Samuel Aguilera

<p>There are A LOT of SMTP plugins for WordPress, some uses third-party libraries with no too much luck, others looks like the same plugin (almost identical source code) but with different name…</p>
<p>Most of them overwrites from address and from name fields ALWAYS, breaking functionality of some other plugins that send emails using wp_mail() function.</p>
<p>So the history repeats again, I can’t find one simple plugin that fits my needs, so I created one for myself and share it with you in the hope that you’ll find it useful.</p>
<p>If you’re happy with the plugin <a href="https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/sar-friendly-smtp/reviews/?filter=5" rel="ugc">please don’t forget to give it a good rating</a>, it will motivate me to keep sharing and improving this plugin (and others).</p>
<p><strong>IMPORTANT:</strong> Support requests must be created using the <a href="https://github.com/samuelaguilera/sar-friendly-smtp/issues" rel="nofollow ugc">Issues tab at the Github repository</a></p>
<h4>Features</h4>
<ul>
<li>KISS principle.</li>
<li>No third-party libraries for SMTP, uses WordPress core.</li>
<li>Respect fields modified by other plugins (e.g. Gravity Forms).</li>
<li>Option to enable debug mode (logs communication between WordPress and your SMTP server in PHP’s error_log file, check <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/sar-friendly-smtp/faq/" rel="ugc">FAQ</a> for more details).</li>
<li>Uses WordPress settings API for settings page, making it secure by default.</li>
<li>Custom capability for settings access, so you can allow non administrator users to access to the settings page if you need it using <a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/user-role-editor/" rel="ugc">User Role Editor</a> (or any other similar plugin).</li>
<li>Send Email Test page. Allowing you to test if WordPress is able to send emails using the SMTP server details provided.</li>
<li>Constants available to override settings using wp-config.php (useful to set same settings network-wide on a multi-site installation).</li>
</ul>
<h4>Requirements</h4>
<ul>
<li>PHP 7.0 or higher.</li>
<li>WordPress 4.9 or higher.</li>
<li>SMTP server 🙂</li>
</ul>
<p>It may work with older versions of PHP and WordPress (and it does in fact at the time of writing this), but I don’t support anything older than the versions mentioned above.</p>
<h4>Usage</h4>
<p>Just install in your WordPress like any other plugin, activate it and fill settings using your SMTP server details. If you’re not sure about what you need to put in each field, ask to your SMTP server support.</p>
<h4>Developers</h4>
<p>If you want to contribute to the development of this plugin fixing a bug or <strong>suggesting</strong> any improvement, feel free to submit a pull request to this repo.</p>


SAR Friendly SMTP

It probably works fine, but I uninstalled it immediately after activating it because it clutters up the admin menu with a new top-level item, even though you only interact with it once.

Adds another top-level admin menu

A friendly SMTP plugin for WordPress. No third-party, simply using WordPress native possibilities.

