SMTP2GO as a WordPress SMTP Server

SMTP2GO is nanoPost’s default recommendation for WordPress sites that need a dedicated transactional email relay. Unlike Brevo or Mailjet, SMTP2GO is not a marketing platform: no campaign builder, no contact list management, no automation workflows. It sends email and confirms that it arrived. For WordPress sites that need email to work reliably and nothing else, this simplicity is the feature.

The free tier covers 1,000 emails per month (200/day cap) with no credit card, no branding, and no time limit. That is enough for a small WordPress site running contact forms and core notifications. The Starter plan at $10/month scales to 10,000 emails for sites that outgrow it.

SMTP settings

Setting Value
Host mail.smtp2go.com
Port 2525 (recommended)
Encryption TLS
Authentication Login
Username SMTP username (from dashboard: Sending > SMTP Users)
Password SMTP password

Alternative ports: 587, 25, 80, 8025. For SSL: 465, 8465, 443. Port 2525 is SMTP2GO’s recommended default because fewer hosting providers block it than 587 or 25.

SMTP2GO uses dedicated SMTP credentials separate from API keys. Create them in the dashboard under Sending > SMTP Users. Add SMTP2GO’s SPF and DKIM records to your domain’s DNS before sending production email – the free tier’s 25-emails-per-hour limit is lifted once you verify your sending domain. After configuring DNS, verify with swaks that messages authenticate correctly.

Pricing

Plan Price Volume Key inclusions
Free $0 1,000 emails/mo (200/day) 5-day reporting. Ticket support. No branding.
Starter $10/mo ($100/yr) 10,000 emails/mo 30-day reporting. Chat/phone support. Subaccounts. Overage $1/1K.
Professional $75/mo ($750/yr) 100,000 emails/mo Dedicated IP. Email testing tools. Overage $0.85/1K.
Premier Custom 3,000,000+ emails/mo Enterprise support. Personalised setup.

Annual billing includes two months free.

The free tier’s 1,000/month with no branding and no credit card is the cleanest entry point for a WordPress site that needs SMTP relay. The 200/day cap is the practical constraint, but most small WordPress sites send well under that. The Starter plan at $10/month is competitively priced for 10,000 emails – cheaper than Postmark ($15/month for 10,000) and Mailgun ($15/month for 10,000 on Basic).

WordPress integration

Three paths:

SMTP2GO plugin – The SMTP2GO WordPress plugin connects via API. For more detail, see our SMTP2GO plugin review.

WP Mail SMTPWP Mail SMTP includes a native SMTP2GO integration. Select “SMTP2GO” as the mailer, enter your API key. This is the better choice if you want WP Mail SMTP’s email logging and fallback features.

Generic SMTP – Any mailer plugin (Post SMTP, FluentSMTP, or WP Mail SMTP in “Other SMTP” mode) can connect to mail.smtp2go.com using the SMTP credentials above. This is the universal path that works with every mailer plugin on the market. See our compatible plugin list.

Assessment

The rationale: free tier with no branding and no expiry, competitive paid pricing, a single-purpose tool that does not bundle marketing features you do not need, and configuration that takes five minutes with any WordPress mailer plugin. The service has operated since 2006 without a major rebrand or acquisition – a small signal of stability in a category where providers change names, owners, and pricing models regularly.

The cases where SMTP2GO is not the right fit are predictable. If a site already runs email campaigns through Brevo or Mailjet, routing transactional email through the same platform is simpler than adding a second service. If deliverability at high volume is the primary concern and the budget supports it, Postmark is purpose-built for that with a stricter sending policy and consistently strong inbox placement. If the site is on AWS and cost is the priority, Amazon SES at $0.10/1,000 is cheaper.

For everything else – the typical WordPress site that needs password resets, form notifications, and WooCommerce emails to arrive in inboxes – SMTP2GO is the right default.

For the broader setup that places SMTP2GO inside the WordPress email stack, see the WordPress email setup guide.


Pricing verified June 2026 against smtp2go.com/pricing. SMTP settings verified against SMTP2GO support documentation.

SMTP2GO as a WordPress SMTP Server detailsWebsite ↗
Pricing Url
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Docs Url
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Owner
SMTP2GO (independent, NZ-based)
Founded
2006
Data Residency
us, eu, au, ca, nz
Smtp Host
mail.smtp2go.com
Smtp Ports
2525, 587, 25, 80, 8025, 465, 8465, 443
Auth Methods
smtp-credentials, api-key
Api Send
Dns Setup Url
View ↗
Free Tier
Free Tier Notes
1,000 emails/month with a 200/day cap, no credit card, no branding, no time limit, 5-day reporting
Entry Price
10
Entry Volume
10000
Pricing Notes
Starter $10/mo (10K) adds 30-day reporting and chat/phone support; Professional $75/mo (100K) adds dedicated IP. Overage $1/1K (Starter) down to $0.85/1K (Pro). Annual billing includes 2 months free.
Pricing Verified
2026-06-12
Dedicated Ip
Professional plan and above
Inbound Routing
Webhooks
Email Validation
Email testing tools included on Professional and above
Template Engine
Log Retention
5 days (Free), 30 days (Starter)
Capabilities Verified
2026-06-12
Official Plugin
smtp2go-plugin
Works With
wp-mail-smtp, fluent-smtp, post-smtp
Wp Integration Verified
2026-06-12
Verdict
The default nanoPost recommendation for typical WordPress transactional email – clean free tier, competitive paid pricing, no marketing overhead
Best For
WordPress sites that need transactional email to work without paying for marketing features they will not use