SMTP Mailer (by naa986) review

Introduction

SMTP Mailer is a versatile WordPress mailer plugin designed to improve email deliverability and simplify email management. This plugin is not a dedicated mailer for a specific email service, making it suitable for various SMTP servers. Plus, it hides a unique feature.

Features and Functionality

SMTP Mailer offers the standard features of high-end email providers, as well as some unique functionalities:

At a glance

SMTP Mailer
Active Installations: 60,000+
Last Updated: 4 Apr 2024
Rating: from 55 ratings
WP Directory Link: SMTP Mailer
Creator: naa986
Version: 1.1.13

Feature set

☆ Any SMTP server Email send tester Gmail Hotmail Mailgun Outlook/Office 365 Postmark SendGrid Sendinblue SMTP session log Yahoo Mail Zoho Mail Email logging OAuth 2.0 Amazon SES Reports Background email processing Multiple/backup SMTP servers Summary email Resend email Free tier Open/click tracking SendLayer Email routing Sparkpost Mailchimp Transactional (Mandrill)Zeptomail Centralized multisite Auto-retry Pepipost Disable emails SMTP.com Blacklist/whitelist Mailhawk Debugger Store attachments SendPulse Mailjet SMTP2GO WP notifications control Failure notifications Elastic Mail Bounce handling

Secure email delivery via SMTP with popular email service providers such as Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo Mail
SSL or TLS encryption support with SMTP authentication
Option to bypass SSL certificate verification for debugging purposes
Compatible with popular contact form and newsletter plugins
Simple, easy-to-use interface with a minimalistic design
Low disk space requirement
Ability to send test emails

Unique feature: SMTP session capture

A unique feature of the plugin compared to other SMTP plugins that have an email tester feature, is its capability to capture the full SMTP session log of a connection. This means that if something goes wrong, you have visibility into the full email transaction and where things might have gone wrong.

Pricing and Plans

SMTP Mailer is available for free on the WordPress plugin directory. SMTP Mailer does not offer a pro (paid) version, making all its features available for free.

Configuring SMTP Mailer

Follow these steps to configure the plugin with any SMTP server:

Install and activate the plugin
Navigate to Settings -> SMTP Mailer in the admin dashboard
Enter the necessary SMTP credentials, such as SMTP Host, SMTP Authentication, SMTP Username, and SMTP Password
Choose the appropriate encryption method (TLS, SSL, or none) and SMTP port
Specify a custom From email address and From name, if desired
Configure additional settings as needed

Sending a Test Email

SMTP Mailer’s Test Email tab is a useful feature that allows users to easily test their email sending settings without having to rely on third-party testing services or creating custom emails. This feature streamlines the setup process by ensuring that the plugin is correctly configured before deploying it on a live website. Testing live email transmission is one of the steps we discuss in our The ultimate guide to setting up email on WordPress and Troubleshoot WordPress email articles.

SMTP Mailer "Test Email" tab — SMTP Mailer’s “Test Email” tab showing the test destination email fields

Hidden feature: SMTP logging

Here’s where the hidden feature comes in. Once you click the “Send Email” button, the screen switches over to present the full SMTP session log:

SMTP Mailer session log — SMTP Mailer’s “Test Email” tab showing the SMTP session log

Reviewing this log in the event of a problem with sending emails will help you understand where things might have gone wrong. If you want to learn more about how to read this log, check out How to read an SMTP session log.

Customer Support and Resources

Support is provided on the plugin’s support page on wordpress.org.

Conclusion

SMTP Mailer is an excellent choice for WordPress users who need a reliable, lightweight, and easy-to-use mailer plugin. We use it ourselves for its no-nonsense features and for its powerful debugging capability in the session logger.