Title: Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability &#8211; FREE &amp; Easy-to-use
Author: Nicolas Verlhiac
Published: <strong>2024-04-11</strong>
Last modified: 2026-05-26

---

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# Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use

 Autor: [Nicolas Verlhiac](https://profiles.wordpress.org/nicolasverlhiac/)

[Pobierz](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/custom-smtp.2.2.1.zip)

[Podgląd na żywo](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/custom-smtp/?preview=1)

 * [Szczegóły](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/custom-smtp/#description)
 * [Recenzje](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/custom-smtp/#reviews)
 *  [Instalacja](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/custom-smtp/#installation)
 * [Rozwój](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/custom-smtp/#developers)

 [Wsparcie](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/)

## Opis

### Add Mail SMTP settings for WordPress

_Looking to modify the SMTP on your WordPress site?_
 Our Custom SMTP solution offers
you this possibility, allowing you to easily change your WordPress SMTP settings,
ensuring your emails consistently land in the recipient’s inbox.

Custom SMTP solves your email deliverability problems by reconfiguring WordPress
to use a proper SMTP provider when sending emails.

What’s more, our intuitive settings page and comprehensive documentation will guide
you through the process, making the task of modifying your SMTP settings easier 
than ever.

Custom SMTP is a free tool, packed with all the essential features you need to send
your WordPress emails with absolute confidence!

Built for modern WordPress: **WordPress 7.0 ready**, **PHPMailer 7.0.2 compatible**,**
stateless / cloud-ready** (Docker, Kubernetes), and **fully translated in English
and French**.

### Built-in Email Logging

Never wonder if your emails were sent again. Custom SMTP automatically logs every
email sent from your WordPress site – including WooCommerce order notifications,
contact form submissions, and password resets. Preview email content directly in
wp-admin, debug delivery issues with detailed error messages, and export logs for
compliance.

### Configuration Options

You can set the following options:

 * **From Name & Email** – Specify the sender name and email address for all outgoing
   emails
 * **SMTP Host** – Your email provider’s server (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
 * **SMTP Port** – Common ports: 587 (TLS), 465 (SSL), 25 (None)
 * **Encryption** – Choose between None, SSL, or TLS
 * **Authentication** – Enable/disable SMTP authentication for relay servers
 * **Username & Password** – Your SMTP credentials (password stored encrypted)
 * **Provider Presets** – One-click configuration for Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, SendGrid,
   AWS SES, and more

### Key Features

**SMTP Configuration**
 * Configure any SMTP server (Gmail, Outlook, SendGrid, Mailgun,
AWS SES, etc.) * Support for SSL/TLS encryption * Optional SMTP authentication for
relay servers * Test connection without sending emails * Send test emails to verify
configuration

**Email Logging & Debugging**
 * **Zero configuration** – Logging works out of the
box * Track all emails sent from WordPress, WooCommerce, Contact Form 7, and any
plugin * View delivery status (sent/failed) with detailed error messages * **Debug
wp_mail errors easily** – See exactly why emails fail * Store email headers for 
advanced troubleshooting * Search by recipient, subject, or status * Filter by date
range (Today, 7 days, 30 days) * Export logs to CSV for reporting and compliance

**Email Preview & Content**
 * **Preview email body directly from wp-admin** – No
need to send test emails * View HTML source code of any logged email * Outlook-style
sidebar for quick preview * Download any email as HTML file for archiving * Optional
content storage (disabled by default for privacy)

**Deliverability**
 * Cooperates with the automatic Envelope-From / Return-Path 
behavior introduced in WordPress 6.9 — improves SPF, DKIM and DMARC alignment on
strict hosts (AWS SES, Postmark, etc.) * PHPMailer 7.0.2 compatible (the version
bundled in WordPress 7.0) * UTF-8 and emoji handled end-to-end in subjects, bodies,
and headers

**Privacy & GDPR-friendly**
 * SMTP password encrypted at rest (AES-256-CBC) * Configurable
log retention with automatic purge (30 days by default) * Email content storage 
can be disabled in one click from the settings * Email preview rendered in a sandboxed
iframe — no JavaScript execution from logged emails * All data stays in your WordPress
database — no third-party calls

**Security**
 * SMTP password encrypted in database (AES-256-CBC) * All admin actions
protected with nonces * Capability checks on all operations

