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Simple SMTP

By Casey

Communication & Messaging / SMTP & Email Delivery Services

Reviewed by Abdul Hameid

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Simple SMTP Review - In-Depth Analysis

Simple SMTP plugin for WordPress that adds a mail configuration panel. It supports logging and custom SMTP settings.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.79/10

User Rating

5/5 (based on 11+ reviews)

Active Installations

2,000+

Update Frequency

Below Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

1 / 10 (Very Low Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

This plugin adds a simple, no-fuss SMTP settings to your WordPress installation that lets you define custom settings, which is especially useful for hosts with no control over the php mail functionality.

If logging is enabled, a new segment in the settings panel will show up with a 30-day overview of recent emails, and will automatically prune older logs. Please see the FAQ if you want a more permanent solution.

This plugin will prefer environmental and constant-stored values over the plugin-saved equivalent settings, making it easier to use this plugin via deployment.

Comparing to Alternatives

Simple SMTP is a straightforward and lightweight SMTP plugin with several alternatives available that offer varying features and complexity.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Extremely simple and clean user interface without unnecessary features
No advertisements or bloatware included
Supports WP-CLI for command line debugging
Open source and free to use
Works well in multisite environments

Weaknesses

Lacks advanced features found in some competitors
No premium version with extended capabilities
Limited to basic SMTP functionality
May not suit users needing integrated email logging or analytics

User Sentiment Analysis

With a perfect 5-star rating from all 11 reviewers, user feedback is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the plugin's simplicity and effectiveness.

Positive highlights

"Simply, Clean, straightforward, No Ads!" – Montri Udomariyah
"Does what it says." – lenasterg
"Perfect plugin for WP email... It's open source, works perfect, and does the job needed and only the job needed." – zoomstop
"Simple and effective... it works great and currently it doesn’t include many other things that could bloat the site." – Dan Claudiu G.
"Perfectly and elegantly meets my needs, the best SMTP plugin I’ve used so far." – guguan123

Common complaints

Weaknesses

Limited feature set compared to more comprehensive SMTP plugins
No premium or paid version to unlock additional features
Does not include email logging or advanced deliverability tools

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Users seeking a lightweight, no-frills SMTP plugin that is easy to configure and integrates well with WP-CLI for debugging will find Simple SMTP ideal.

Not ideal for

Those needing advanced SMTP features such as email logging, analytics, or premium support options may find this plugin too basic for their needs.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers a clean, straightforward SMTP setup without ads or bloat, suitable for most basic email sending needs.

Final Verdict

Simple SMTP excels at providing a clean, efficient, and ad-free SMTP solution for WordPress users who want straightforward email sending without unnecessary complexity. Its perfect user ratings and lack of security vulnerabilities make it a trustworthy choice for basic SMTP needs.

However, users requiring advanced features or premium support might need to consider other plugins with more comprehensive offerings. Overall, Simple SMTP is a great free option for those prioritizing simplicity and reliability.

Other Notable Features

Here are a few other notable features of this free Simple SMTP plugin.

smtp

mail configuration

FAQ

This plugin works by instructing PHPMailer – the mail library WordPress have chosen – to use SMTP mode, and adds in the settings you choose. 9 times out of 10, the error messages you receive are configuration errors. PHPMailer provides a good guide to help you figure out these problems.

Troubleshooting – PHPMailer.

The one instance where an SMTP error can be caused by this plugin is if the SMTP password is stored in the database when the secret keys have been regenerated. You will need to re-save the password to refresh the encryption keys.

You can always get assistance from your host and/or SMTP service provider.

The logs by default will auto-prune to avoid keeping sensitive details in logs and contributing to database bloat. But if you wish to keep the logs more permanently, then register the following hook (typically in your theme functions.php) to disable the auto-pruning functionality:

add_filter( 'simple_smtp_disable_log_prune', '__return_true' );

Contributors and developers

“Simple SMTP” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Casey

Free Version Docs

WPS

6.79

Average

Ratings

5 out of 5 | 11

Version

1.3.4.1

Last updated

1 year ago

Active installations

2,000+

WordPress version

6.8.11 or higher

PHP version

7.0 or higher

Languages

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Simple SMTP Review - In-Depth Analysis

Performance Overview

What It Does

Comparing to Alternatives

User Sentiment Analysis

Who Should Use This?

Pricing & Value

Final Verdict

Other Notable Features

FAQ

Contributors and developers

Ratings

Reviews (11)

Sort by:

Contributors & Developers

Interested in development?

Changelog

Security Status

Secure

No Unpatched Vulnerabilities

Known Vulnerabilities (0)

Previous Versions

WPS

6.79

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