WP Mail SMTP review (2026): is the free plan enough?
WordPress plugin that routes site email through an SMTP provider
Black Friday: is there a WP Mail SMTP sale?
WP Mail SMTP report card
Good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for fixing WordPress email by connecting a mail provider
WP Mail SMTP replaces WordPress's default mail function with a connection to a provider like Brevo, Gmail or SendLayer. The free plugin does the connection, but logs, reports, tracking and backups are Pro, which renews at $99 a year.
Who WP Mail SMTP is for
- 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
Who WP Mail SMTP is not for
- 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
Why WP Mail SMTP gets a 2.6
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- BValue for moneyPro 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.
- BFree plan and trialThe Lite plugin is free, with a setup wizard and most mailer connections. Amazon SES, Microsoft and Zoho, plus the email log, need Pro.
- CFeaturesMailer connections and a setup wizard on free. Email log, reports, open and click tracking, backup connections and routing are Pro only.
- CEase of useNo store rating on record. You install it in WordPress and connect an account with a separate mail provider.
- BPlatforms and integrationsRuns inside WordPress and connects to SendLayer, SMTP.com, Brevo, SES, Mailgun, Postmark, SendGrid and Gmail. No standalone app.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from WP Mail SMTP's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/wp-mail-smtp#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/wp-mail-smtp.svg" alt="WP Mail SMTP: 2.6 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where WP Mail SMTP stands among email sending services
WP Mail SMTP's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 34 of the 50 other email sending services we grade, and level with 11.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 35 of 50) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $8.25 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $15 for the category: 8 of the 41 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 51 email sending services we grade, cut by the letter each got. WP Mail SMTP’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 25 of 50, level with 18
- BFree plan and trialAbove 35 of 50, level with 13
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 50, level with 29
- CEase of useAbove 7 of 50, level with 43
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 17 of 50, level with 32
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 44 email sending services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep WP Mail SMTP, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace WP Mail SMTP you would be making mail servers with a good name among inbox providers. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.6 is higher than 34 of the 50 other email sending services we grade. It costs $99 a year.
What you could make
- Reports: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Mail servers with a good name among inbox providers.
- It plugs into other products, SendLayer, SMTP.com and Brevo among them.
What this rests on. WP Mail SMTP’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is WP Mail SMTP?
WP Mail SMTP is a WordPress plugin that replaces the default PHP mail function with a connection to an email provider such as SendLayer, Brevo, Gmail or Amazon SES. The free edition handles the connection; the paid Pro edition adds email logs, reports, open and click tracking, backup connections and routing rules.
Worth knowing
- 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
- 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.
WP Mail SMTP pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, WP Mail SMTP has a free plan, and paid plans start at $99 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year for $49.
- Starts at
- $99 per year for 1 site at renewal, after a first year for $49
- Free plan
- Free plugin on WordPress.org: setup wizard and connections to most mailers; logging, reports and backup connections are Pro only.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Lite | $0 | Free plugin from WordPress.org with the setup wizard and most mailer connections. Amazon SES, Microsoft and Zoho need Pro. |
| Pro | $99per 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 | $149per 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 | $249per year for 20 sites, renewing at full price | Pro features for 20 sites with priority support. First year $199. |
| Agency | $449per year for 100 sites, renewing at full price | Pro features for 100 sites with priority support. First year $399. |
Read from wpmailsmtp.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with WP Mail SMTP before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savingsFirst-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.
Stated on wpmailsmtp.com
Works with
WP Mail SMTP alternatives
- WP Mail SMTP vs Post SMTP
Free plan
- WP Mail SMTP vs SendLayer
Free trial · from $5/mo
- WP Mail SMTP vs SMTP.com
From $25/mo
Common questions
Does WP Mail SMTP have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. WP Mail SMTP is listed for Web.
Does WP Mail SMTP have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. WP Mail SMTP is listed for Web.
Is WP Mail SMTP open source?
WP Mail SMTP is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.