SMTP.com vs WP Mail SMTP (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, WP Mail SMTP grades higher than SMTP.com: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
WP Mail SMTP grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
SMTP.com
SMTP relay and email API sold in monthly volume plans from 50,000
WP Mail SMTP
WordPress plugin that routes site email through an SMTP provider
Which one is for you
Pick SMTP.com if
- Fits if you already send 50,000 emails a month and want one flat monthly price
- Works for senders moving from SendGrid or Mailgun who want help with the switch
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try sending before you pay, since there's no free plan or trial
- Too light for apps that need webhooks, templates or incoming email, which the listing doesn't mention
- Pricey if you send a few thousand emails a month, as the smallest plan is $25 for 50,000
- Watch out: Reputation Defender and Insight Engine each add 20% of the plan price, $5 a month each on Essential
- Tight if you want a dedicated IP on Essential, which sends from a shared one until the $80 plan
Pick WP Mail SMTP if
- Fits if your WordPress site's emails are landing in spam or not arriving
- Works for site owners who already have an account with a mail provider
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't run WordPress, as it only works inside it
- Tight if you stay on free: no email log, reports, tracking or backup connection
- Pricey if you renew: the $49 first year goes to $99 a year for 1 site
- Watch out: Amazon SES, Microsoft and Zoho connections need Pro
- Watch out: it needs an account with a separate mail provider, which has its own price
How we grade them
| 1.8GPASMTP.comWeak | 2.6GPAWP Mail SMTPGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded on 50,000 emails a month: Essential is $25 for exactly that, on a shared IP, the middle of this category at that volume. Reputation Defender and Insight Engine add $5 a month each, and a dedicated IP means Starter at $80 for 100,000. | BPro is $99 a year for 1 site, about $8.25 a month, with $49 for the first year. That's inside the cheapest quarter of email sending tools, which start at $9. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free: no free plan and no trial. The smallest plan is $25 a month, so you pay before you've sent a single email. | BThe Lite plugin is free, with a setup wizard and most mailer connections. Amazon SES, Microsoft and Zoho, plus the email log, need Pro. |
| Features | CSMTP relay and an email API, detailed delivery reports, dedicated IPs from the $80 plan, and paid add-ons that weed out bad addresses as you send. It handles the sending, but nothing on record covers templates, webhooks or inbound email. | CMailer connections and a setup wizard on free. Email log, reports, open and click tracking, backup connections and routing are Pro only. |
| Ease of use | CJudged on how fast a developer sends a first email: you choose a plan and pay before you get to send, then use SMTP or the API. No rating on record. Managed onboarding and migration help are offered if you're moving from another provider. | CNo store rating on record. You install it in WordPress and connect an account with a separate mail provider. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an SMTP relay and an email API, plus WordPress, Shopify, Google Forms, Google Docs, Wufoo, Airtable, Trello and Slack. No desktop or phone app, so B is the top. | BRuns inside WordPress and connects to SendLayer, SMTP.com, Brevo, SES, Mailgun, Postmark, SendGrid and Gmail. No standalone app. |
| Best for | senders already past 50,000 emails a month | fixing WordPress email by connecting a mail provider |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: SMTP.com and WP Mail SMTP. How we grade
Price against what you get
SMTP.com starts at $25 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. WP Mail SMTP starts at $8.25 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and WP Mail SMTP starts $16.75 a month lower. Of the other email sending services on the chart, 14 score higher than SMTP.com for less, and 4 score higher than WP Mail SMTP for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- WP Mail SMTP also covers reports.
At a glance
| SMTP.com | WP Mail SMTP | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $25 per month for 50,000 emails | $99 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year for $49 |
| Free plan | None | Free plugin on WordPress.org: setup wizard and connections to most mailers; logging, reports and backup connections are Pro only. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | J2 Global Canada, Inc. | WPForms, LLC |
| Price read from | smtp.com | wpmailsmtp.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
SMTP.com
- There is no free plan or free trial; the smallest plan is $25 a month for 50,000 emails.
