Hostinger is one of the largest budget WordPress hosting providers, offering managed WordPress plans from $2.99/month (intro pricing; renewal is $10.99/month). Like SiteGround, Hostinger bundles email hosting with every WordPress plan: up to 100 free email accounts on the domain, IMAP/POP3/SMTP access, webmail, and email forwarding. DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are configurable through the hosting panel.
The free email tier included with hosting has a 100 emails/day sending limit per mailbox. Hostinger also sells Business Email tiers with higher limits (1,000-3,000/day) and more storage.
Email on Hostinger
Bundled email accounts
Every Hostinger WordPress plan includes free email accounts at the hosted domain. The free tier provides basic storage and a 100 emails/day sending limit per mailbox. Access is via IMAP, POP3, SMTP (smtp.hostinger.com, port 465 with SSL), or Hostinger’s webmail interface. Email forwarding is available.
For operators who need more capacity, Hostinger sells Business Email as a separate product with 10-50 GB storage per account and 1,000-3,000 emails/day limits depending on the tier.
WordPress email (wp_mail)
By default, WordPress on Hostinger sends via PHP’s mail() function. As with SiteGround, this works but is often unsigned and deliverability suffers. Hostinger recommends configuring an SMTP plugin to authenticate outbound email through the Hostinger email accounts (smtp.hostinger.com:465) or a third-party relay.
DNS and authentication
DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records can be configured through Hostinger’s DNS management panel. DKIM signs outbound mail from Hostinger email accounts. SPF records authorize Hostinger’s servers to send on behalf of the domain.
Pricing context
Hostinger’s intro pricing is among the cheapest in the market, but renewal rates are substantially higher:
| Plan | Intro price | Renewal price |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | $2.99/month | $10.99/month |
| Business | $3.99/month | $14.99/month |
| Cloud Startup | $7.99/month | $24.99/month |
Intro prices require 48-month commitments. The renewal price is the operating cost; the intro price is the acquisition cost. When comparing Hostinger to SiteGround ($17.99/month renewal) or Kinsta ($35/month), use the renewal rate.
What Hostinger does not provide
High-volume transactional sending. The free email tier’s 100/day limit per mailbox is low for sites with significant form submissions or WooCommerce volume. Even the Business Email tier caps at 3,000/day. High-volume sites need a dedicated relay.
Email delivery monitoring. No bounce tracking, no suppression lists, no delivery analytics from the platform. The bundled email is fire-and-forget.
Dedicated IP reputation. Outbound email shares the hosting server’s IP with other customers. Deliverability depends on shared reputation.
When to add a third-party relay
Hostinger’s bundled email handles basic transactional needs for low-traffic sites. Add a dedicated sending service (Postmark, SMTP2GO, Mailgun) when:
- Daily volume exceeds the mailbox sending limit (100/day free, 3,000/day Business Email).
- Deliverability issues arise from shared IP reputation.
- The site needs bounce webhooks, suppression lists, or delivery analytics.
- WooCommerce order confirmations must reach the inbox reliably.
SMTP ports are open on Hostinger, so both SMTP-based and API-based plugin integrations work.