Sending emails from WordPress with SMTP: 5-minute guide (2025)

Do you have the problem that the emails from your website contact form are not arriving? This is probably because your WordPress instance uses PHP Mail to send emails. We recommend that you send emails in WordPress via SMTP instead.

There are various free WordPress plugins that you can set up very easily. The configuration only needs to be done once and is quickly completed with our instructions.

As WordPress hoster we experience almost daily that emails from contact forms cannot be delivered via PHP Mail. As soon as our customers configure sending via SMTP, everything works perfectly. To ensure that your emails arrive safely right from the start, we have compiled all the relevant information for you in this guide: Specific SMTP plugin recommendation, configuration template, troubleshooting and error correction.

Quick guide (6 steps)

Not in the mood for lots of text? Then use this quick guide to configure SMTP for your WordPress website.

1. log in to your WordPress dashboard
2. navigate under "Plugins" > "Add new plugin"
3. search for the WordPress plugin "Post SMTP" and install it

4. select "Other SMTP" (or your mail provider) in the configuration mask that appears
5. fill out the form with the SMTP data of your mail hoster. For WPspace customers, the details must be entered as follows:

• From Email: Your sender mailbox
• From Name: Your sender name
• Host Name: Your domain, such as deinedomain.de or wp-space.de
• Port: 587
• Username: Your sender mail
• Password: Password of your mailbox

6. send test mail to ensure correct dispatch

What is a WordPress SMTP plugin?

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a protocol that is responsible for sending emails. When your WordPress website sends emails such as contact form or password reset emails, the mail is sent via PHP Mail by default. However, this method of sending emails is often unreliable. Most emails end up directly in spam or do not even reach the recipient.

Instead of sending emails directly from your web server, SMTP uses an external mail server (e.g. from Gmail, Outlook or an email service such as Sendinblue or Mailgun). This ensures that your emails are delivered correctly.

To use SMTP in WordPress, you need a plugin such as "Post SMTP". Enter the necessary data for your email service and mailbox there and WordPress will then send all emails via this server. This ensures that your emails are sent securely and reliably.

In a nutshell: With SMTP, you ensure that your emails from WordPress are reliably sent to the recipient without ending up in spam.

Plugin recommendation: Post SMTP

There are a number of SMTP plugins for WordPress that do their job reliably. The plugin that we always use and recommend to all our hosting customers is the free plugin "Post SMTP".

After installation, a setup wizard is available to help you set up your SMTP server quickly and easily. You can easily send test emails to check the settings.

However, many other SMTP plugins can also do this. But why do we always recommend "Post SMTP"?

Notifications in the event of incorrect delivery and free logs are the reason why Post SMTP is our absolute favorite among the SMTP WordPress plugins. The notifications and protocols are already available in the free version, which sets Post SMTP apart from other SMTP plugins.

In your WordPress dashboard under "Post SMTP" > "Dashboard", you will find details on the total number of emails sent, successful emails and emails sent with errors. If you have configured the notification function, you will be automatically informed via your preferred communication channel as soon as an email cannot be successfully delivered. You can also find an overview of this in the logs.

With many other SMTP plug-ins, such errors would go unnoticed. But with Post SMTP you will be informed directly and you will find a message directly in the logs about who the email could not be sent to. This allows you to quickly fix the problem manually.

How to find the error logs:

• Click on the three dots in the line of the incorrect e-mail.
• Select "Transcript" to receive a detailed report (ideal for technicians).
• Or click on "View Details" to see a compact error overview.

If you are unsure how to rectify the cause, you can also use the Troubleshooting article from Post SMTP.

I personally use the free version of Post SMTP on all my website projects, recommend it to all our WPspace customers and am absolutely convinced. I especially appreciate:

• Notifications in the event of mailing problems
• Simple configuration
• Reliable mail dispatch
• Extensive logs in the event of problems

WordPress SMTP plugins overview

In addition to the SMTP plugin already presented, there are numerous alternatives. Most plugins differ only slightly in terms of functionality, compatibility or price.

