SparkPost is a A transactional email is the automated message a WordPress site sends in response to a single user action – a password reset, an order confirmation, a form receipt – addressed to the user who triggered it. Read full reference → service that launched in 2011 as the cloud version of Message Systems’ Momentum MTA. MessageBird acquired it in 2022; MessageBird then rebranded to Bird in 2024. The product now lives inside Bird as its email offering, and Bird publishes SparkPost-branded pricing at 
bird.com/pricing/email?sp=true.
For WordPress sites evaluating email relay options in 2026: self-service signup is back after a period of enterprise-only positioning. Bird lists a Starter tier at $20/month and a Premier tier at $75/month (dedicated IP included), plus a 1,000-emails-a-month free entry point with no credit card required. Enterprise pricing is reserved for senders over 5M/month. What has not returned is the WordPress plugin. The official SparkPost plugin was closed on WordPress.org in March 2025 for a security issue and has not been reinstated, so integration is via generic SMTP through a third-party mailer plugin.
SMTP settings (legacy)
The SparkPost SMTP endpoint remains documented and functional for existing accounts:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Host | smtp.sparkpostmail.com (US) or smtp.eu.sparkpostmail.com (EU) |
| Port | 587 (STARTTLS) or 2525 (alternate) |
| Encryption | STARTTLS required |
| Authentication | AUTH LOGIN |
| Username | SMTP_Injection (literal string, not your email) |
| Password | API key with “Send via SMTP” permission |
The username is always the literal string SMTP_Injection. The API key serves as the password.
Acquisition timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2011 | SparkPost launched (cloud offering of Message Systems’ Momentum MTA) |
| 2016 | Free tier: 100K emails/month (made it popular with WordPress developers) |
| 2022 | Acquired by MessageBird |
| 2024 | MessageBird rebrands to Bird; SparkPost brand retired from product pages |
| March 2025 | Official WordPress plugin closed (reason: security issue) |
| 2026 | Self-service Starter and Premier tiers reintroduced under Bird branding |
Pricing (verified 2026-07-06)
Bird publishes SparkPost pricing on a shared card at bird.com/pricing/email?sp=true. Three tiers are listed:
| Tier | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1,000 emails/month, no credit card at signup |
| Starter | $20/month | API + SMTP send, Signals analytics, 2 custom webhooks, advanced templates, no dedicated IP |
| Premier | $75/month | All Starter features plus inbound webhooks, 15 subaccounts, scheduled sending, A/B testing, dedicated IP included, automated IP warmup |
| Enterprise | Custom | Positioned for 5M+ emails/month, dedicated technical account manager, deliverability reporting, unlimited dedicated IPs |
A few things worth flagging. Bird does not publish an included-volume bracket or a per-email overage rate on the Starter or Premier card. The pricing page shows a volume selector spanning 50K to 5M+ but leaves the included allowance implicit, so the effective per-email cost at higher volumes is opaque until sending starts. Contact Bird for the current allowance if this matters to the decision.
Two capability differences between Starter and Premier land specifically on WordPress operators:
- Inbound email routing is Premier-tier and up. WordPress use cases that depend on parsed inbound (help-desk plugins, reply-to-post workflows) need the $75/month plan or a separate service.
- Dedicated IP is Premier and up. Low-volume Starter accounts share IPs and share the reputation of everyone else on them, which is the usual trade-off at that price point.
Neither restriction is unusual in the category, but both are new since the pre-Bird SparkPost offered inbound and dedicated IPs on more tiers.
WordPress integration (current state)
The official SparkPost WordPress plugin (last updated August 2023, tested up to WP 6.3.8) was permanently closed on the WordPress.org repository in March 2025 due to a security issue. It is no longer available for download.
For existing SparkPost users who still have valid API credentials, connection via a general mailer plugin remains possible:
| Plugin | Method | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| WP Mail SMTP | “Other SMTP” | Use SMTP settings above |
| FluentSMTP | “Other SMTP” | Manual SMTP configuration |
| Post SMTP | SMTP | Manual credentials |
No mailer plugin offers a dedicated SparkPost/Bird integration with OAuth or API-level features. Connection is SMTP-only via generic credentials.
Feature coverage
SparkPost’s capability set has held up through the acquisition and is roughly the same one that made it a peer of Mailgun and Postmark at its peak:
- Delivery webhooks (bounce, delivery, open, click, spam complaint)
- Dedicated IP addresses (Premier tier and up)
- Inbound email parsing (Premier tier and up)
- Template engine with Handlebars syntax
- Real-time delivery analytics (Signals)
- Email validation API
- Subaccount isolation (15 included at Premier)
The distribution of these features across the new Bird tiers has shifted from the pre-acquisition era: what used to be table stakes at $20/month now sits behind the $75/month Premier plan or above. Existing SparkPost accounts continue to use the same API surface and SMTP endpoint they always did.
Verdict
SparkPost is a viable option again for a WordPress site sending directly from WordPress. Self-service signup exists, the free tier gets a small site started without a card on file, and the $20 Starter tier covers the shape of workload most WordPress operators are running (transactional email at modest volume, shared IP, no inbound). The catch is the integration layer: the official plugin is still closed and Bird has not signalled a rebuild, so connection is generic SMTP through a mailer plugin rather than a dedicated Bird integration with OAuth or API-level features. That is workable, but it puts SparkPost a step behind Postmark, Brevo, and SendGrid on setup ergonomics for a WordPress operator picking a provider today.
When SparkPost fits. A site that wants the SparkPost API and Signals analytics, is comfortable configuring generic SMTP, and either does not need dedicated IP or is on the $75 Premier plan. Existing SparkPost accounts with working API credentials continue to run through the same SMTP endpoint.
When to look elsewhere. A site that needs a plugin-integrated experience with connect-in-two-clicks setup, or a low-volume site that specifically wants inbound routing on the entry tier.
Alternatives worth comparing:
- SMTP2GO for the closest self-service equivalent with a generous free tier and simple setup.
- Postmark for deliverability-focused transactional email with a dedicated plugin.
- Mailgun for developers who want API-first infrastructure in the same general category.
For the broader setup that places SparkPost (or any provider) inside the WordPress email stack, see the WordPress email setup guide.
Corrections
- 2026-07-06. Pricing and framing refreshed. An earlier version of this page said SparkPost was enterprise-only and no longer available as a self-service product. Bird has since reintroduced self-service Starter ($20/mo) and Premier ($75/mo, dedicated IP included) tiers alongside a 1,000-emails/month free entry point. Verdict, lead, and pricing section rewritten to match.