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Free Plugin by Syed Balkhi v4.9.0

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms

Make email delivery easy for WordPress. Connect with SMTP, Gmail, Outlook, SendGrid, Mailgun, SES, Zoho, + more. Rated #1 WordPress SMTP Email plugin.

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms

The facts

Rating
4.8★ from 5,185
Active installs
4M+
Price
Free
Last updated
25 Jun 2026
Added
Sep 2007
Requires WP
5.5
Tested up to
WP 7.0.4
Requires PHP
7.4
Downloads
83,401,287

Our analysis

AI-assisted

WP Mail SMTP is a WordPress plugin designed to improve email deliverability for WordPress sites. It reconfigures the way emails are sent by using proper SMTP providers instead of the default PHP mail function, which can lead to delivery issues. The plugin includes a setup wizard and documentation to assist users in configuring their email settings.

This plugin is suitable for anyone experiencing problems with email delivery from their WordPress site, particularly those using contact forms or other email functionalities. It aims to ensure that emails reach the inbox rather than being marked as spam or not delivered at all.

Best for: This plugin is best for WordPress site owners who need reliable email delivery.

What it does well

  • Free to use from the WordPress.org directory
  • Over 4 million active installations
  • Includes a setup wizard for easy configuration
  • Improves email deliverability by using proper SMTP providers
  • Compatible with popular email clients like Gmail and Yahoo

Where it falls short

  • Limited feature set compared to the Pro version
  • No information on advanced features without upgrading

Verdict

WP Mail SMTP is a practical solution for those facing email delivery issues on their WordPress sites. Its straightforward setup and focus on SMTP integration make it a useful tool for improving email reliability.

From the developer

Syed Balkhi's own description of WP Mail SMTP by WPForms, lightly tidied.

WordPress Mail SMTP Plugin

Is your WordPress site not sending emails? You’re not alone. 4+ million websites use WP Mail SMTP to send emails reliably.

Our goal is to make email deliverability easy so that your emails always reach the inbox.

WP Mail SMTP fixes your email deliverability issues by reconfiguring WordPress to use a proper SMTP provider when sending emails.

Best of all, our easy-to-use Setup Wizard and detailed documentation guide you through the process.

WP Mail SMTP is free and has everything you need to reliably send your WordPress emails!

WP Mail SMTP Pro unlocks even more powerful features like email logging, advanced email reporting and stats, backup connections, email alerts, smart conditional routing, and much more.

What is SMTP?

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is an industry-standard for sending emails. Proper SMTP configuration helps increase email deliverability by adding authentication to the emails sent from your site.

Popular email clients like Gmail, Yahoo, Office 365, and Zoho are in a constant battle with email spammers, so they check whether emails are originating from a genuine sender. If the proper authentication isn’t there, emails either go in the SPAM folder or, worse, disappear.

This is a problem for a lot of WordPress sites. By default, WordPress uses the PHP mail function to send emails generated by WordPress or any contact form plugin like WPForms.

But most WordPress hosting companies don’t have their servers properly configured for sending PHP emails.

This is why WordPress emails aren’t delivered.

How does WP Mail SMTP work?

WP Mail SMTP plugin easily resolves email delivery problems by changing the way your WordPress site sends email. We reconfigure the wp_mail() function to use proper SMTP host credentials or an SMTP mail provider.

With our built-in SMTP mail provider integrations (recommended), emails are sent using the provider’s direct API. Even if your web host is blocking SMTP ports, your emails will still be sent successfully.

Read the full description on the official page →

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