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Gmail SMTP vs SureMail

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

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
VS

SureMail

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.7 (25)

Free SMTP and email log plugin from Brainstorm Force with 15+ mailers, backup connections, auto-retry, resend and email simulation.

Free installs200K+
FromFree
UpdatedOct 2026
Visit site Full profile

Choose Gmail SMTP if…

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

Choose SureMail 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 (81/100 vs 23/100)
  • You prefer the more widely used option

SureMail has 11 that Gmail SMTP lacks, including Any SMTP server, API mailer integrations and Amazon SES. Both include 6 of the 23 features we track. 3 features are not yet verified for one or both plugins.

At a glance

Gmail SMTP
SureMail
23/100
Feature score
81/100
6 of 23
Features included
19 of 23
4.1/5
WordPress.org rating
4.7/5
10K+
Active installs
200K+
0%
Support threads resolved
50%

Feature comparison

Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.

Feature
Gmail SMTP
SureMail
Sending & mailers1/87/8
Any SMTP server KeySend through any SMTP host with your own credentials.
Gmail SMTP Not included

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

SureMail Included

'Other SMTP' connection takes any host, port, SSL/TLS and optional login.

API mailer integrations KeyNative API connections to SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, Postmark and similar.
Gmail SMTP Not included

No API mailers; Gmail SMTP is the only transport.

SureMail Included

API connections for SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Brevo, SparkPost, Mailjet, MailerSend, SMTP2GO and more.

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

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

SureMail Included

Google Workspace / Gmail connection authorises with Google OAuth using your Cloud client ID and secret.

Microsoft 365 / OutlookSend through Outlook or Microsoft 365 with OAuth.
Gmail SMTP Not included

No Microsoft 365 or Outlook support.

SureMail Not included

No Microsoft 365 or Outlook OAuth connection among the listed providers; generic SMTP only.

Amazon SESNative Amazon SES integration.
Gmail SMTP Not included

No Amazon SES support.

SureMail Included

Dedicated Amazon SES connection.

Backup connection KeyFalls back to a second mailer if the main one fails.
Gmail SMTP Not included

Single Gmail connection with no fallback mailer.

SureMail Included

Connections for the same From email are tried in sequence until one succeeds.

Smart routingSend different emails through different connections by rules.
Gmail SMTP Not included

One connection for all emails.

SureMail Partial

Emails go to the connection matching their From address; no other routing rules.

Setup wizardGuided setup with a test email at the end.
Gmail SMTP Not included

Settings form plus a written guide; no guided wizard.

SureMail Included

Onboarding wizard (v1.7+) sets up the first connection; the SureContact path ends with a test step.

Logs & monitoring1/76/7
Email log KeyKeeps a record of every email sent from the site.
Gmail SMTP Via add-on

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

SureMail Included

Logs every email with status, body, headers, attachments and server response.

Resend from the logResend failed or individual emails from the log.
Gmail SMTP Not verified

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

SureMail Included

Resend one email or bulk-resend selected emails from the log.

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

No open or click tracking.

SureMail Not included

Logs show delivery status only; no open or click tracking is offered.

Failure alerts KeyAlerts by email, Slack, SMS or push when sending fails.
Gmail SMTP Not included

No alerts when sending fails.

SureMail Via add-on

Needs the separate OttoKit plugin (free plan available) using the 'Email Failed to Send' trigger.

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

No queue or automatic retry.

SureMail Included

Failed emails are retried automatically across all connections after 30 minutes.

Delivery reportsCharts or weekly summaries of sent and failed emails.
Gmail SMTP Not included

No delivery charts or summaries.

SureMail Included

Dashboard charts of sent and failed emails plus an optional weekly email summary.

Log retention & attachmentsControl how long logs are kept, with optional attachment storage.
Gmail SMTP Not verified

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

SureMail Included

Choose when logs are auto-deleted; optional attachment storage.

Email control2/43/4
Force from name & addressOverride the sender name and address on every email.
Gmail SMTP Partial

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

SureMail Included

Per-connection Force From Email and Force From Name toggles override other plugins.

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

No options to disable individual WordPress emails.

SureMail Not included

No settings to switch off individual WordPress or WooCommerce notification emails.

Stop sending / test modeBlock outgoing email on staging sites or while testing.
Gmail SMTP Not included

No option to block or simulate outgoing email.

SureMail Included

Email Simulation logs outgoing emails without delivering them.

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

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

SureMail Included

Send Test Mail from the Connections tab; failures show the provider's response in the log.

Security & admin2/43/4
Secure credential storageStore keys in wp-config constants or encrypted in the database.
Gmail SMTP Not included

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

SureMail Partial

Connection credentials are encrypted in the database; no wp-config.php constants.

Multisite supportNetwork-wide or per-site settings on multisite.
Gmail SMTP Not verified

Multisite support is not documented.

SureMail Not verified

Multisite support is not documented.

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

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

SureMail Included

No paid version; every mailer is in the free plugin.

Developer hooks & WP-CLIHooks, filters or WP-CLI commands for developers.
Gmail SMTP Partial

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

SureMail Included

Filters such as suremails_before_send_email and suremails_provider_list, plus Abilities API; no WP-CLI.

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

Pricing compared

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

SureMail Free

Free$0
FreeFree per year, Unlimited

Downloads trend

Gmail SMTP

4,576 downloads last week

SureMail

16,238 downloads last week

Verdict

Based on our feature data Checked 11 Oct 2026

SureMail scores higher on our feature checklist (81/100 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

Gmail SMTP: not included. SureMail: included. API connections for SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Brevo, SparkPost, Mailjet, MailerSend, SMTP2GO and more.

Any SMTP server

Gmail SMTP: not included. SureMail: included. 'Other SMTP' connection takes any host, port, SSL/TLS and optional login.

Backup connection

Gmail SMTP: not included. SureMail: included. Connections for the same From email are tried in sequence until one succeeds.

Failure alerts

Gmail SMTP: not included. SureMail: via add-on. Needs the separate OttoKit plugin (free plan available) using the 'Email Failed to Send' trigger.

Secure credential storage

Gmail SMTP: not included. SureMail: partial. Connection credentials are encrypted in the database; no wp-config.php constants.

Amazon SES

Gmail SMTP: not included. SureMail: included. Dedicated Amazon SES connection.

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

Which would you choose?

0 votes so far. Vote to see the results.

FAQ

Which is better, Gmail SMTP or SureMail?

SureMail scores higher on our feature checklist (81/100 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?

SureMail includes 19 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 Gmail SMTP free?

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

Is SureMail free?

SureMail has a free version on WordPress.org.

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