In this post, we will discuss some of the best SMTP servers that you can use for marketing emails in 2024. But first, let’s briefly answer the question – what exactly is an SMTP server?
If you want to start an online business then you will need to send emails to your customers, but which email service should you use?
What are SMTP Servers?
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) servers are the backbone of email delivery on the internet, sending emails from an email client to a recipient’s email server.
SMTP servers are crucial for businesses and individuals alike, as they ensure that emails are correctly sent and received – making communication via email possible. SMTP servers act like a post office, handling the sending and routing of email messages. Without SMTP servers, email as we know it would not exist.
Suggested read: 15 Best Email Hosting For Small Business (2024)
How Do SMTP Servers Work?
SMTP servers work in a series of steps:
- Connection: The process of sending email begins when your email client connects to the SMTP server using TCP (Transmission Control Protocol).
- Communication: The client then sends the email message to the SMTP server. This message includes the sender’s email address, the recipient’s email address, the subject line, and the body of the email.
- Sending: The SMTP server processes the email and sends it to the recipient’s SMTP server, using the DNS (Domain Name System) to find the recipient’s email server.
- Delivery: The recipient’s SMTP server checks the incoming email, and if everything is in order, it sends the email to the recipient’s email client.
Suggested read: DKIM – What Is It & Why Your Emails Need It
Best SMTP Servers for Email Marketing
| SMTP Provider | Price |
| Brevo | 300 FREE Emails/day + Starting at $10/mo |
| SendGrid | 100 FREE Emails/day + Starting at $14.95/mo |
| MailGun | 5,000 FREE Emails for 3 months + Starting at $35/mo |
| AWS SES | $0.10 per 1,000 Emails |
| SMTP2Go | 1,000 FREE Emails/month + Starting at $14/mo |
| MailerSend | 1,000 FREE Emails/month + Starting at $14/mo |
| SendPulse | 15,000 FREE Emails/month + Starting at $6.40/mo |
Brevo
Brevo is an all-in-one marketing platform that offers a range of services including email marketing, SMS marketing, WhatsApp marketing, and marketing automation. It provides a free plan with up to 300 emails per day and unlimited contacts.
The platform also offers AI-generated email content and AI predictive sending to optimize the email send time for each recipient. It complies with both GDPR & CCPA, and offers different pricing plans catering to various business needs, from startups to large organizations.
Brevo SMTP Pricing
- 300 FREE Emails/day
- Premium plans start at $10/mo
SendGrid
Twilio SendGrid offers an Email API and SMTP service that allows users to send emails reliably without needing their own email servers. SendGrid provides 24/7 support and features such as dynamic templates, email validation, and email testing.
It also offers advanced features including SMTP relay services and RESTful APIs for better customer experience. SendGrid is used by startups, enterprises, high volume senders, marketers, and developers – which makes it a good choice for sending business critical emails.
SendGrid SMTP Pricing
- 100 FREE Emails/day
- Premium plans start at $19.95/mo for up to 50k emails
Mailgun
Mailgun’s SMTP relay services allow senders to efficiently send both marketing and transactional emails without the need to manage their own mail servers. Even if you do have your own email server, pairing it with an SMTP service such as Mailgun offers additional benefits including better stability and deliverability.
Mailgun’s log retention and email analytics allows you to track your email’s journey, monitor opens, clicks, and recipient habits, gaining insights into campaign performance – all of which makes it a solid choice for sending business emails.
Mailgun Pricing
- Free plan offers 5,000 emails per month
- Paid plan starts at $35/month for 50k emails
Suggested read: The 19 Best & Most Reliable Transactional Email Services 2023
Amazon SES
Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES) provides a cloud-based email service that allows you to send emails without managing your own on-premises SMTP server. It handles hundreds of billions of emails per year, making it a reliable choice for both marketing and transactional emails.
AWS SES Pricing
- AWS offers 3,000 free emails/month for 12 months
- Outgoing emails cost $0.10 for 1,000 emails (email attachments charged extra)
- Incoming emails cost $0.10 for 100 emails
SMTP2Go
SMTP2GO is an email delivery service that handles the technical complexities behind the scenes, allowing your emails to be sent smoothly. It provides the ability to manage blacklist monitoring, and carry out reverse DNS, DKIM, ISP throttling, and other critical aspects.
It can generate real-time reports that allow you to track every email from start to finish, including identifying bounced emails, which will help you understand why some messages don’t reach inboxes.
SMTP2Go Pricing
- Send 1,000 emails every month for free
- Premium plans start at $10/month for 10,000 emails
MailerSend
MailerSend is a transactional email sending service that provides a fast, secure, and reliable SMTP relay service without the need to manage your own SMTP server. It supports sending email from any app, device, or email client using just an SMTP server name, port, username, and password – no complex coding required.
It also offers a WordPress SMTP plugin that seamlessly connects your account to enable reliable high-volume email sending directly from your WordPress site.
MailerSend Pricing
- Free plan offers 3,000 emails with an option to pay additional $1 for 1,000 emails
- Premium plan users get 50,000 emails for $30/month
SendPulse
SendPulse is a user-friendly email marketing service that allows you to send bulk emails and either build templates using its drag-and-drop template builder or select from 130+ ready-made email templates.
You have the option to personalize your emails by adding text, images, buttons, videos, and social media links, as well as being able to track campaign results.
You can create automated email flows for welcome messages, abandoned cart reminders, and more using Automation 360. You can also segment your mailing list using tags, and personalize emails based on subscribers’ interests and actions.
SendPulse Pricing
- Free plan allows sending 15,000 emails to 500 subscribers
- Paid plans start at $8/month for unlimited number of emails
Suggested read: How MailHog Can Transform Your Local Email Testing Process
Wrapping Up
The SMTP servers we’ve discussed in this post are some of the best options available for sending marketing emails in 2024. They offer a range of features and benefits that can help you optimize your email marketing campaigns and reach your target audience more effectively.
However, the choice of an SMTP server should be based on your specific needs and requirements. Consider factors such as:
- The volume of emails you plan to send
- The level of customer support you require
- The specific features you need for your email marketing campaigns
If you are looking for an easier way to manage your servers then you should check out RunCloud.
RunCloud allows you to quickly deploy and manage your web applications without needing to be a Linux expert.
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FAQs About SMTP for Email Marketing
Is SMTP needed for email?
Yes, SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is essential for sending emails as it’s the standard protocol for email communication across the internet, acting as a guide for mail servers to send, receive, and relay emails among senders and recipients.
Is Google SMTP free?
Google’s SMTP service is free of charge, but it has some limitations. For example, you can send up to 500 emails per day with a free Gmail account or a free trial of Google Workspace.
How many emails can you send with Google SMTP?
With a free Gmail account, you can send up to 500 emails each day. If you have a Google Workspace paid account, the daily sending limit per user account is 2,000 emails per day.
Can I run my own SMTP server?
Yes, you can host your own SMTP server on a virtual private server (VPS) or a dedicated server. However, this approach requires some technical expertise, as well as enough resources to support the increased traffic.
What is the difference between HTTP and SMTP?
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) are both network layer protocols used to transfer information between hosts. HTTP is used for data and file transfer, while SMTP is used for mail services.
