Last updated - November 10, 2023
If you are someone who owns a WordPress website such as an eCommerce or a membership site then you will need to send numerous transactional emails every day. When you send those emails using the conventional WordPress email solution, they end up in the spam folder of the recipient, which is why you need a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) plugin.
In this article we shed some light on what SMTP is, why you should use it, and the top SMTP plugins you can use for your business. Read along!
What is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)?
A mechanism for receiving and sending mails is called SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. An SMTP server helps deliver emails from your email program to the recipient’s email program when you send them by disassembling the email into its component pieces.
Servers typically fulfill highly strict configuration requirements. For this reason, several web hosting servers do not really support default emails. Instead, some web hosts as well as other service providers offer SMTP servers that are set up to handle such emails.
Why is SMTP Better than WordPress Default Email Settings?
Although the majority of email services are free to use, you might need to buy a premium plan if you wish to send commercial emails from a website. For instance, several email service providers will label transactional communications you send in bulk from a regular Gmail address as spam. You would need to make use of services such as a Google Workspace account, which provides an SMTP service that can manage transactional emails, to prevent that.
The lesson here is that if you want to guarantee deliverability, you can’t just link any email to your website. By linking to a server that can manage all email formats, you may ensure that your emails get to their intended recipient by using WordPress SMTP.
Some of the functionalities of SMTP are:
- Receiving and sending emails
- Ensuring a high delivery rate of email
- Transmitting outgoing emails
How does SMTP Enhance the WordPress Website?
Let’s take a step back and discuss how your WordPress site delivers emails by default in order to better understand why SMTP is crucial to your WordPress site.
WordPress automatically sends emails via PHP mail using the wp mail function, along with any notification emails you’ve set up with the Elementor Pro Form widget. In essence, that indicates that your website is sending emails through the same server that hosts it, which is probably certainly not configured for email transmission.
The default PHP mail system of WordPress is quite easy and kind of functional, but because it lacks verification, emails sent using it frequently wind up in spam.
By using SMTP, you may teach your WordPress website to send emails through an SMTP server that has been set up properly rather than through the server hosting your WordPress website. With this configuration, the email is sent from your WordPress site to the SMTP server, which processes it and sends it to the intended recipient.
Your emails will have far better chances of making it to recipients’ inboxes because the SMTP server is set up to handle sending emails and has the required credentials set up.
Best WordPress SMTP Plugins
Easy WP SMTP
Easy WP SMTP is a simple-to-use SMTP plugin for WordPress is called. You can use one of your favorite SMTP servers to send emails from your WordPress website. This will increase the server’s ability to deliver emails. This plugin is developed by being mindful of the general population; therefore, it is super light and simple to use.
Features
- SMTP servers are used to send emails.
- If you already have an account with them, you can utilize the SMTP servers for Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail.
- Manage all incoming emails, and seamlessly integrate your WordPress site with a mail server.
- Send recipients emails in a secure manner.
- Check whether emails are being sent successfully or not, there is an option to activate debug logging.
Rating ⭐ 4.3
SMTP Mailer
You can set up a mail server to handle all incoming emails from your website using the SMTP Mailer plugin. It takes over the wp mail function and switches to using SMTP. Every plugin that makes use of the WordPress Mail feature will function with SMTP Mailer. The following form and contact form plugins, meanwhile, have been tested with it.
- Fast Secure Contact Form
- Contact Form 7
- Contact Form by BestWebSoft
- Jetpack Contact Form
- Visual Form Builder
- Formidable Forms
Features
- The server that will be used for email transmission is your outgoing mail server.
- When sending an email, turn on or off SMTP authentication.
- In the event that it is not provided to the mail function, the email address that will be used is the ‘From Address’.
- Once everything is configured, you can test the plugin’s operation using the “Test Email” menu.
Rating ⭐ 4.6
Hubspot WP Plugins
HubSpot is a platform that includes all the add-ons and tools required for advertising, sales, and customer care. The platform’s products are all strong on their own, but their true magic comes when you combine them. The free HubSpot WordPress plugin allows you to experience the magic yourself.