Kasuga

<p>SMTPify does one thing: replace WordPress’s default PHP mail with a reliable SMTP connection — no ads, no upsells, and no cluttering your admin menu.<br />
Just enter your host, port, and credentials. That’s it.</p>
<p>Features:</p>
<ul>
<li>Supports SSL/TLS, TLS (STARTTLS), and unencrypted connections.</li>
<li>Optional SMTP authentication with username and password.</li>
<li>Override the From address and display name site-wide, with an option to force your identity even when other plugins set their own From values.</li>
<li>Built-in test email tool to verify your configuration.</li>
<li>Persistent error log that records mail failures with recipient and timestamp, viewable on the settings page.</li>
</ul>
<p>What makes SMTPify different:</p>
<ul>
<li>All settings can optionally be fixed in code via constants in <code>wp-config.php</code>, making the plugin maintenance-free after deployment.</li>
<li>No external dependencies beyond PHPMailer, which is already bundled with WordPress.</li>
<li>Settings page kept out of the navigation sidebar, accessible via the Settings link on the Plugins screen.</li>
<li>No ads, no upsells.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Configuration</h3>
<h4>SMTP Server</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>SMTP Host</strong> <em>(required)</em> — The hostname of your SMTP server (e.g. <code>smtp.gmail.com</code>, <code>smtp.sendgrid.net</code>).</li>
<li><strong>Encryption</strong> — Choose TLS (STARTTLS, recommended with port 587), SSL/TLS (port 465), or None (not recommended).</li>
<li><strong>SMTP Port</strong> — Automatically updated when you change the encryption type; override manually if your provider uses a non-standard port.</li>
<li><strong>Authentication</strong> — Enable to send your username and password to the server. Required by virtually all commercial mail providers.</li>
<li><strong>Username</strong> — Usually your full email address.</li>
<li><strong>Password</strong> — Your SMTP password or app-specific password.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Sender Identity</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>From Email Address</strong> — The address that appears in the From header. Leave blank to use the WordPress default (<code>wordpress@yourdomain.com</code>).</li>
<li><strong>From Name</strong> — The display name shown to recipients. Leave blank to use <code>WordPress</code>.</li>
<li><strong>Force Sender Identity</strong> — When checked, SMTPify overrides the From address and name set by any other plugin or theme, ensuring all outgoing mail uses your configured identity.<br />
Note: <strong>some SMTP providers (including Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and iCloud) ignore the From address and replace it with the authenticated account address.</strong> This setting works as expected with dedicated mail delivery services (such as SendGrid, Mailgun, and Amazon SES) and self-hosted SMTP servers.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Override Settings via wp-config.php</h4>
<p>SMTPify supports fixing settings in code by defining constants in <code>wp-config.php</code>. When one of the following constants is defined, the corresponding setting is used instead of the value stored in the admin form:</p>
<ul>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_HOST</code></li>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_PORT</code></li>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_ENCRYPTION</code></li>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_AUTH</code></li>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_USER</code></li>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_PASS</code></li>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_FROM_EMAIL</code></li>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_FROM_NAME</code></li>
<li><code>SMTPIFY_FORCE_FROM</code></li>
</ul>
<p>These definitions must be added manually to <code>wp-config.php</code> before the line that says <code>/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */</code>.</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<pre><code>php
define( 'SMTPIFY_HOST', 'smtp.example.com' );
define( 'SMTPIFY_PORT', 587 );
define( 'SMTPIFY_ENCRYPTION', 'tls' );
define( 'SMTPIFY_AUTH', true );
define( 'SMTPIFY_USER', 'user@example.com' );
define( 'SMTPIFY_PASS', 'your-smtp-password' );
define( 'SMTPIFY_FROM_EMAIL', 'no-reply@example.com' );
define( 'SMTPIFY_FROM_NAME', 'My Site' );
define( 'SMTPIFY_FORCE_FROM', true );
</code></pre>
<p>When a setting is overridden this way, the field on the plugin settings page is shown as read-only and displays <code>Overridden by ... in wp-config.php.</code></p>
<h4>Test Email</h4>
<p>Use the <strong>Send a Test Email</strong> section at the bottom of the settings page to send a live test to any address. The result, whether a success message or a detailed error from PHPMailer, is shown immediately on the page.</p>
<h4>Mail Error Log</h4>
<p>The <strong>Mail Error Log</strong> section lists the 20 most recent mail failures, each showing the date, recipient, and error message. Use Clear Log to delete all entries.</p>
<h3>Using Gmail as Your SMTP Server</h3>
<p>Gmail requires an <strong>App Password</strong> instead of your regular Google account password. App Passwords are available when two-factor authentication (2FA) is enabled, which is now mandatory for most Google accounts.</p>
<h4>Step 1 — Create an App Password in Google</h4>
<ol>
<li>Sign in to your Google account and go to <a href="https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords" rel="nofollow ugc">myaccount.google.com/apppasswords</a>.</li>
<li>Enter a name to identify this password (e.g. <code>WordPress</code>) and click <strong>Create</strong>.</li>
<li>Google displays a 16-character password. Copy it now, as it will not be shown again.</li>
</ol>
<p>You can create as many App Passwords as you like under a single Google account. Creating one per environment (production, staging, development) is recommended: if one is compromised, you can revoke it without affecting the others.</p>
<h4>Step 2 — Enter these values on the SMTPify settings page</h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>SMTP Host</strong>: <code>smtp.gmail.com</code></li>
<li><strong>Encryption</strong>: TLS (STARTTLS)</li>
<li><strong>SMTP Port</strong>: <code>587</code></li>
<li><strong>Authentication</strong>: checked</li>
<li><strong>Username</strong>: your full Gmail address (e.g. <code>youraddress@gmail.com</code>)</li>
<li><strong>Password</strong>: the 16-character App Password from Step 1</li>
</ul>
<h4>Step 3 — Send a test email</h4>
<p>Use the <strong>Send a Test Email</strong> section at the bottom of the settings page to confirm that mail is delivered correctly before relying on the configuration in production.</p>
<h4>Notes</h4>
<ul>
<li>Your regular Gmail password will not work; only App Passwords are accepted over SMTP.</li>
<li>An App Password grants SMTP access to anyone who knows it, regardless of which application or server uses it. Store it securely and revoke it immediately at <a href="https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords" rel="nofollow ugc">myaccount.google.com/apppasswords</a> if you suspect it has been exposed.</li>
</ul>


SMTPify

Routes wp_mail() through your provider's SMTP server. Simple settings page, built-in test tool, nothing else.

SAR Friendly SMTP vs SMTPify