Easy WP SMTP
SendLayer's SMTP plugin with a setup wizard and 10 free mailers; Pro adds Gmail, Microsoft 365, SES, logs, alerts, backup and routing.
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WP Mail SMTP
Widely used SMTP plugin from the WPForms team: 15 mailers free, with logs, alerts, backup connections and smart routing in Pro.
Free installs4M+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~250KLikely 130K–500K
Vendor claims4M+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.8/55,209 reviews
Price from$99/yrFreemium
Last updated20 Oct 2026Version 4.10.3
Overview
WP Mail SMTP replaces WordPress’s default PHP mail with a properly authenticated connection to an email provider, so contact forms, WooCommerce receipts and password resets stop landing in spam or disappearing. It is built by the WPForms team at Awesome Motive and is the most installed SMTP plugin on WordPress.org.
How it works
A setup wizard walks you through choosing a mailer, pasting an API key or SMTP credentials, and sending a test message. Most recommended mailers (SendLayer, SMTP.com, Brevo, Mailgun, SendGrid, Postmark and others) connect through the provider’s API rather than SMTP ports, which helps on hosts that block port 25/587. Gmail and Google Workspace can be connected with OAuth through your own Google app, and Other SMTP covers any remaining host. The wizard can also import settings from Easy WP SMTP, FluentSMTP and Post SMTP.
Free vs Pro
The free Lite version handles sending well: 15 mailers, From name/address forcing, a Do Not Send switch for staging, debug events, an email test tool with a deliverability report, WP-CLI commands and a basic weekly summary. Almost everything around monitoring is paid: the full email log, resending, open and click tracking, failure alerts (Slack, Teams, Discord, SMS, webhooks, email), backup connections, conditional routing, rate limiting, background sending, Email Controls and network-wide multisite settings. Pro also unlocks the Microsoft 365/Outlook, Amazon SES and Zoho mailers.
Strengths and limitations
- Very polished onboarding and clear error messages.
- Pro’s backup connection and smart routing are well implemented and easy to configure.
- Logging, alerts and reports are all Pro-only, and Microsoft 365 users must pay to connect at all.
- Renewals are at full list price ($99/year for one site), noticeably more than the first-year discount.
Who should pick it: site owners who want the most guided setup and are happy to pay for logs and alerts, and agencies already using WPForms or other Awesome Motive tools. If you need logging for free, FluentSMTP or Post SMTP cover more without a licence.
Best for: Site owners who want the most guided SMTP setup and will pay for logging, alerts and backup sending.
WP Mail SMTP is the easiest way to get WordPress email authenticated, and its Pro features (backup connections, smart routing, alerts) are well executed. The catch is that monitoring is entirely paid, and Microsoft 365 users cannot connect for free, so budget-conscious sites may prefer a free alternative.
Pros
- Guided setup wizard that checks credentials with the provider before saving
- 15 mailers in the free version, most connecting by API rather than SMTP ports
- Pro backup connection and conditional routing by subject, recipient or source plugin
- Failure alerts to Slack, Teams, Discord, SMS, webhooks or email in Pro
- Settings can be locked down with wp-config constants, plus WP-CLI commands
Cons
- Email log, resend, alerts and reports all require a paid licence
- Microsoft 365/Outlook, Amazon SES and Zoho mailers are Pro-only
- Renewal prices are double the advertised first-year price on the entry plan
- Free version shows regular upgrade prompts in the dashboard
Key features
What WP Mail SMTP highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- 15 mailers including SendLayer and Brevo
- Gmail/Google Workspace via OAuth
- Any SMTP server supported
- Setup wizard with credential check
- Email test with deliverability report
- Force From name and address
- Do Not Send switch for staging
- Debug events for failed sends
- Import from other SMTP plugins
- WP-CLI configuration commands
- Credentials via wp-config constants
- Basic weekly email summary
Pro / paid adds From $99/yr
- Full email log with attachments
- Resend and forward logged emails
- Open and click tracking
- Email reports and dashboard charts
- Failure alerts to Slack, Teams, SMS
- Backup connection on failure
- Smart conditional routing
- Microsoft 365, Amazon SES, Zoho mailers
- One-click Gmail setup
- Rate limiting and background sending
- Email Controls for core notifications
- Network-wide multisite settings
- White Glove Setup on Elite
Feature checklist
22 of 23 features we track in SMTP & Email Delivery, feature score 96/100
Sending & mailers 8/8
Any SMTP server Key
Send through any SMTP host with your own credentials.