Tip: A free plugin is completely sufficient for most websites. So save yourself the money for the Pro version.

You usually only need the Pro version if you want to integrate a specific SMTP service, such as Office 365 or Amazon SES, or if you want to receive direct notifications if an email is undeliverable.

Note: If you host your emails with a provider that is not listed under the email sending provider of the respective SMTP plugin, the "Other SMTP server" selection is correct for you. This is the right choice for most SMTP plugin users.

In the following, I will introduce you to the best SMTP plugins. So that you can see the differences at a glance, you will then find a comparison table with the integrated SMTP services and the most important functions of the plugins presented.

Post SMTP

My favorite SMTP plugin 💙: Post SMTP. The plugin is suitable for beginners thanks to its intuitive configuration for 100% and offers a wide range of functions in a clear interface even in the free version.

If you configure the notifications, you will be informed directly via your preferred communication channel as soon as a mail cannot be delivered. In the Post SMTP Dashboard, you also have an overview of all sent and unsent emails, including detailed error logs.

The following SMTP services can be connected in the free and paid versions:

After successful configuration, you also have some functions at your disposal that make Post SMTP the best SMTP plugin for me:

If the free version of Post SMTP is not enough for you, you can secure the Basic tariff for just USD 59.99 per year. You can find exact price details for the various tariffs on the Price overview of Post SMTP.

WP Mail SMTP

WP Mail SMTP (as David used to call it "The SMTP plugin with the owl") is the most used SMTP plugin with 4+ million active installations (as of March 2025).

This plugin is also very easy to configure thanks to the configuration wizard. Once you have set up the SMTP server correctly, sending emails works perfectly.

I find the dashboard in the free version very limited and confusing, especially compared to Post SMTP. Unfortunately, there is no WordPress-integrated overview of the last mails sent, including the status of the mail, in the free version.

The following SMTP services can be connected in the free and paid versions:

The following functions are available in the free and paid versions.

The Pro version starts at USD 99 per year. You can find an overview of the prices and exact inclusive services on the Price overview of WP Mail SMTP.

Tip: WP Mail SMTP offers regular discounts. So if you don't need the tool immediately, I recommend you wait for an offer.

Easy WP SMTP

The free WordPress plugin "Easy WP SMTP" is installed on 600,000 WordPress websites (as of March 2025). The interface of the plugin is very similar to the interface of the "WP Mail SMTP" plugin. So if you have worked with it in the past, you can configure Easy WP SMTP very quickly.

Thanks to the setup wizard, configuring the SMTP plugin is quick and easy. You can send a test mail directly from the wizard to make sure that you have made all the settings correctly.

Unfortunately, this plugin does not offer logs in the free version. This function is only included from the Pro version onwards.

The following SMTP services can be connected in the free and paid versions:

The following functions are available in the free and paid versions.

The price of the Pro version of Easy WP SMTP starts at USD 49.50 per year. This makes this SMTP plugin significantly cheaper than WP Mail SMTP with the same range of functions. Get an overview on the Easy WP SMTP website. Overview of prices and features.

Fluent SMTP

The SMTP plugin "Fluent SMTP" impresses with a clearly structured dashboard, reliable email delivery and comprehensive logging. It also enables notifications via Telegram, Slack or Discord if an error occurs during dispatch.

The plugin already includes many functions that are only included in the paid version of other SMTP plugins. These include the integration of multiple connections, email fallback, smart routing and the integration of Office 365, Amazon SES or Zoho. However, the other SMTP plugins offer a wider range of SMTP services that can be integrated.

The plugin comes from WPManageNinja LLC, the developers behind popular WordPress plugins such as "WP FluentForms" and "Ninja Tables Pro". This makes it clear that Fluent SMTP is backed by an experienced and competent team of developers.

The following SMTP services can be connected in the free and paid versions:

As there is no Pro version of Fluent SMTP, all functions are already included in the free version.

