SMTP Addon

The SMTP addon adds the capability to deliver your newsletters using an SMTP service. Originally the SMTP feature was part of the Newsletter plugin and this addon is perfectly compatible with that feature and its settings.

What's inside

If you need to use an SMTP to deliver your emails, we suggest looking at some third-party plugins which integrate the SMTP delivery at a lower level within your WordPress blog.

The Newsletter plugin uses those ones seamlessly and you gain the advantage to send all emails from your blog via your chosen SMTP.

You can find more SMTP enabler plugins by searching the WordPress repository.

What about the “insecure SSL” option?

Some not correctly updated servers could be missing some SSL certificates and PHP raises an error while trying to connect to an SMTP with a secure connection. Enabling the insecure SSL avoids that problem.

Common questions

Is there a way to test with a public SMTP?

Yes. There is not a public SMTP (which really sends emails) but you can use the fantastic Mailtrap service, which simulates an SMTP and has a cool console to see what is happening. Super recommended.

Are only newsletters delivered with SMTP?

Yes, the SMTP addon works only with newsletters and service messages (like the welcome email, activation email, and so on). All other emails sent by your blog are not delivered by this addon.

When testing I get connect() failed, what does it mean?

This happens usually in two cases:

  • when the host parameter is wrongly configured or you’re using a wrong port/protocol
  • when your provider blocks the connections to external SMTPs (this is the common one)

If you’re sure your settings are correct, you should contact the provider.

Should I use an SMTP?

Definitively yes. It doesn’t matter if you connect t an SMTP using this addon or a third-party SMTP plugin, usually, your emails get a better score and are less prone to be marked as spam.

With my hosting package, I have an email service and so an SMTP. Can I use it?

Absolutely, that’s a very good choice. We suggest creating a mailbox dedicated to your blog (for example newsletter@domain.com or blog@domain.com) and using that account to send out emails from your blog. You can even monitor that mailbox to check for incoming error messages (the so-called DSN messages).

Consider your blog a person who sends an email: it sounds ok to give her a mailbox, right?

Can I use GMail with this SMTP addon?

No, Google has deprecated the standard authentication methods normally used by SMTP servers, but many SMTP plugins (see above) have now implemented the oAuth2 required by Google.

When using the SMTP the “From” address is not the one I set

Sometimes providers force the “From” address to match the account used to authenticate with their SMTP. That could even happen with the “Return-Path”. It’s recommended to create a mailbox for your blog and use that address.