YaySMTP is a mailer plugin from Yay Commerce, a software vendor whose main catalogue is WooCommerce extensions. It sits at 10,000+ active installs, well below WP Mail SMTP (4M+), FluentSMTP (500K+), Easy WP SMTP (500K+), and Post SMTP (300K+), and its name recognition in the category is thin. The plugin itself, however, is richer than the install count suggests: the free version ships 18 SMTP provider integrations including OAuth for Gmail, Zoho, and Microsoft Outlook/365, email open and click tracking, delivery reports, and Amazon SES, all without a paid tier requirement. Version 2.7.4 released March 30, 2026; the plugin is actively maintained.
The paid tiers add two things: priority support and the ability to request custom features. A $49/year purchase buys a support channel, not new capabilities.
Free version
Configuration follows three steps: set the sender name and From address, choose an SMTP provider from the built-in list, and enter the credentials. A test-email tool is available from the settings page.
The free provider set covers 18 mailers: SendGrid, Gmail, Zoho, Brevo, Mailgun, SMTP.com, Amazon SES, Postmark, Mailjet, MessageBird, Pepipost, SendPulse, Microsoft Outlook/Office 365/Exchange, Mandrill, Yournotify, IONOS, generic hosting SMTP, and custom SMTP. OAuth authentication is used for Gmail/Google Workspace, Zoho, and Microsoft Outlook/365, removing the need for Less Secure App (LSA) access was Google's name for the third-party authentication path that used a plain account password against Gmail's SMTP, IMAP, and POP endpoints. Google shut it down for consumer accounts on 30 May 2022 and for Workspace accounts on 1 May 2025; OAuth, App Passwords, or a different sending provider replace it. Read full reference → on those providers.
The email log records all sent messages with recipient, subject, status, and timestamp. The retention window is configurable. Logs export and import as CSV.
YaySMTP includes email open tracking and click-link tracking in the free version. It also generates weekly and monthly delivery reports. Most competing mailer plugins ship neither.
The fallback mailer routes through a secondary SMTP server or provider when the primary connection fails. This is a simple failover path: there is no conditional routing by message type or From address. Easy WP SMTP provides an equivalent Backup Connection as a paid feature; YaySMTP ships it free.
The plugin includes a development/staging mode that suppresses outbound delivery while continuing to write to the log.
Migration tools are included to import configuration from competing SMTP plugins.
An older nanoPost listing referenced bounce handling as a feature; the current wordpress.org description does not, and nanoPost could not confirm the implementation from current primary sources. The claim has been removed.
Pro tiers
Yay Commerce sells yearly and lifetime plans:
Yearly (intro / regular renewal):
| Plan | Sites | Intro | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | 1 | $49/year | $99/year |
| Multiple | 5 | $99/year | $199/year |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | $299/year | $499/year |
Lifetime:
| Plan | Sites | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Single | 1 | $99 |
| Multiple | 5 | $299 |
| Unlimited | Unlimited | $599 |
Pricing verified against yaycommerce.com, 2026-06-15.
Every paid plan adds the same two things: priority support for email-sending issues and the ability to submit custom feature requests, which Yay Commerce evaluates individually. The plugin feature set is identical between free and paid versions. A $49/year single-site subscription is a support contract on a feature-complete free plugin.
Where it sits in the wp_mail pipeline
YaySMTP hooks into wp_mail(): every email WordPress sends, whether from WooCommerce, a contact form plugin, or core password resets, routes through the configured YaySMTP provider. Only one mailer-replacement plugin can be active at a time; running YaySMTP alongside WP Mail SMTP or FluentSMTP will produce undefined behaviour.
The current plugin description does not document a public filter surface for modifying outbound message attributes such as headers, From address, or Reply-To. Standard phpmailer_init hook access is available as with all WordPress email, but no YaySMTP-specific filter API is documented.
Alternatives
FluentSMTP is the practical default for operators who want a mailer with no paid tier and no upsell stream. It ships full email logging, multiple-connection routing by From address, and native Gmail and Outlook OAuth, all free. It does not include open tracking or delivery reports.
WP Mail SMTP has the largest install base and a broad free provider set. Admin-area upgrade pressure is the standard objection; the plugin functions well for operators who can tolerate it. Gmail and Microsoft 365 OAuth are Pro-only in WP Mail SMTP, at $49/year entry.
Easy WP SMTP is structurally the closest comparison: a smaller freemium mailer from a vendor (Awesome Motive) whose other products dominate the site. Easy WP SMTP’s Pro tier at $99/year renewal unlocks Amazon SES, Microsoft 365 OAuth, Gmail OAuth, Zoho, advanced logging, and routing. YaySMTP gives all of those providers and OAuth integrations free. On provider coverage alone, the free YaySMTP tier beats Easy WP SMTP Pro.
Post SMTP is independent of the large WordPress vendor portfolios. The free version includes good email logging and the Pro tier adds mobile alerting and multisite monitoring, features the others don’t match.
If YaySMTP is already installed and working, migration adds no practical benefit. If a new mailer is needed and the deciding factor is free provider coverage (especially Amazon SES, Outlook OAuth, or Zoho OAuth), YaySMTP is worth evaluating before paying for Easy WP SMTP Pro. For everything else, FluentSMTP remains the simpler choice.
Assessment
YaySMTP at version 2.7.4 is an actively maintained, feature-complete free mailer plugin with a broader provider set than its install count implies. The open/click tracking and delivery reports in the free version are genuine additions over FluentSMTP and Easy WP SMTP free. The free availability of Amazon SES, Microsoft 365 OAuth, and Zoho OAuth is a concrete advantage over Easy WP SMTP, which gates those behind $99/year.
The install-count gap is real: 10,000+ against FluentSMTP’s 500,000+ means a smaller support community, fewer third-party guides, and a longer tail of edge-case bugs that take longer to surface. For an operator who does not need the specific providers YaySMTP ships free that competitors don’t, FluentSMTP or WP Mail SMTP are better defaults on the strength of their track records alone.
The right installation case is specific: an operator who needs Amazon SES, Microsoft 365 OAuth, or Zoho OAuth without paying for Easy WP SMTP or WP Mail SMTP Pro, and who finds the open tracking and delivery reports useful, has a genuine reason to choose YaySMTP over the larger alternatives. The right case for the paid tier is narrower still: an operator who wants vendor support for a free plugin.
For the broader setup the plugin slots into, see how to set up WordPress email.
Plugin data verified against wordpress.org/plugins/yaysmtp and yaycommerce.com, 2026-06-15. Version 2.7.4, last updated May 18, 2026.