Are you searching for the top SMTP services available? An SMTP provider ensures reliable email delivery from your website to your users. Their servers are specifically designed to prevent your emails from landing in spam folders, guaranteeing they reach users’ inboxes.
This article will explore the leading SMTP service providers with impressive email delivery rates. We’ll also guide you on how to utilize these services to send your WordPress emails.
Why Use an SMTP Service Provider for WordPress Emails?
Email plays a crucial role in various tasks for all WordPress websites. For instance:
- Lost password recovery
- New account registration
- Notifications for comments, new articles, password changes, and more
- Order confirmations, invoices, and delivery information for online stores
By default, WordPress utilizes the PHP mail() function for sending emails. However, this often leads to complaints from users experiencing email delivery issues with WordPress.
Several issues arise with this default email method, causing it to malfunction.
Many hosting providers either haven’t configured this function correctly or have disabled it entirely to prevent server misuse. This misuse is a prevalent issue as the function lacks authentication, making it susceptible to spam emails.
Furthermore, even if the email function operates correctly on your WordPress hosting, your WordPress emails might still end up in spam. This happens because most spam filters scrutinize the sender’s email domain name. Emails originating from your site could be flagged as suspicious or spam.
The most effective solution to rectify this problem is to employ an SMTP server for sending emails from your WordPress site.
Understanding SMTP
SMTP, short for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, is the established standard for sending emails over the internet. It utilizes proper authentication, significantly increasing the likelihood of your emails reaching the recipient’s inbox.
Both paid and free SMTP service providers exist. For instance, you can obtain a free SMTP account using your Microsoft Office 365 business email address…
However, traditional email services impose limitations on the number of emails you can send. Free email providers such as Gmail or Outlook discourage using their SMTP servers for automated emails, like those sent by WordPress websites.
Therefore, opting for a reputable SMTP service provider is essential to ensure your emails are delivered as intended. Fortunately, numerous prominent SMTP companies offer generous free SMTP plans, often sufficient for most websites.
Let’s delve into the best SMTP service providers renowned for their high deliverability rates.
Top SMTP Service Providers
A wide array of SMTP service providers specialize in sending bulk emails, WordPress emails, transactional emails, and more. They differ in functionality, pricing, user-friendliness, free plan email limits, and delivery history.
1 – Mailtrap
Mailtrap Email Delivery Platform provides a dependable Email API and SMTP Service.
Setting up the Email API/SMTP is straightforward and requires minimal maintenance. Achieving high deliverability rates is effortless with the platform’s robust infrastructure and comprehensive features. Furthermore, Mailtrap prioritizes client support by offering thorough guidance and assistance.
Their deliverability monitoring feature proves invaluable for developers who need to swiftly troubleshoot unexpected sending issues.
Industry leaders like Adobe, Atlassian, PayPal, and StackOverflow place their trust in Mailtrap Email Delivery Platform as a reliable service provider.
Pricing: Mailtrap offers a free plan, allowing you to test its suitability for your needs.
2 – SMTP.com
SMTP.com is a leading SMTP service provider trusted by over 100,000 companies globally, boasting high deliverability and a comprehensive feature set.
Their robust API for sending transactional emails seamlessly integrates with WordPress through the widely-used WP Mail SMTP plugin. As SMTP relay is their core focus, they excel in delivering high email volumes with exceptional deliverability rates.
You gain access to comprehensive reports on submissions and views. Additionally, their domain reputation management features ensure your emails consistently reach the user’s inbox. WordPress site owners can leverage SMTP.com for various automated emails, including site notifications, registration emails, verification emails, order confirmations from their WooCommerce store, status updates, and more.
Pricing: SMTP.com offers a 30-day free trial with a generous allowance of 50,000 emails. Paid plans commence at $25 per month, with higher-tier plans offering Dedicated IP and Reputation Defender add-ons.
3 – Sendinblue
Sendinblue stands out as an exceptional SMTP email service provider, particularly for beginners. They offer a powerful marketing platform encompassing transactional email, email marketing, SMS marketing, and live chat.
It seamlessly integrates with WordPress and other third-party platforms like OptinMonster, Salesforce, and Google Analytics. Their advanced personalization and marketing automation capabilities empower effective marketing campaigns.
Sendinblue’s highly extensible API and SMTP relay service instantly enhance transactional email deliverability.
Pricing: Sendinblue provides a free perpetual plan that includes 300 emails per day. Their paid plans start at $25 per month, offering 40,000 emails monthly with no daily sending limits.
4 – Mailgun
Mailgun enjoys widespread popularity as an SMTP service provider among developers and businesses. Its robust API facilitates seamless transactional email sending.
Integration with your WordPress site is effortless. Whether you run an e-commerce store, membership site, or a small business, Mailgun’s easily scalable SMTP service caters to both marketing and transactional email needs.
Designed primarily for developers, it may lack some beginner-friendly features found in other listed SMTP providers.