**Stateless & Cloud-Ready**
 * Fully compatible with stateless WordPress hosting(
containers, Kubernetes, AWS ECS/Fargate, etc.) * Works with Bedrock, Trellis, and
other modern WordPress stacks * Zero filesystem writes – all data stored in the 
database * No shared storage (EFS/NFS) required between instances * Safe to run 
on read-only filesystems

**AI & Workflow Integration (WordPress 6.9+)**
 * `custom-smtp/connection-health`—
read the current SMTP state (configured, host/port/encryption/auth, log retention)
from any tool * `custom-smtp/send-test-email` — trigger a test email through your
configured SMTP server * Compatible with MCP-enabled AI assistants, automation tools(
n8n, Make), dashboards, and other plugins via the WordPress Abilities API * Protected
by capability checks (`manage_options`) — same security boundary as the wp-admin
interface

## Zrzuty ekranu

 * [[
 * SMTP Settings – Configure your email server with host, port, encryption, and 
   authentication options.
 * [[
 * Email Logging Settings – Enable logging, set retention period, and optionally
   store email content for preview.
 * [[
 * Email Logs – View all sent emails with status, search, and filters. Export to
   CSV.
 * [[
 * Email Preview – Click any email to preview its content in an Outlook-style sidebar
   panel.

## Instalacja

 1. Install Custom SMTP either via the WordPress.org plugin repository or by uploading
    the files to your server.
 2. Navigate to Settings > Custom SMTP in the WordPress admin.
 3. Select a provider preset (Gmail, Outlook, AWS SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, Postmark,
    Mailjet, Zoho, Yahoo, iCloud) or pick „Other / Custom” and enter your SMTP details
    manually.

1, 2, 3: You’re done!

## Najczęściej zadawane pytania

### What SMTP settings should I use?

Custom SMTP includes presets for popular providers (Gmail, Outlook, AWS SES, SendGrid,
etc.). Just select your provider and settings are auto-filled.

### List of SMTP Servers

Here’s a reference list of common SMTP servers:

**Professional Email Services**
 * SendGrid: smtp.sendgrid.net – TLS – Port 587 *
Mailgun: smtp.mailgun.org – TLS – Port 587 * Amazon SES: email-smtp.[region].amazonaws.
com – TLS – Port 587 * Brevo (Sendinblue): smtp-relay.brevo.com – TLS – Port 587*
Postmark: smtp.postmarkapp.com – TLS – Port 587 * Mailjet: in-v3.mailjet.com – TLS–
Port 587

**Consumer Email Providers**
 * Gmail: smtp.gmail.com – TLS – Port 587 * Outlook/
Office365: smtp.office365.com – TLS – Port 587 * Yahoo Mail: smtp.mail.yahoo.com–
TLS – Port 587 * iCloud: smtp.mail.me.com – TLS – Port 587 * Zoho: smtp.zoho.com–
TLS – Port 587 * AOL: smtp.aol.com – TLS – Port 587 * GMX: smtp.gmx.com – SSL – 
Port 465

**ISP Email (Regional)**
 * Comcast: smtp.comcast.net – Port 587 * Verizon: outgoing.
verizon.net – SSL – Port 465 * AT&T: smtp.mail.att.net – SSL – Port 465 * Orange:
smtp.orange.net – Port 25 * T-Online: securesmtp.t-online.de – TLS – Port 587 * 
1&1 IONOS: smtp.1and1.com – TLS – Port 587

Note: Settings may vary. Contact your provider for exact configuration.

### Does it work with WooCommerce?

Yes! Custom SMTP logs all emails sent from WordPress, including WooCommerce order
confirmations, shipping notifications, and customer emails.

### Is it compatible with contact form plugins?

Yes, it works with Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms, and any plugin that uses
WordPress wp_mail() function.

### Is it compatible with stateless/containerized WordPress?

Yes. Custom SMTP is fully stateless-compatible and works on ephemeral infrastructure(
Docker, Kubernetes, AWS ECS/Fargate, Google Cloud Run, etc.) without shared storage
like EFS or NFS.

The plugin stores all data in the WordPress database:

 * Settings in `wp_options`
 * Email logs in a custom database table
 * CSV exports streamed directly to the browser (no temp files)
 * Log purge scheduled via WP-Cron (database-backed)

It also works with modern WordPress stacks like Bedrock and Trellis, and can run
on a read-only filesystem.