- Reputation Defender and Insight Engine each cost 20% of the plan price; on Essential that is $5 a month each.
- Essential sends from a shared IP; a dedicated IP starts with the $80 Starter plan.
WP Mail SMTP
- Runs only inside WordPress; it is not a standalone sending service and needs a separate email provider account.
- Email logging, reports, tracking, backup connections and routing are Pro features, not part of the free plugin.
- Pro prices on the page are introductory: the page says renewals are at full price, $99 a year for 1 site.
- The pricing page states a 14-day money-back guarantee on paid plans.
Key features
SMTP.com
- SMTP relay and email API
- Send from an app or another platform through SMTP or the email relay API, with documentation for developers and help with custom API integrations.
- Dedicated IPs
- Every plan from the $80 Starter plan up sends from a dedicated IP address; Essential uses a shared one.
- Reputation Defender add-on
- Checks addresses at the moment of sending and suppresses invalid ones, to cut hard and soft bounces and protect your domain and IP reputation.
- Insight Engine add-on
- A daily report with extra data about the people on your lists, meant for building customer profiles and new segments.
- Migration help
- Managed onboarding and help moving over from providers such as SendGrid and Mailgun, with in-house support on every plan.
WP Mail SMTP
- Mailer connections
- Connects WordPress to providers such as SendLayer, SMTP.com, Brevo, Mailgun, Postmark, SendGrid and any other SMTP server, using the provider's API where there is one.
- Setup wizard
- A guided wizard in the free plugin walks through choosing and configuring a mailer.
- Email log and reports
- Pro keeps a record of every email sent from the site, with delivery status, and charts of deliverability statistics.
- Open and click tracking
- Pro shows open and click rates for emails that WordPress sends.
- Backup connections and smart routing
- Pro can fall back to a second provider if the first fails, and route different emails through different providers using conditional rules.
- Failure alerts
- Pro sends an alert when an email fails to send.
Plans
SMTP.com
Essential$25
per month for 50,000 emails
Shared IP, email relay API, support and detailed reporting. Overage is $0.000625 per email ($0.63 per 1,000).
Starter$80
per month for 100,000 emails
Adds a dedicated IP address, with the same API, support and reporting.
Growth$300
per month for 500,000 emails
Dedicated IP, email relay API, support and detailed reporting.
Business$500
per month for 1,000,000 emails
Dedicated IP, email relay API, support and detailed reporting.
High Volume SendersCustom
At least 250 million emails a month: a dedicated instance of the platform, its own IP and mail server, and a dedicated account manager.
WP Mail SMTP
Lite$0
Free plugin from WordPress.org with the setup wizard and most mailer connections. Amazon SES, Microsoft and Zoho need Pro.
Pro$99
per year for 1 site, renewing at full price
Email log, reports, tracking, backup connections, smart routing and failure alerts. First year $49 on the pricing page.
Elite$149
per year for 1 site, renewing at full price
Everything in Pro plus White Glove Setup by the vendor's experts and priority support. First year $99.
Developer$249
per year for 20 sites, renewing at full price
Pro features for 20 sites with priority support. First year $199.
Agency$449
per year for 100 sites, renewing at full price
Pro features for 100 sites with priority support. First year $399.
Ways to pay less
SMTP.com
No public discounts listed.
WP Mail SMTP
- Other savings
First-year introductory prices
The pricing page shows each paid plan $50 below its regular yearly price (Pro $49, Elite $99, Developer $199, Agency $399) and says renewals are at full price.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, SMTP.com or WP Mail SMTP?
As of Nov 13, 2026, WP Mail SMTP is cheaper to start with: $8.25 a month when paid by the year, against $25 a month for SMTP.com. SMTP.com starts at $25 per month for 50,000 emails, and WP Mail SMTP starts at $99 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year for $49.
Which has a free plan, SMTP.com or WP Mail SMTP?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only WP Mail SMTP has a free plan. SMTP.com does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.