Pricing: Mailgun offers a generous free plan, allowing you to send your first 5,000 emails for free within the first 3 months. Their paid plans are highly competitive, with dedicated IP addresses for enhanced deliverability starting at $80 per month.
5 – SendGrid
SendGrid, a powerful cloud-based SMTP email service provider, enables sending large email volumes without the hassle of managing an SMTP server. Its robust feature set ensures scalability.
Setting up the SMTP relay is straightforward, and it seamlessly integrates with any WordPress site. Features include delivery optimization tools, email analytics, email templates with a simple email editor, and integration with third-party apps and services.
For those prioritizing deliverability, SendGrid offers excellent tools to further improve email delivery, such as dedicated IP addresses and domain name authentication tools.
Pricing: Their free plan includes the first 40,000 emails for free, followed by a daily limit of 100 emails. Paid plans start at $14.95 per month.
6 – Amazon SES
Amazon Web Services (AWS), a leader in cloud computing infrastructure, offers Amazon SES (Amazon Simple Email Service) as an add-on to its web services.
This robust, cloud-based SMTP service simplifies sending marketing, notification, and transactional email campaigns for both marketers and developers.
It boasts superior deliverability and cost-effectiveness compared to other AWS offerings. While packed with features, most cater to advanced users and developers.
Integrating Amazon SES with your WordPress site is easy using plugins (more details later in this article). Depending on your usage, Amazon SES can be the most cost-effective SMTP service available.
Pricing: If your website is hosted on AWS, you can leverage the free tier to send 62,000 emails per month. For other sites, pricing starts at $0.10 per 1,000 emails sent.
7 – Google Workspace (formerly G Suite)
G Suite, Google’s productivity suite for businesses, provides access to calendars, Google Drive, documents, photos, and Gmail, all utilizing your domain name.
This enables you to establish a professional business email address.
Choosing the Best SMTP Service Provider
The ideal SMTP service provider for you hinges on your specific requirements and business size.
For small businesses, SMTP.com emerges as a top choice. Its scalability, affordability, and dependable customer support make it a compelling option.
For handling large email volumes cost-effectively, Amazon SES is the optimal SMTP service provider.
Final Thoughts on SMTP Services
Using an SMTP service is crucial for ensuring successful WordPress email delivery. With numerous options available, each catering to different needs, selecting the right one is vital. Consider factors like deployment, features, and pricing to determine the perfect solution for your company.
This article has explored a diverse range of SMTP services. For a user-friendly and affordable option, SendInBlue comes highly recommended. However, if you’re a developer seeking advanced features, Mailgun would be a more suitable choice.
Connecting Your SMTP Service to WordPress Made Easy
Once you’ve subscribed to an SMTP service provider, the next step is to integrate it with your WordPress website. This overrides the default WordPress email function with your chosen SMTP service, ensuring seamless email deliverability.
Fluent SMTP, the best WordPress SMTP plugin, simplifies sending emails from WordPress using any SMTP service provider.
Available in both free and premium versions, its free SMTP plugin offers more features than its counterparts. For instance, it grants control over your emails and allows you to select specific WordPress notification emails to be sent through your SMTP service provider.
Accessing Email Logs and Simplified Setup
Begin by installing and activating the Fluent SMTP plugin. Refer to our step-by-step guide for installing WordPress plugins for detailed instructions. Once activated, navigate to the Settings » Fluent SMTP page.
Locate and click on your SMTP service provider. If it’s not listed, choose the “Other SMTP” option.
Scroll down the page; the sender’s email and name fields should already be populated.
Upon selecting an SMTP company, specific settings for that carrier company will appear, along with hyperlinks to relevant instructions on providing the required information.
If your SMTP server isn’t listed, choose the “Other SMTP” option. Fluent SMTP is compatible with all SMTP providers.
Below, you’ll find the information fields to fill in. This information is available on your SMTP service provider’s website within your account.
Required Information
- SMTP Host: Your SMTP server address, typically in the format smtp.yourserviceprovider.com
- Encryption: Usually SSL or TLS
- SMTP Port: Typically 465
- Authentication: Enable authentication
- Username: Your SMTP service-provided username, usually your email address.
- Password: Your SMTP service password
For security, the plugin recommends storing your username and password in the wpconfig.php file instead of plain text.
After entering all the necessary details, click the “Save Connection Settings” button to save your changes.
Navigate to the Fluent SMTP “Email Test” tab and input an email address to send a test email to. By default, this will be the site administrator’s email address. Click the “Send Test Email” button.
You should receive a “Fluent SMTP: Test Email – HTML Version” message in your email. Check your inbox to confirm its arrival.
Fluent SMTP will now send a test email to the specified address. Check your inbox to ensure you’ve received the test email.
Congratulations! You have successfully configured your WordPress site to utilize your chosen SMTP service provider.
We hope this article has equipped you with the knowledge to choose the best SMTP service provider for sending emails from your WordPress website.