SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, a service that allows you to send and receive emails using your domain name. See how to choose the best SMTP host.
We’ve reviewed over 1,500 hosting plans and selected the ones which meet the most generous SMTP requirements. We shortlisted the hosts which offer unlimited email storage, decent message size limits, a good email client, and easy-to-use instructions for setting it up.
What Is SMTP?
At its core, SMTP is simply a set of instructions used by servers (your own or those of your Internet Service Provider (ISP)) to determine how to send mail and who may send it. It was developed in response to threats of widespread email “spam.”
SMTP servers increase email security by enacting the following protocols:
Automatic virus scanning on outgoing messages
Filters that limit access to outgoing mail servers to customers only
Including a traceable Internet Protocol (IP) address linked to message senders
An SMTP relay that has been secured properly will not accept e-mails from non-local IP addresses to non-local mailboxes when they are from an unauthorized user. SMTP authentication is necessary for e-mail clients, like Windows Mail, to identify themselves to a mail server.
How To Choose an SMTP Web Host
When looking for an SMTP host, consider the following features:
Uptime guarantee: Similar to web hosting, SMTP hosts should provide 99.9% or higher uptime
Dedicated support: Ensure there’s dedicated support for your SMTP service
Quantity: Make sure you can send a reasonable quantity of email, and there’s room to grow as your email marketing list grows
Additional features: Look for things like autoresponders and email forwarding
Contacts: Check the mailing list product to see if there’s a limit to the number of people you can add
SiteGround offers competitive pricing, industry-leading features, quality security, notable support, and a focus on continuous improvement.
Our winner for the best overall SMTP hosting is SiteGround. It provides a customized hosting solution for managing unlimited email accounts on your domain.
To simplify your life, the company has added custom solutions (third-party in addition to its own) to ensure your email experience is fast, secure, and spam-free. For example, it will give you anti-spam solutions like SpamExperts enabled by default. And, easily manage your e-mail from the user-friendly control panel. Its email hosting supports SMTP, POP3, and IMAP.
Pros and cons of SiteGround
Pros
CDN included on all hosting packages
Premium support for small businesses
Over 18 years of experience
Cons
No dedicated or virtual private servers (VPS)
What customers are saying about SiteGround:
SiteGround is a reliable web hosting company with fast speeds, a user-friendly interface, and solid customer service. Some customers are not thrilled with the price increase and back-end support, though.
If you need many email accounts, Bluehost has you covered.
With Bluehost, you’ll get unlimited email accounts and email storage on all but the cheapest of its shared hosting plans. Like SiteGround, Bluehost also has secure POP3 and IMAP support.
Its e-mail server is compatible with third-party clients like Roundcube so you won’t have to enter your control panel whenever you check your email.
Bluehost also gives you unique user account controls so your team can manage their e-mails however they want.
Pros and cons of Bluehost
Pros
Free anti-spam solutions
Lots of hosting options
Digital security features offered
Cons
Fee for migrating from another host
Long wait times for tech support
What customers are saying about Bluehost:
Bluehost is a reputable provider offering shared and VPS hosting. Its services are easy to use, affordable, and have decent uptime. Bluehost gears its services toward entrepreneurs and small online startups. Billing might be confusing, but they have solid customer service for any issues.
Every time I needed help, Liquid Web’s live chat quickly responded with well-informed answers and fast solutions.
Similar in price to both Bluehost and SiteGround, A2 Hosting also provides great e-mail hosting support. Even its cheapest shared hosting comes with unlimited e-mail accounts and storage.
Your A2 Hosting control panel makes SMTP hosting and email management easy to configure POP3 or IMAP for your favorite email client or access your mail with the pre-installed webmail software.
Pros and cons of A2 Hosting
Pros
24/7 support availability
30-day money-back guarantee
99.9% uptime guarantee
Cons
Long-term contracts
What customers are saying about A2 Hosting:
A2 is a reliable, affordable hosting company that has fast speeds. The customer service is generally responsive but could use more updated tutorials and documentation.
SMTP stands for simple mail transfer protocol. It is the standard protocol used to send email messages.
How does SMTP work?
When you compose and send an email message, your email software opens a connection to an SMTP server. This normally involves logging in using a password.
To transmit the email, your software sends text-based commands, including details about the sender, recipient, and content. The server confirms each command, and once the message has been received successfully, it uses DNS records to find out the IP address where the email should be delivered.
Is SMTP secure?
Not always. If you want to ensure that nobody can read your emails in transit, use PGP encryption.
What is the difference between SMTP and POP3/IMAP?
SMTP is for sending email. POP3 and IMAP are for receiving email.
Are there any alternatives to SMTP?
There are some vendor-specific alternatives to SMTP, but these aren’t offered with regular web hosting accounts.
Where do I find the SMTP settings for my hosting company?
Before you sign up for a web hosting account, check that email service is included. Some hosts do not allow you to create email addresses alongside your web hosting files. Assuming you can create email addresses, you must create mailboxes in your hosting control panel. Then ask your host for the necessary server information to connect to it.