--- title: "Best SMTP2GO Alternatives in 2026: SMTP Relays Compared" description: "The best SMTP2GO alternatives of 2026 compared: Reloop, Mailgun, Postmark, SendGrid, Amazon SES, ZeptoMail and Elastic Email as SMTP relays for WordPress, apps and devices, on price, ports, dedicated IPs and inbound." canonical: "https://reloop.sh/blog/best-smtp2go-alternatives" last-updated: "2026-10-25" --- # Best SMTP2GO Alternatives in 2026: SMTP Relays Compared > For the site documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). Docs index: [llms-docs.txt](/llms-docs.txt). Marketing corpus: [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt). Docs corpus: [llms-full-docs.txt](/llms-full-docs.txt). Product skill: [skill.md](/skill.md). Prefer markdown URLs (append `.md`) when available. > The best SMTP2GO alternatives of 2026 compared: Reloop, Mailgun, Postmark, SendGrid, Amazon SES, ZeptoMail and Elastic Email as SMTP relays for WordPress, apps and devices, on price, ports, dedicated IPs and inbound. Source: https://reloop.sh/blog/best-smtp2go-alternatives Published: 2026-10-25 **The short version:** every provider here works as an SMTP relay for WordPress, a CRM, a NAS or a legacy app. The differences are price and what comes with the relay. **Reloop** is $20 for 100,000 emails with a dedicated IP, against $75 on SMTP2GO, and adds an API, inboxes and campaigns. **Amazon SES** and **ZeptoMail** are cheaper per email if you only need the relay. **Postmark** is the pick when transactional deliverability is all that matters. We build Reloop, so weigh our entry accordingly. Every price below comes from the provider's own pricing page, and each section says where that provider beats us. --- ## Why teams look for an SMTP2GO alternative SMTP2GO is a focused, well-run relay with phone support and a long list of fallback ports. Teams usually move for one of these reasons: - **Price at volume.** Starter is $10 for 10,000 with $1 per extra 1,000; Professional is $75 for 100,000 ([SMTP2GO pricing](https://www.smtp2go.com/pricing/)). - **A small free tier.** 1,000 emails a month. - **Relay only.** Inbound mail isn't a focus, and there are no campaigns or automations. - **Hosted only.** You can't run it yourself. If your devices sit on networks that block port 587, SMTP2GO's alternate ports (2525, 8025, 80, 443) are a real reason to stay. Check that first. --- ## Top picks at a glance | Category | Pick | Why | |---|---|---| | **Best overall** | Reloop | $20 for 100k with a dedicated IP, plus API, inboxes and campaigns | | **Cheapest relay** | Amazon SES | $0.10 per 1,000, if you're comfortable with AWS | | **Cheapest hosted relay** | ZeptoMail | Prepaid credits, transactional only | | **Best deliverability focus** | Postmark | Transactional-first, separate message streams | | **Best developer veteran** | Mailgun | Mature SMTP and API, inbound routes | | **Best for enterprise** | SendGrid | Subusers, IP pools, Twilio contracts | | **Best budget with marketing tools** | Elastic Email | 3,000 free a month, newsletter designer | --- ## The comparison table | | SMTP2GO | Reloop | Amazon SES | ZeptoMail | Postmark | Mailgun | SendGrid | Elastic Email | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | **Free tier** | 1,000 / mo | 6,000 / mo (200 / day) | $200 AWS credits | First credit (10,000) | 100 / mo | 100 / day, trial | 60-day trial, 100 / day | 3,000 / mo (100 / day) | | **~50k / mo** | $50 (Starter + overage) | **$10** | ~$5 | ~$12.50 | $15 base + overage | $35 | $19.95 | $19 / $49 | | **~100k / mo** | $75 | **$20** | ~$10 | ~$25 | $15 base + overage | $90 | $34.95 | Slider | | **Dedicated IP** | Professional ($75) | Included on Growth ($20) | $24.95 / mo | Paid add-on | $50 / mo, 300k+ | Paid add-on | Pro ($89.95) | $40–50 add-on | | **Inbound** | Not a focus | Mailboxes, API, MCP, IMAP | Receipt rules | No | Pro and up | Routes | Inbound Parse | Pro plan | | **Campaigns** | No | Yes + automations | No | Not allowed | Broadcast streams | Limited | Separate plan | Separate plans | | **Open source** | No | Yes (Apache 2.0) | No | No | No | No | No | No | Sources: [smtp2go.com/pricing](https://www.smtp2go.com/pricing/), [reloop.sh/pricing](/pricing), [aws.amazon.com/ses/pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/ses/pricing/), [zoho.com/zeptomail/pricing](https://www.zoho.com/zeptomail/pricing.html), [postmarkapp.com/pricing](https://postmarkapp.com/pricing), [mailgun.com/pricing](https://www.mailgun.com/pricing/), [sendgrid.com/pricing](https://sendgrid.com/pricing/), [elasticemail.com/email-api-pricing](https://elasticemail.com/email-api-pricing). SMTP2GO's 50k figure is worked out from its published overage rate; Mailgun's 100k figure is its $90 Scale plan. ZeptoMail uses the widely listed $2.50 per credit, which varies by region. --- ## SMTP settings at a glance | | Host | Port | Username | Password | |---|---|---|---|---| | **SMTP2GO** | `mail.smtp2go.com` | 2525 (recommended), 25, 587, 8025, 80; SSL on 465, 8465, 443 | An SMTP user you create | That user's password | | **Reloop** | `smtp.reloop.sh` | 587 with STARTTLS | Your API key | The same API key | | **SendGrid** | `smtp.sendgrid.net` | 587 | `apikey` | Your API key | | **ZeptoMail** | `smtp.zeptomail.com` | See Zoho docs | `emailapikey` | Your send-mail token | For the others, the SMTP host and credentials are in each provider's dashboard. Amazon SES uses separate SMTP credentials generated in the SES console, not your AWS access keys. --- ## 1. Reloop: best overall SMTP2GO alternative Reloop is open-source email infrastructure: an SMTP relay and REST API, plus inbound mailboxes, contacts, campaigns, automations and signed webhooks. **Pricing:** Free is 6,000 emails a month (200 a day). Pro is $10 for 50,000. Growth is $20 for 100,000 and includes a dedicated IP. Extra mail costs $0.50 per 1,000. Or prepay credits at $0.50 per 1,000, valid for 6 months. Self-hosting is free under Apache 2.0. **Strengths** - **$20 vs $75 at 100,000 emails**, both with a dedicated IP. - **One credential for everything.** The same API key works for SMTP and the REST API. - **More than a relay.** Inbound mailboxes readable over the API, the [MCP server](/docs/integrations/ai-tools/mcp-server) or IMAP, plus campaigns and automations. - Webhooks signed with HMAC in the `Reloop-Signature` header. - Runs on Hetzner with EU data centers, or on your own server. **Weaknesses** - **Fewer ports.** Reloop's relay uses STARTTLS on 587, with 2587 and 2025 as fallbacks. It has no 2525, port 80 or implicit TLS on 465, so devices on very locked-down networks have fewer options than on SMTP2GO. - **A 200-a-day cap on Free.** SMTP2GO's free 1,000 a month has no daily cap, which suits occasional bursts better. - No SMS and no phone support. **Best for:** apps and WordPress sites sending more than a few thousand emails a month, especially if you also want an API or inbound mail. Full breakdown: [Reloop vs SMTP2GO](/blog/reloop-vs-smtp2go). --- ## 2. Amazon SES: cheapest relay [Amazon SES](https://aws.amazon.com/ses/) offers an SMTP interface alongside its API. **Pricing:** $0.10 per 1,000 emails, plus $0.12 per GB of attachments. Dedicated IPs are $24.95 a month. **Strengths** - Lowest price per email here. - Scales to very high volume. **Weaknesses** - New accounts start in a sandbox and need production access approval. - No friendly dashboard; bounce and complaint handling is yours to wire up. **Best for:** AWS-comfortable teams sending at volume. Full comparison: [Reloop vs Amazon SES](/blog/reloop-vs-aws-ses) or our [SES alternatives page](/alternatives/aws-ses). --- ## 3. ZeptoMail: cheapest hosted relay [ZeptoMail](https://www.zoho.com/zeptomail/), now part of Zoho CPaaS, sells transactional email on prepaid credits with an SMTP relay at `smtp.zeptomail.com`. **Pricing:** one credit sends 10,000 emails, the first is free, and credits expire after 6 months. At the widely listed $2.50 per credit, that's about $12.50 for 50,000. **Strengths** - Very cheap, no monthly fee. - Webhooks, suppression list, SMTP and API. **Weaknesses** - Transactional only; newsletters aren't allowed. - No inbound mail. Credits expire. **Best for:** low-cost transactional relaying. Full comparison: [Reloop vs ZeptoMail](/blog/reloop-vs-zeptomail). --- ## 4. Postmark: best deliverability focus [Postmark](https://postmarkapp.com/) has been transactional-first for over a decade and separates traffic into message streams. **Pricing:** a free developer plan of 100 emails a month. Basic starts at $15 for 10,000 with $1.80 per extra 1,000. Inbound needs Pro or above. Dedicated IPs are $50 a month for senders above 300,000 a