**Notes for stateless deployments:**

 * Ensure WordPress salts (`LOGGED_IN_KEY`, `LOGGED_IN_SALT`) are consistent across
   all instances — the SMTP password encryption depends on them.
 * If `DISABLE_WP_CRON` is set to `true`, configure an external cron to trigger `
   wp-cron.php` so automatic log purge runs properly.

### Can AI assistants or automation tools manage my SMTP?

Yes, on WordPress 6.9+. Custom SMTP registers two abilities with the WordPress Abilities
API:

 * `custom-smtp/connection-health` returns the current SMTP state (configured, host,
   port, encryption, auth, logging retention) — useful for diagnostics and monitoring.
 * `custom-smtp/send-test-email` triggers a test email through the configured SMTP
   server.

Both abilities are accessible to MCP-compatible AI clients, automation workflows(
n8n, Make), and other plugins. They enforce the same capability check as the wp-
admin interface (`manage_options`), so unprivileged users or scripts cannot invoke
them.

## Recenzje

![](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/de5fd5fa86c84a4e7a897dbb8f4b56ff628fecd8d14e81dad86a69d0657d7529?
s=60&d=retro&r=g)

### 󠀁[Ideal for solving problems with emails that are not sending (forms, etc.)](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/ideal-for-solving-problems-with-emails-that-are-not-sending-forms-etc/)󠁿

 [jcsamalens](https://profiles.wordpress.org/jcsamalens/) 2024-09-29

This plugin is really simple but very useful to solve all the problems related to
php mail() function. I use it with Amazon SES but they work with any SMTP server.
It has fixed issues on many of my websites. And what’s more, it’s free, unlike the
others!

 [ Przeczytaj 1 recenzje ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/reviews/)

## Kontrybutorzy i deweloperzy

„Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use” jest oprogramowaniem open
source. Poniższe osoby miały wkład w rozwój wtyczki.

Zaangażowani

 *   [ Nicolas Verlhiac ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/nicolasverlhiac/)

[Przetłumacz wtyczkę “Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use” na swój język.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/custom-smtp)

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przez [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/custom-smtp/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Rejestr zmian

#### 2.2.1

_Documentation update_

 * Surfaced the Abilities API integration (shipped in 2.2.0) in the plugin description
   and FAQ — users can now discover the AI / workflow capabilities directly from
   the WordPress.org plugin page without digging into the changelog.
 * Added dedicated **Deliverability** section highlighting SPF/DKIM alignment, PHPMailer
   7.0.2 compatibility, and UTF-8/emoji handling.
 * Added dedicated **Privacy & GDPR-friendly** section listing the existing privacy
   mitigations (encryption at rest, automatic log purge, opt-out content storage,
   sandboxed preview).
 * Mentioned the English / French translations and the „built for modern WordPress”
   stance in the intro.
 * Fixed the Installation steps: removed an incorrect „by WPForms” mention and refreshed
   the provider preset list to match the 11 presets actually shipped (Gmail, Outlook,
   AWS SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, Postmark, Mailjet, Zoho, Yahoo, iCloud).
 * Refreshed the WordPress.org tags (`smtp, email, deliverability, mail logger, 
   email logger`) to better reflect the plugin’s positioning.
 * No functional changes.

#### 2.2.0

_WordPress 7 compatibility release_

**WordPress 7 Compatibility**
 * Verified compatibility with WordPress 7.0 and PHPMailer
7.0.2 (no code changes required — plugin uses only public PHPMailer properties and
methods). * Cooperates with the automatic Envelope-From / Return-Path behavior introduced
in WordPress 6.9, so SPF/DKIM alignment now works correctly on strict hosts without
manual configuration. * Added a contextual note under the From Email field explaining
the new envelope sender behavior on WordPress 6.9+.

**New Integration**
 * Abilities API support (WordPress 6.9+): two server-side abilities
are now exposed for AI assistants, dashboards, and workflow tools. * `custom-smtp/
connection-health` — returns whether SMTP is configured, host, port, encryption 
mode, auth state, and log retention. * `custom-smtp/send-test-email` — sends a test
email through the configured SMTP server.

