WordPress SMTP Services

Transactional email — password resets, order confirmations, contact-form notifications — needs an SMTP relay that authenticates as the sending domain. The providers below are reviewed for deliverability defaults, pricing at small WordPress volumes, and the realities of getting WordPress to talk to them. Some run their own infrastructure; some resell AWS SES — the difference shows up in support, pricing edges, and what happens when reputation tanks.

Amazon SES as a WordPress SMTP Server

Amazon SES sends email at $0.10 per thousand – the cheapest in this category. The trade-off: IAM credentials, sandbox restrictions, no permanent free tier.
Read More: Amazon SES as a WordPress SMTP Server

Microsoft 365 as a WordPress SMTP Server

Microsoft 365 can relay WordPress mail through Exchange Online via SMTP AUTH or OAuth. Per-mailbox cap is 10,000 recipients per day, 30 messages per minute. SMTP AUTH Basic Authentication is default-off on existing tenants from the end of December 2026; OAuth is the only path that survives the cutoff.
Mailgun as a WordPress SMTP Server

Mailgun is developer-focused email infrastructure. A permanent free tier of 100 emails/day, then $15/month for 10,000. A strong API, but priced above what most WordPress sites need.
Elastic Email as a WordPress SMTP server

Elastic Email’s transactional API starts at $19/month for 50,000 emails. A free Pilot plan exists (SMTP and API access, undisclosed sending limits). Competitive at volume but overpriced below 30K sends/month for WordPress.
Zoho Mail as a WordPress SMTP Server

Zoho Mail is a mailbox service usable as WordPress SMTP relay via OAuth plugin or generic SMTP. Free for 5 users. Adequate for low-volume sites already on Zoho.
Bird (formerly MessageBird, formerly SparkPost) as a WordPress SMTP server

SparkPost was acquired by MessageBird (now Bird) in 2022. The official WordPress plugin was closed in March 2025. No longer available as a self-service product.
SMTP.com as a WordPress SMTP Server

SMTP.com is a high-volume email relay with 22+ years of operation. Entry at $25/mo for 50K emails. Overpowered for typical WordPress sites; relevant for large WooCommerce or membership platforms.
Resend as a WordPress SMTP Server

Resend is the React Email team’s developer-first sending service: generous free tier, clean API. For WordPress operators, does the developer pitch translate?
Postmark as a WordPress SMTP Server

Postmark is a transactional-first email relay with deliverability as its core product. Basic plan starts at $15/month for 10,000 emails. The right default for WordPress sites that need email to arrive.
Netcore Email API (formerly Pepipost) as a WordPress SMTP Server

Netcore Email API (formerly Pepipost) is a developer-focused relay starting at $25/mo for 150K emails. Free tier allows 100/day. Enterprise-oriented; most WordPress sites should use simpler alternatives.
Mailchimp Transactional Email (formerly Mandrill) as a WordPress SMTP Server

Mailchimp Transactional Email runs on Mandrill’s infrastructure but requires a $20/month Mailchimp Standard plan before any 25,000-email block can be purchased.
Gmail as a WordPress SMTP Server

Gmail can relay WordPress emails via SMTP using OAuth2 or App Passwords. Free accounts allow 500 sends/day; Workspace allows 2,000. Not a transactional service.
Mailjet as a WordPress SMTP Server

Mailjet’s free tier sends 6,000 emails/month from WordPress. A marketing platform with decent SMTP, but Brevo’s free tier is more generous and the Mailjet branding on free emails is a drawback.
SMTP2GO as a WordPress SMTP Server

SMTP2GO is a transactional email relay with a free tier (1,000 emails/month) and no marketing overhead. Starter plan is $10/month. The right tool when WordPress just needs email to work.
MailPoet as a WordPress SMTP Server

MailPoet is a WordPress newsletter platform (500K+ installs, by Automattic) with its own sending service. Use it for email marketing, not as a standalone SMTP relay.
Zeptomail (by Zoho) as a WordPress SMTP Server

Zeptomail is Zoho’s transactional-only email relay. Credit-based pricing at $2.50/10K emails with no monthly fee. Best for sites already using Zoho.
SendLayer as a WordPress SMTP Server

SendLayer is a transactional relay from the WPBeginner/Awesome Motive ecosystem. Annual plans from $5/mo. Outpriced by SMTP2GO and Postmark at every tier.
Brevo (Sendinblue) as a WordPress SMTP Server

Brevo’s free tier sends 300 emails/day from WordPress via SMTP or API. A marketing platform that also handles transactional email – good fit for some sites, more platform than others need.
SendGrid as a WordPress SMTP server

SendGrid is a high-volume email platform owned by Twilio. Essentials plan starts at $19.95/month for 50,000 emails. Priced and featured above what most WordPress sites need, but a defensible choice at enterprise scale.
MailHawk as a WordPress SMTP Server

MailHawk is a WordPress-only email service with plugin-based integration. Basic plan $1/mo for 1,000 emails. A niche option for Groundhogg users; most sites are better served by standard SMTP relays.