month. **Strengths** - Strong transactional reputation and excellent support. - Message streams keep bulk and transactional traffic apart. **Weaknesses** - The most expensive per email in this list once you pass the base tier. - Tiny free tier. **Best for:** teams where a late password reset costs real money. Full comparison: [Reloop vs Postmark](/blog/reloop-vs-postmark) or our [Postmark alternatives page](/alternatives/postmark). --- ## 5. Mailgun: best developer veteran [Mailgun](https://www.mailgun.com/) offers SMTP and a REST API with stored templates, inbound routes and email validation. **Pricing:** a 100-a-day trial. Basic is $15 for 10,000; Foundation is $35 for 50,000, with overage from $1.30 per 1,000. Dedicated IPs are a paid add-on. **Strengths** - Mature sending, webhooks and inbound routes. - Email validation as an add-on. **Weaknesses** - No permanent free tier. - About $100 at 100,000 emails. **Best for:** developer teams that want routing and validation. Full comparison: [Reloop vs Mailgun](/blog/reloop-vs-mailgun) or our [Mailgun alternatives page](/alternatives/mailgun). --- ## 6. SendGrid: best for enterprise [SendGrid](https://sendgrid.com/), part of Twilio, relays through `smtp.sendgrid.net` with the username `apikey`. **Pricing:** a 60-day trial at 100 a day. Essentials is $19.95 for 50,000 and $34.95 for 100,000. Pro, with a dedicated IP, subusers and SSO, starts at $89.95. **Strengths** - Proven at very high volume, with IP pools and subusers. - Enterprise procurement through Twilio. **Weaknesses** - No permanent free plan. - The dedicated IP needs Pro at $89.95. **Best for:** large organisations with procurement requirements. Full comparison: [Reloop vs SendGrid](/blog/reloop-vs-sendgrid) or our [SendGrid alternatives page](/alternatives/sendgrid). --- ## 7. Elastic Email: best budget with marketing tools [Elastic Email](https://elasticemail.com/) sells an Email API with SMTP and a separate Email Marketing app. **Pricing:** free for 3,000 emails a month (100 a day). Starter is $19 and Pro is $49 for 50,000. A dedicated IP is a $40 or $50 add-on. **Strengths** - Generous free tier. - A drag-and-drop newsletter designer on its marketing plans. **Weaknesses** - Webhooks and inbound need Pro. - Logs kept for 3 to 7 days. **Best for:** budget senders who also want newsletters. Full comparison: [Reloop vs Elastic Email](/blog/reloop-vs-elastic-email). --- ## How to choose - **"Our devices can't reach port 587."** Stay on SMTP2GO; its alternate ports matter. - **"We send 50k+ a month and want a dedicated IP."** Reloop: $20 for 100,000 with the IP included. - **"We want the lowest price and only relay transactional mail."** ZeptoMail or Amazon SES. - **"Every password reset must land fast."** Postmark. - **"We want to receive and reply to mail too."** Reloop's mailboxes. --- ## Switching from SMTP2GO 1. **Verify your domain** with the new provider. Merge its SPF include into your existing record (never publish two SPF records) and add its DKIM record. See our [SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide](/blog/spf-dkim-dmarc-setup-guide). 2. **Export bounces and unsubscribes** and import them, so you keep suppressing the same addresses. 3. **Change the SMTP settings** in WordPress, your app or your device. On Reloop: host `smtp.reloop.sh`, port 587, TLS or STARTTLS (not "SSL"), and your API key as both username and password. 4. **Send a test** from each system that relays mail; it's easy to forget a printer or a cron job. 5. **Move webhooks** and remove SMTP2GO's DNS records once traffic has moved. --- ## FAQ Amazon SES at $0.10 per 1,000 emails, if you're comfortable with AWS. For a hosted relay with a dashboard, ZeptoMail at about $2.50 per 10,000, or Reloop at $20 for 100,000 with a dedicated IP. Yes. Reloop is open source under Apache 2.0, with an SMTP relay, API and inbound mailboxes. Use it hosted or run it on your own server. All of them work with plugins like WP Mail SMTP, FluentSMTP and Post SMTP. Pick on price and deliverability. On Reloop, use `smtp.reloop.sh`, port 587 with TLS, and your API key as username and password. SMTP2GO is the one known for alternate ports like 2525, 8025 and 80. Reloop's relay uses port 587 with STARTTLS. If your network blocks 587, check each provider's docs for supported ports before you switch.