**Changed Defaults**
 * **Store Email Content** is now enabled by default on new
installs so the log preview is useful out of the box. Existing installs keep their
saved preference. You can still disable it from the Email Logging settings card;
with the default log retention of 30 days, stored bodies are automatically purged.

**Also Included (from the 2.1.0 line)**
 * iCloud Mail provider preset. * Documented
stateless and cloud-ready compatibility (Docker, Kubernetes, ECS/Fargate, Cloud 
Run, Bedrock, Trellis). * Removed legacy v1.x procedural code; the v2.x OOP architecture
is now the single source of truth.

#### 2.1.0

_Release Date – May 26, 2026_

**New Features**
 * Provider Presets: One-click configuration for Gmail, Outlook,
AWS SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, Postmark, Mailjet, Zoho, Yahoo, and iCloud. *
Auto-fill settings: Select a provider and Host, Port, Encryption, Authentication
are automatically configured. * Documentation links: Quick access to each provider’s
SMTP documentation.

**UI Improvements**
 * Redesigned settings page with card-based layout. * Status
bar showing SMTP configuration state at a glance. * Collapsible Advanced Settings
section. * Save button in each settings card for quick access. * Responsive design
for mobile admin access.

**Documentation**
 * Documented stateless and cloud-ready compatibility (Docker,
Kubernetes, ECS/Fargate, Cloud Run, Bedrock, Trellis). * Expanded FAQ with the full
list of supported SMTP providers.

**Maintenance**
 * Removed legacy v1.x procedural code; the v2.x OOP architecture
is now the single source of truth.

#### 2.0.0

_Release Date – February 4, 2026_

**Major Release – Architecture Refactor & Email Logging**

**New Features**
 * Email Logging: Track all sent emails with recipient, subject,
date/time, and status (success/failed). * Email Logs Dashboard: View all logged 
emails with search, filters, and pagination. * Email Preview Sidebar: View full 
email content in an Outlook-style sidebar panel. * Email Content Storage: Optionally
store complete email body for later preview (disabled by default for privacy). *
Download Email: Export any logged email as HTML file for archiving or debugging.*
Date Range Filters: Quick filters for Today, Last 7 days, Last 30 days. * CSV Export:
Export email logs to CSV for reporting and analysis. * Auto-purge: Configurable 
log retention (default 30 days) with automatic cleanup. * Statistics Bar: Compact
inline stats showing total, sent, failed, and today’s email counts. * Refresh Button:
One-click refresh of email logs.

**Architecture**
 * Complete OOP refactor with PSR-4 namespaces (CustomSMTP\). *
Dependency injection pattern for better testability. * Separated concerns: Plugin,
Settings, Mailer, Logger, Encryption classes. * Custom database table for email 
logs.

**Security**
 * Email preview uses sandboxed iframe (no JavaScript execution). *
Email body limited to 500KB to prevent database bloat. * All AJAX actions protected
with nonce verification and capability checks.

**Improved**
 * Cleaner, more maintainable codebase. * Better separation of admin
UI and core functionality. * Enhanced error handling throughout. * Responsive design
for mobile admin access.

**Note**
 * All v1.x settings are preserved and compatible. * Email logging is enabled
by default (can be disabled in settings). * Email content storage is disabled by
default – enable in settings to use preview feature.

#### 1.9.0

_Release Date – December 5, 2025_

**Security**
 * SMTP password is now encrypted in the database using AES-256-CBC
with WordPress salts. * Password field no longer displays the stored value (shows
placeholder instead).

**Added**
 * New „Test Connection” button to verify SMTP settings without sending
an email. * New „SMTP Authentication” option (Yes/No) to support relay servers without
authentication. * Improved error messages: common PHPMailer errors are now translated
to user-friendly messages.

**Changed**
 * Test buttons now show „Test Connection” and „Send Test Email” separately.*
Password field shows „Leave empty to keep current password” when a password is already
saved.

**Note**
 * Existing plaintext passwords will continue to work and will be encrypted
on next save.

#### 1.8.1

_Release Date – December 5, 2025_

**Fixed**
 * WordPress 6.9 compatibility: Use `wp_mail_from` filter instead of setting
From in `phpmailer_init` (fixes „Invalid address” error). * Fixed test email button
not working due to duplicate PHPMailer hooks.