With the help of HubSpot, develop relationships with your customers and expand your business. With the HubSpot all-in-one WordPress plugin, you can manage contacts (CRM), interact with site visitors via live chat and chatbots, include lovely forms on sites, develop compelling campaigns for email marketing, and more.
Features
- Use live chat and chatbots to have one-on-one conversations with website visitors in real-time.
- Build bespoke forms quickly or link to existing ones on your website to easily collect leads.
- Publishing newsletters and managing email marketing campaigns will help you engage your leads.
- With simple-to-use analytics dashboards, you can monitor the state of your company.
Rating ⭐ 4.4
Gmail SMTP
You can send emails using the Gmail SMTP server by logging in with your Gmail account using the Gmail SMTP plugin. The majority of shared hosting servers include email limitations. Email frequently goes missing or is blocked for no apparent reason.
When the daily email limit for your website is reached, it may occasionally be blocked. By sending the email over the SMTP server of Gmail, this plugin can get around this problem.
Features
- Access to the Gmail API is authorized using the OAuth 2.0 protocol, which results in a more secure login process and eliminates the need for users to input any username or password.
- The PHPMailer library is used by the Gmail SMTP plugin to send emails via PHP’s mail function.
- Instead of totally replacing “wp mail,” the Gmail SMTP plugin makes use of it. You continue to enjoy the advantages of the built-in mail feature in this way.
Rating ⭐ 4.1
Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log
A modern WP Mail SMTP plugin called Post SMTP Mailer/Email Log helps and enhances your WordPress website’s email deliverability process.
It is highly dependable and simple to use with more than 300,000 users relying on it to distribute daily WordPress emails to millions of people around the world. The Post SMTP Emailer/Email Log plugin contributes to the authentication that ensures the delivery of your emails and prevents them from going to the spam folder or, worse, the queue for undeliverable emails.
Features
- From getting started to ending with sending test emails, Post SMTP’s sophisticated setup wizard aids in guiding you at every turn.
- Your SMTP server is scanned by the connection test to look for firewall blocks and remove incorrect configurations.
- An integrated email log is a crucial tool for identifying email-related issues.
- By dissuading you from saving your email password in the WordPress database, where it could be retrieved, OAuth 2.0 increases the protection and security of your email password.
Rating ⭐ 4.8
WP Mail SMTP
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms is perhaps the most popular email log and SMTP plugin there is. By modifying WordPress so that it uses an appropriate SMTP provider when sending emails, WP Mail SMTP improves email deliverability.
The best part is that the straightforward Setup Wizard and thorough documentation will lead you through the procedure.
Features
- By enhancing and altering the way your WordPress site sends email, the WP Mail SMTP plugin quickly and effectively fixes email delivery issues.
- The wp mail() function will be reconfigured to use either the correct SMTP host credentials or a built-in SMTP mail provider.
- Emails are sent through the provider’s direct API when one of the recommended built-in SMTP email provider integrations is used.
- This implies that your emails will still send even if your web server is restricting SMTP ports.
Rating ⭐ 4.8
WordPress Mail Bank
With the help of the free SMTP plugin WordPress Mail Bank, you may send emails quickly and with complete confidence. This covers a selection of tools made to check, record, and manage your email deliverability even when it crosses numerous WordPress networks and installations.
The internal Tech Banker team of skilled coders created this plugin. They are the ones who will keep updating Mail Bank every day of the week with new features. By default, the plugin updates itself automatically.
Features
- The wp mail() function is reconfigured to allow you to customize your outgoing email settings.
- With this plugin, virtually any SMTP service provider is usable.
- Additionally, Mail Bank supports the SendGrid and Mailgun APIs. This implies that if you manage a website with a larger user base, you’ll be able to significantly increase your email deliverability.
- Email deliverability problems are swiftly and conveniently fixed using Mail Bank.
Rating ⭐ 4.6
Conclusion
Even while WordPress has an email sending feature, using the built-in PHP mail function may cause deliverability problems. Use SMTP instead if you’re going to be sending out dozens or hundreds of emails every day.
Your choice of SMTP service provider is entirely up to you, but many of them provide generous free plans. Whichever WordPress SMTP plugin you choose should be used, they are all secure options that provide various SMTP integration techniques.