WordPress SMTP plugins in comparison

The various SMTP plugins only differ from each other in minor respects. Before installing the plugin, you should check which email service you use to send your emails and which SMTP plugin this email service can be combined with.

If you use Office 365 as your email provider, for example, I recommend the "Fluent SMTP" plugin, as there are no additional costs. In all other SMTP plugins, the use of Office 365 costs extra and you have to take out a paid subscription.

To make it easier for you to choose the right SMTP plugin for you, you will find an overview of SMTP plugins in direct comparison here:

	Post SMTP	WP Mail SMTP	Easy WP SMTP	Fluent SMTP
Amazon SES	Pro version	Pro version	Pro version	Yes
Other SMTP server	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Brevo	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Elastic Email	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Google / Gmail	Yes	Yes	Pro version	Yes
Mailgun	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Mailjet	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Postmark	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SendGrid	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
SendLayer	No	Yes	No	No
SMTP.com	No	Yes	Yes	No
SMTP2GO	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
SparkPost	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Zoho Mail	Pro version	Pro version	Pro version	Yes
Microsoft 365	Pro version	Pro version	Pro version	Yes
E-mail error tracking	Yes	Yes (unclear)	Yes (unclear)	Yes
Dashboard	Yes	No	No	Yes
Weekly report	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Detailed protocols	Yes	Pro version	Pro version	Yes
Tracking	Pro version	Pro version	Pro version	Yes
Immediate warning messages	Yes	Pro version	Pro version	Yes

The information is based on tests and information from the respective website as of March 2025.

WordPress SMTP guide

If you have opted for the "Post SMTP" plugin, use this step-by-step guide to install and configure it. Your mail will then be successfully delivered via the contact form and co.

1. log in to your WordPress dashboard
2. navigate under "Plugins" > "Add new plugin"
3. search for the plugin "Post SMTP", click on "Install now" and then on "Activate".

4. the Post SMTP setup wizard opens automatically, which I recommend you use directly for a simple setup.
5. first select your SMTP mailer. If you use one of the listed mail providers to send your emails, select this provider. Otherwise, choose "Other SMTP".
6. confirm with the "Continue" button.

7. to fill out the form, you need the SMTP data that you receive from your mail hoster. You can usually find this in your hoster's Help Center or alternatively ask Support for it. The settings shown in the example are based on the SMTP data from WPspace.

• From Email: Your sender mail
• From Name: Your sender name
• Host Name: Your domain, such as wp-space.de (may vary depending on the hoster)
• Port: 587 (may vary depending on hoster)
• Username: Your sender mailbox
• Password: The password of your mailbox

8. confirm via the "Save and Continue" button
9. use the next window to test your configuration with a test mail. Did the mail arrive? Then you have configured everything correctly. If the test mail could not be delivered, adjust the settings afterwards so that test mails can be delivered successfully.
10. now the mail dispatch via SMTP is successfully configured on your website.

Configure notifications if mails could not be delivered

Bonus 💙: I recommend that you activate the notifications so that you are informed directly via your preferred communication channel as soon as an email cannot be delivered.

1. navigate to "Post SMTP" > "Settings" in your WordPress dashboard
2. select "Notifications"
3. select your preferred communication channel and specify the recipient

This allows you to respond directly via the website if there are problems with your mail dispatch.

Conclusion on SMTP in WordPress

By default, WordPress sends emails via PHP Mail. However, this is not a reliable method for sending emails, as only a fraction of emails are usually delivered successfully. To ensure that emails are sent from contact forms, order confirmations or other WordPress emails, I recommend that you configure email delivery via SMTP.

There are various SMTP plugins that provide all the necessary functions even in the free version. My SMTP plugin recommendation is the free plugin "Post SMTP". With the help of the setup wizard, you can easily configure the plugin, check the mail dispatch in the logs afterwards and receive notifications if a mail cannot be delivered.

In short, an SMTP plugin is an absolute must for every website and is easy to install and configure.