You might be wondering, why you need to install an SMTP plugin on your WordPress site? Here is the story.
WordPress has a function called wp_mail that plays a role to handle the mail delivery job. If you use Contact Form 7, for instance, every form submission that is sent to your email address is delivered by the wp_mail function. Most form builder plugins (including Contact Form 7 and Gravity Forms) use this function for mail delivery job.
E-commerce plugins — including WooCommerce — also use this function to deliver transactional emails such as confirmation, notification, and so on.
On the list:
Issue with wp_mail Function
The wp_mail function itself depends on the send_mail function belongs to PHP to work. If your hosting provider disabled this function (send_mail) then the wp_mail function cannot work. As a result, the contact form or e-commerce plugin you use won’t be able to deliver the email. In such a case, you need an SMTP plugin.
An SMTP plugin will replace the job of the wp_mail function to handle the mail delivery. An SMTP plugin can also be a solution if you often find that emails from your WordPress site often end up in the spam folder.
SMTP Plugins for WordPress
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is an internet standard for e-mail transactions. This protocol is used to both send and receive an email. In the context of WordPress, you can use an SMTP plugin to add SMTP functionality to your WordPress site.
You can either use your own SMTP server (if you have one) or uses existing SMTP services such as Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, SendGrid, and Mailgun.
Here are some of the best SMTP plugins that you can use for free.
1. Post SMTP
Post SMTP is a plugin we strongly recommend if you are looking for a free solution of SMTP plugin. You can use this plugin to configure your Gmail account to become an SMTP server on your WordPress site. In the previous article, we have demonstrated how to use this plugin to fix the mail delivery issue in Contact Form 7.
You can read it to find out how. If you have a Mandrill, Mailgun, or SendGrid account, you can also use this plugin to use your account to add an SMTP functionality to your WordPress site. Post SMTP is quite easy to use as it offers a handy configuration wizard.
2. WP Mail SMTP
WP Mail SMTP is a plugin from WPForms, one of the most popular form builder plugins. So, if you use WPForms as your form builder plugin then WP Mail SMTP is a perfect companion. Even so, you can also use this plugin to fix mail delivery issue on other form builder plugins as the plugin supports a wide range of SMTP services, including Gmail, Sendinblue, Mailgun, SendGrid, Amazon SES, and Pepipost.
Unlike Post SMTP which is available as a free plugin, WP Mail SMTP is available as a freemium plugin. The free version is limited to Gmail, Sendinblue, Mailgun, and SendGrid. The pro version of this plugin comes with notification manager and email logging.
3. WP Mail Bank
WP Mail Bank is a great option if you have your own SMTP server and want to use it on your WordPress site. If you don’t have one, you can configure your Gmail account to be an SMTP plugin on your WordPress site. In addition, this plugin also supports SendGrid and Mailgun.
However, you need to use the pro version to use your SendGrid or Mailgun account to add an SMTP functionality to your WordPress. Other features offered by the pro version of WP Mail Bank include email notifications and analytics.
4. Easy WP SMTP
You can also use Easy WP SMTP if you have an SMTP server and want to use it on your WordPress site. You just need to enter the SMTP host, SMTP login, and SMTP port of your SMTP server to use it on your WordPress site.
Alternatively, you can also use Gmail, Yahoo Mail, and Hotmail to add SMTP functionality to your WordPress site using this plugin. Easy WP SMTP is free to use.
5,6. Gmail SMTP & SMTP Mailer
Gmail SMTP & SMTP Mailer are two different plugins from the same developer. Gmail SMTP is developed specifically for Gmail, while SMTP Mailer allows you to use your own SMTP server on your WordPress site.
Same as Easy WP SMTP, you just need to provide the SMTP host, SMTP login, and SMTP port to use your SMTP server on your WordPress using SMTP Mailer. While for Gmail SMTP, you need to provide the Client ID and Client Secret which you can get via Google API Console.