Other SMTP mailer connects to any host with your own credentials.
Included
API mailer integrations Key
Native API connections to SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, Postmark and similar.
Free API mailers include SendLayer, SMTP.com, Brevo, Mailgun, SendGrid, Postmark, SparkPost and more.
Included
Gmail & Google Workspace Key
Sign in with Google (OAuth) instead of storing a password.
Free Gmail mailer uses OAuth with your own Google app; one-click Gmail setup is Pro.
Included
Microsoft 365 / Outlook
Send through Outlook or Microsoft 365 with OAuth.
Microsoft Outlook.com/Office 365 one-click mailer is only in paid plans.
Paid version Pro
Amazon SES
Native Amazon SES integration.
Native Amazon SES mailer requires a Pro licence.
Paid version Pro
Backup connection Key
Falls back to a second mailer if the main one fails.
Backup connection takes over and resends when the primary mailer fails.
Paid version Pro
Smart routing
Send different emails through different connections by rules.
Route emails by subject, content, from/to address or source plugin.
Paid version Pro
Setup wizard
Guided setup with a test email at the end.
Wizard verifies mailer settings with the provider and ends with a test email.
Included
Logs & monitoring 7/7
Email log Key
Keeps a record of every email sent from the site.
Log of every email with status, headers, content and source plugin.
Paid version Pro
Resend from the log
Resend failed or individual emails from the log.
Resend or forward logged emails individually or in bulk.
Paid version Pro
Open & click tracking
See whether emails were opened and links clicked.
Open and click rates shown in Pro email reports.
Paid version Pro
Failure alerts Key
Alerts by email, Slack, SMS or push when sending fails.
Alerts via email, Slack, Teams, Discord, Twilio SMS or webhooks.
Paid version Pro
Automatic retry & queue
Queues emails and retries failed sends automatically.
Background queue and rate-limit queue; failed sends are retried through the backup connection.
Paid version Pro
Delivery reports
Charts or weekly summaries of sent and failed emails.
Lite sends a basic weekly total; charts and detailed weekly stats are Pro.
Partial
Log retention & attachments
Control how long logs are kept, with optional attachment storage.
Log retention period and optional attachment storage apply to the Pro email log.
Paid version Pro
Email control 4/4
Force from name & address
Override the sender name and address on every email.
Force From Email and Force From Name override other plugins' sender details.
Included
Turn WordPress emails on or off
Disable individual core, update or WooCommerce notification emails.
Turn off core comment, user, update and privacy emails; WooCommerce emails not covered.
Paid version Pro
Stop sending / test mode
Block outgoing email on staging sites or while testing.
Do Not Send setting blocks all outgoing wp_mail emails.
Included
Test email & diagnostics
Send a test email and see a readable error if it fails.
Email Test tool, plus Email Detective deliverability report.
Included
Security & admin 3/4
Secure credential storage
Store keys in wp-config constants or encrypted in the database.
Mailer keys and SMTP passwords can be defined as wp-config constants.
Included
Multisite support
Network-wide or per-site settings on multisite.
Network-wide settings and central subsite logs are Pro; Lite can be set up per subsite.
Paid version Pro
No paywalled mailers
All supported mailers are available in the free version.
Microsoft 365, Amazon SES and Zoho Mail mailers are reserved for Pro.
Not included
Developer hooks & WP-CLI
Hooks, filters or WP-CLI commands for developers.