**Changed**
 * **Breaking:** „Mail From” field moved from Optional to Main settings(
now required for WordPress 6.9+). * Test button now auto-saves settings before sending
test email. * Improved error messages: shows which required fields are missing. *
Disabled SMTPAutoTLS when security is set to „None” (fixes Mailpit/local testing).

#### 1.8.0

_Release Date – December 4, 2025_

**Fixed**
 * WordPress 6.9 compatibility: Fixed email sending failure with AWS SES
and other SMTP providers that require verified sender addresses. * Added proper 
Envelope-From (Sender/Return-Path) configuration to comply with WordPress 6.9 PHPMailer
changes. * Test emails now correctly use the configured „Mail From” address as the
envelope sender.

**Changed**
 * Minimum WordPress version updated to 6.0. * Minimum PHP version updated
to 7.4.

**Note**
 * Users must configure the „Mail From” field in optional settings with
a verified email address (especially important for AWS SES users).

#### 1.7

_Release Date – July 5, 2024_

**Improved**
 * Improved security of saved options with appropriate validation and
sanitization. * Code optimization by removing unused code comments and adding value
checks before use. * Split the main custom-smtp.php file into several files to improve
maintainability and readability. * Creation of includes/admin, includes/smtp and
includes/utils folders to organize code by functionality.

**Fixed**
 * Fixed validation of `secure` options to ensure they are either `none`,`
ssl` or `tls`. * Translations : Test email.

#### 1.6

_Release Date – April 3, 2024_

 * New optional settings for all emails sent by WordPress:
    - Addition of „Reply To” option: This feature allows you to specify an email
      address that recipients will send replies to, instead of the original sender’s
      email address. This is useful when the sender does not wish to receive replies
      directly.
    - Addition of „CC” option: „CC” stands for „Carbon Copy”. When you CC an email
      to someone, you send them a copy of your email. The CC’d person may not be
      the main recipient of the email, but they are included for their reference.
      Everyone who receives the email can see who has been CC’d.
    - Addition of „BCC” option: „BCC” stands for „Blind Carbon Copy”. This works
      like CC, but BCC recipients are hidden from the other recipients. This is 
      useful when you want to inform someone without letting others know that they
      are also receiving the same email.
 * Incompatible plugin detection: This feature helps identify any plugins that are
   not compatible and could potentially cause issues (proactive approach to prevent
   conflicts). It will alert you if an installed plugin is not compatible with the
   Custom SMTP plugin, allowing you to take necessary action.
 * Comprehensive test email with configuration information

#### 1.5

_Release Date – March 14, 2024_

 * You can test your SMTP settings before saving them.
 * Secure SMTP option accept `None` as value.
 * Custom CSS for Settings.

#### 1.4

_Release Date – March 12, 2024_

 * Public launch of the plugin!
 * Completely translated into English and French.
 * All SMTP options are editable.

## Meta

 *  Wersja **2.2.1**
 *  Ostatnia aktualizacja **17 godzin temu**
 *  Włączone instalacje **100+**
 *  Wersja WordPressa ** 6.0 lub nowszej **
 *  Testowano do **7.0**
 *  Wersja PHP ** 7.4 lub nowszej **
 *  Język
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/custom-smtp/)
 * Tagi
 * [deliverability](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/deliverability/)[email](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/email/)
   [email logger](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/email-logger/)[mail logger](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/mail-logger/)
   [smtp](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/smtp/)
 *  [Widok zaawansowany](https://pl.wordpress.org/plugins/custom-smtp/advanced/)

## Oceny

 5 na 5 gwiazdek.

 *  [  1 recenzja 5-gwiazdkowa     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/reviews/?filter=5)
 *  [  0 recenzji 4-gwiazdkowych     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/reviews/?filter=4)
 *  [  0 recenzji 3-gwiazdkowych     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/reviews/?filter=3)
 *  [  0 recenzji 2-gwiazdkowych     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/reviews/?filter=2)
 *  [  0 recenzji 1-gwiazdkowych     ](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/reviews/?filter=1)

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/reviews/#new-post)

[Zobacz wszystkierecenzje.](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/reviews/)

## Zaangażowani

 *   [ Nicolas Verlhiac ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/nicolasverlhiac/)

## Wsparcie

Masz coś do dodania? Potrzebujesz pomocy?

 [Zobacz forum wsparcia](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/custom-smtp/)