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FluentSMTP vs Gmail SMTP

Updated 11 Oct 2026. 23 features compared side by side.

FluentSMTP

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 (410)

Completely free, open-source SMTP plugin from WPManageNinja with native API mailers, email logs, resend, fallback and chat-app alerts.

Free installs700K+
FromFree
UpdatedSep 2026
Visit site Full profile
VS

Gmail SMTP

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.1 (103)

Lightweight plugin that sends WordPress email through Gmail or Google Workspace SMTP using OAuth 2.0, with paid add-ons for logging, Reply-To and Cc.

Free installs10K+
From$39.99
UpdatedNov 2026
Visit site Full profile

Choose FluentSMTP if…

  • You need API mailer integrations and any SMTP server
  • You also want backup connection and failure alerts
  • You want the more complete feature set (89/100 vs 23/100)
  • You prefer the more widely used option

Choose Gmail SMTP if…

  • Small sites on Gmail or Google Workspace that want simple, OAuth-based transactional email

FluentSMTP includes 11 features that Gmail SMTP lacks, including Any SMTP server, API mailer integrations and Microsoft 365 / Outlook. Both include 6 of the 23 features we track. 3 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

FluentSMTP
Gmail SMTP
89/100
Feature score
23/100
20 of 23
Features included
6 of 23
4.8/5
WordPress.org rating
4.1/5
700K+
Active installs
10K+
96%
Support threads resolved
0%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
FluentSMTP
Gmail SMTP
Sending & mailers8/81/8
Any SMTP server KeySend through any SMTP host with your own credentials.
FluentSMTP Included

Generic SMTP driver for any host, such as Yahoo, Outlook.com or cPanel mail.

Gmail SMTP Not included

Only connects to Gmail's SMTP server; no custom SMTP host.

API mailer integrations KeyNative API connections to SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, Postmark and similar.
FluentSMTP Included

API drivers for SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, Postmark, SparkPost, SMTP2GO and more.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No API mailers; Gmail SMTP is the only transport.

Gmail & Google Workspace KeySign in with Google (OAuth) instead of storing a password.
FluentSMTP Included

Gmail and Google Workspace connect through OAuth.

Gmail SMTP Included

Core feature: OAuth 2.0 authorisation with a Google Cloud client ID and secret.

Microsoft 365 / OutlookSend through Outlook or Microsoft 365 with OAuth.
FluentSMTP Included

Outlook/Office 365/Microsoft 365 connection via OAuth API, free.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No Microsoft 365 or Outlook support.

Amazon SESNative Amazon SES integration.
FluentSMTP Included

Native Amazon SES API driver included free.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No Amazon SES support.

Backup connection KeyFalls back to a second mailer if the main one fails.
FluentSMTP Included

Fallback connection is used when the default connection fails.

Gmail SMTP Not included

Single Gmail connection with no fallback mailer.

Smart routingSend different emails through different connections by rules.
FluentSMTP Partial

Routes each email to the connection matching its From address; no subject or plugin rules.

Gmail SMTP Not included

One connection for all emails.

Setup wizardGuided setup with a test email at the end.
FluentSMTP Included

Setup assistant to configure a connection and send a test email.

Gmail SMTP Not included

Settings form plus a written guide; no guided wizard.

Logs & monitoring5/71/7
Email log KeyKeeps a record of every email sent from the site.
FluentSMTP Included

Logs every email with headers, body and server response in its own table.

Gmail SMTP Via add-on

Paid Email Logger add-on ($39.99, unlimited sites) logs every email.

Resend from the logResend failed or individual emails from the log.
FluentSMTP Included

Resend any logged email singly or in bulk, failed or sent.

Gmail SMTP Not verified

The Email Logger page does not say whether emails can be resent.

Open & click trackingSee whether emails were opened and links clicked.
FluentSMTP Not included

No open or click tracking is offered.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No open or click tracking.

Failure alerts KeyAlerts by email, Slack, SMS or push when sending fails.
FluentSMTP Included

Instant failure alerts to Slack, Telegram, Discord or Pushover.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No alerts when sending fails.

Automatic retry & queueQueues emails and retries failed sends automatically.
FluentSMTP Not included

No automatic retry queue; failed emails are resent manually or handled by the fallback.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No queue or automatic retry.

Delivery reportsCharts or weekly summaries of sent and failed emails.
FluentSMTP Included

Dashboard sending charts plus a scheduled email summary of sent and failed totals.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No delivery charts or summaries.