WP-CLI commands (since 4.9), constants and filters for developers.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Lite
Freeper yearUnlimited
Free on WordPress.org; 15 mailers, no email log or alerts.
Pro
$99per year1 site
First year shown at $49; logs, reports, tracking, alerts, backup connection, smart routing, extra mailers.
Elite
$149per year1 site
First year $99; everything in Pro plus White Glove Setup and priority support. Site count not stated separately (listed as everything in Pro).
Developer
$249per year20 sites
First year $199; priority support.
Agency
$449per year100 sites
First year $399; priority support. Prices exclude VAT; renewals at full price.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use WP Mail SMTP?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
4M+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
4M+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~250K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: The vendor figure (4M+) is within WordPress.org's rounding of the free installs, so it says nothing about paid sites. About 4.5M free installs x 5.6% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid, lower for very large free bases) gives 250K. Likely range: 130K to 500K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
543,473 downloads last week, 90.6M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 4.10.3 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 20 Oct 2026 (13 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 5.5+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 17 of 24 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 12 Sep 2007 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 14-day money-back (source, 11 Oct 2026) |
|---|
WP Mail SMTP compared
Alternatives to WP Mail SMTP
FluentSMTP
Completely free, open-source SMTP plugin from WPManageNinja with native API mailers, email logs, resend, fallback and chat-app alerts.
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Post SMTP
SMTP and API mailer plugin with free email logs, fallback SMTP, failure alerts and a mobile app; Pro adds Microsoft 365, SES…
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SureMail
Free SMTP and email log plugin from Brainstorm Force with 15+ mailers, backup connections, auto-retry, resend and email simulation.
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Solid Mail
Free SMTP plugin from SolidWP (formerly WP SMTP, now moving to Kadence) with provider presets, From-based routing, fallback and an email log.
40
Site Mailer
Elementor's hosted email sending service for WordPress (now listed as Email Deliverability). No SMTP setup, logs, resend and open tracking; 200 free…
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FAQ
Is WP Mail SMTP free?
Yes. WP Mail SMTP has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $99/yr.
How many sites use WP Mail SMTP?
WordPress.org reports 4M+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 4M+ sites in total. We estimate around 250K sites run the paid version.
Does WP Mail SMTP have any smtp server?
Yes: included. Other SMTP mailer connects to any host with your own credentials.
Does WP Mail SMTP have api mailer integrations?
Yes: included. Free API mailers include SendLayer, SMTP.com, Brevo, Mailgun, SendGrid, Postmark, SparkPost and more.
Does WP Mail SMTP have gmail & google workspace?
Yes: included. Free Gmail mailer uses OAuth with your own Google app; one-click Gmail setup is Pro.
Does WP Mail SMTP have backup connection?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Backup connection takes over and resends when the primary mailer fails.
Does WP Mail SMTP have email log?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Log of every email with status, headers, content and source plugin.
Does WP Mail SMTP have failure alerts?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Alerts via email, Slack, Teams, Discord, Twilio SMS or webhooks.
Is WP Mail SMTP free?
Yes, the Lite version on WordPress.org is free and supports 15 mailers plus any SMTP server. Email logging, alerts, reports, backup connections and the Microsoft 365, Amazon SES and Zoho mailers need a Pro licence.
How much does WP Mail SMTP Pro cost?
Pro lists at $99/year for one site, with the first year discounted to $49. Elite ($149), Developer ($249, 20 sites) and Agency ($449, 100 sites) are also available, and there is a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Can I switch from another SMTP plugin?
Yes. The setup wizard can import settings from Easy WP SMTP, FluentSMTP, Post SMTP Mailer, SMTP Mailer and WP SMTP.
Does WP Mail SMTP work with Microsoft 365?
Only in Pro. The Microsoft (Outlook.com and Office 365) one-click mailer is a paid feature; free users would need a different provider.
Does it work on multisite?
Each subsite can be configured on its own, and Pro adds network-wide settings that Super Admins control, plus central access to subsite logs.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.