
- Easy integration facilities with any SMTP service provider using SMTP credentials
- Debugging features for troubleshooting any email deliverability issues
- Domain verification facilities to ensure domains are never mismatched, which helps to increase your domain reputation as well
4. Post SMTP Mailer
Not as popular as the first two, but this plugin does the job just fine. Rather than futures, Post SMTP Mailer is more famous for its secured way of transferring emails. Not to mention, they provided detailed assistance on how you can set up this SMTP plugin.
The developers of this plugin have kept the price comparatively low as it’s not the most featureful plugin. You can enjoy this plugin for only $39/Year. Not to mention, there’s a free version as well with limited features and integration.
But here’s what the pro version will offer you:
- The ability to integrate with Mandrill, Mailgun, SendGrid, Sendinblue, and Amazon SES using API
- Using OAuth 2.0 you can integrate this plugin with Google Workspace, Office 365 and Yahoo
- Advanced debugging features to test your emails before sending them out
- Dedicated email logs to see the different delivery statues of the emails you send
- Controllable email notifications features
- Fallback email service feature that helps if the primary service fails
5. Mail Bank
Many businesses use Mail Bank to ensure the smooth delivery of their emails. Even the basic version of this plugin does the job well enough, making it the ideal SMTP plugin for small businesses.
You’ll get an easy setup assistant as well which will help you with other integrations. When it comes to features, Mail Bank does not offer a lot, and most of those features come with the paid plans that start from $110 a year. Here are the features that you’ll get to enjoy.
- You can integrate Gmail, Outlook365, Outlook, Yahoo and other email services through OAuth 2.0
- Easy integrate with Mailgun or SendGrid using API
- Detailed reports on email testing and debugging
- A complete email log to keep track of if your emails are being send properly
- For better encryption, you’ll get TLS and SSL security
6. Mailgun SMTP
Mailgun is a very common name in the email marketing industry. They provide complete solutions for email marketing needs, along with SMTP services. The best part is that this plugin is very friendly for the developers as it is compatible with all the powerful website building languages.
Though configuring Mailgun SMTP is a bit complex, the features make it worth the effort. Here’s what the paid plans of this plugin offers.
- Email status tracking and email validation facilities
- 24/7 support with detailed documentation
- Detailed email log with all the necessary reports
- Supports important languages like C#, Java, Python, PHP, and Ruby
- Optimizable email sending schedule
All businesses should focus more on email deliverability given how important email marketing is! And even if you have a complete email marketing roadmap, it’s not enough if the emails are not delivered in the first place.
We hope this article was helpful to enlighten you about the best SMTP plugins. These plugins will not only ensure better email deliverability for your business, but also help you track different metrics regarding your email marketing campaigns.