Log retention & attachmentsControl how long logs are kept, with optional attachment storage.
FluentSMTP Included

Delete Logs setting keeps logs from 7 days up to 2 years.

Gmail SMTP Not verified

Retention options for the Email Logger add-on are not documented.

Email control3/42/4
Force from name & addressOverride the sender name and address on every email.
FluentSMTP Included

Per-connection Force From Email and Force Sender Name options.

Gmail SMTP Partial

From email and name are defaults when none is set; other plugins can override, and Gmail may rewrite the sender.

Turn WordPress emails on or offDisable individual core, update or WooCommerce notification emails.
FluentSMTP Not included

No settings to disable individual WordPress or WooCommerce notification emails.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No options to disable individual WordPress emails.

Stop sending / test modeBlock outgoing email on staging sites or while testing.
FluentSMTP Included

Email Simulation logs emails without sending; also a constant to force it.

Gmail SMTP Not included

No option to block or simulate outgoing email.

Test email & diagnosticsSend a test email and see a readable error if it fails.
FluentSMTP Included

Send plain or HTML test emails from settings or WP-CLI.

Gmail SMTP Included

Test Email tab sends a message and shows SMTP debug output.

Security & admin4/42/4
Secure credential storageStore keys in wp-config constants or encrypted in the database.
FluentSMTP Included

Keys encrypted with WordPress salts, or stored as wp-config constants.

Gmail SMTP Not included

Client secret and OAuth token are stored in plugin options; no encryption or wp-config constants.

Multisite supportNetwork-wide or per-site settings on multisite.
FluentSMTP Partial

Works on multisite but is configured per subsite, with no network-wide settings.

Gmail SMTP Not verified

Multisite support is not documented.

No paywalled mailersAll supported mailers are available in the free version.
FluentSMTP Included

Every mailer and feature is in the free plugin; no Pro version exists.

Gmail SMTP Included

Gmail is the only mailer and it is free; paid add-ons cover logging, Reply-To and Cc.

Developer hooks & WP-CLIHooks, filters or WP-CLI commands for developers.
FluentSMTP Included

WP-CLI commands for test, health, stats and prune-logs, plus constants.

Gmail SMTP Partial

A few filters (gmailsmtp_reply_to, gmailsmtp_cc, advanced settings fields); no WP-CLI.

Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?

Pricing compared

FluentSMTP Free

Free$0
FreeFree lifetime, Unlimited

Gmail SMTP Freemium

Free$0
FreeFree per year, Unlimited
Email Logger add-on$39.99 one-off, Unlimited
Add-on Bundle$49.99 one-off, Unlimited

Downloads trend

FluentSMTP

42,738 downloads last week

Gmail SMTP

726 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 11 Oct 2026

FluentSMTP scores higher on our feature checklist (89/100 against 23/100) and includes API mailer integrations, any SMTP server and backup connection that Gmail SMTP does not. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Biggest differences

API mailer integrations

FluentSMTP: included. Gmail SMTP: not included. API drivers for SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, Postmark, SparkPost, SMTP2GO and more.

Any SMTP server

FluentSMTP: included. Gmail SMTP: not included. Generic SMTP driver for any host, such as Yahoo, Outlook.com or cPanel mail.

Backup connection

FluentSMTP: included. Gmail SMTP: not included. Fallback connection is used when the default connection fails.

Failure alerts

FluentSMTP: included. Gmail SMTP: not included. Instant failure alerts to Slack, Telegram, Discord or Pushover.

Microsoft 365 / Outlook

FluentSMTP: included. Gmail SMTP: not included. Outlook/Office 365/Microsoft 365 connection via OAuth API, free.

Secure credential storage

FluentSMTP: included. Gmail SMTP: not included. Keys encrypted with WordPress salts, or stored as wp-config constants.

Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.

Which would you choose?

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FAQ

Which is better, FluentSMTP or Gmail SMTP?

FluentSMTP scores higher on our feature checklist (89/100 against 23/100) and includes API mailer integrations, any SMTP server and backup connection that Gmail SMTP does not. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.

Which has more features?

FluentSMTP includes 20 of the 23 features we track, against 6 for Gmail SMTP. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.

Is FluentSMTP free?

FluentSMTP has a free version on WordPress.org.

Is Gmail SMTP free?

Gmail SMTP has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $39.99.

Feature data last changed 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to FluentSMTP or Gmail SMTP. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.