What is an SMTP server?
Many customers ask us what an SMTP server is. What an SMPT service provides is and how to send via SMTP. Firstly: SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.
It’s a communication protocol used to transmit email messages over the internet. An SMTP server is a software application or a computer program responsible for sending, receiving, and relaying email messages between email senders and recipients.
When you send an email, your email client (such as Outlook, Gmail, or Apple Mail) communicates with an SMTP server to deliver the message. The SMTP server then routes the email to the recipient’s email server, which can be accessed later by the recipient using an email client or webmail interface. Same with email marketing software and other software that sends email. These systems also need to communicate with an SMTP server.
SMTP servers typically operate on port 25 for unencrypted communication, and port 587 for encrypted communication (using STARTTLS).
They play a crucial role in the email infrastructure, ensuring that messages are delivered reliably and efficiently across the internet.
What is an SMTP service provider?
An SMTP service provider is a company or organization that offers SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) services to individuals, businesses, or other entities.
These providers offer SMTP servers that customers can use to send email messages.
SMTP service providers typically offer various features and capabilities, including:
Reliable Delivery: Ensuring email messages sent through their SMTP servers are delivered reliably and efficiently to recipients.
Authentication: Providing authentication mechanisms to verify the identity of users and prevent unauthorized access to their SMTP servers.
Security: Implementing security measures such as encryption (e.g., SSL/TLS) to protect email communication from interception or tampering.
Scalability: Handling large volumes of email traffic and scaling their infrastructure to accommodate growing demands.
Monitoring and Reporting: Offering tools and services to monitor email delivery performance, track sent messages, and provide insights into email campaign effectiveness.
Compliance: Adhering to email industry standards and regulations (e.g., CAN-SPAM Act, GDPR) to ensure compliance with legal requirements regarding email communication.
SMTP service providers may cater to different types of users, including individuals, small businesses, enterprises, and email marketing companies. They often offer flexible pricing plans based on factors such as the volume of emails sent, features required, and level of support needed.
Popular SMTP service providers include SendGrid, Amazon SES (Simple Email Service), Gmail SMTP, Mailgun, and Inboxroad among others.
Think of an SMTP service provider as a really good delivery company for emails.
You know how when you want to send a package or a letter, you can use a delivery service like UPS or FedEx? Well, an SMTP service provider is like that, but for emails.
Instead of physically delivering packages, they help deliver emails from one person to another over the internet. These companies have big, powerful computers called servers that know exactly how to handle emails. When you send an email through their service, they make sure it gets to the right place safely and quickly.
So, an SMTP service provider is a company that specializes in making sure your emails get where they need to go on the internet, just like a delivery service makes sure your packages reach their destination.
People typically need to use an SMTP provider in several situations:
Personal Email: If you’re using an email client (like Outlook, Thunderbird, or Apple Mail) on your computer or mobile device to send emails using your domain (e.g., yourname@yourdomain.com), you’ll need to configure your email client with an SMTP server provided by your email hosting service or internet service provider (ISP). This allows you to send emails using your email address.
Business Email: Businesses often use SMTP providers to handle their email communication. They may have their email servers, but using an SMTP provider can offer additional features, reliability, and scalability. For example, suppose you’re running a business and sending marketing emails, transactional emails, or newsletters to your customers. In that case, an SMTP provider can help ensure that your emails reach your recipients’ inboxes and provide analytics to track email performance.
Web Applications: If you’re a developer building a web application (such as an e-commerce site, a social networking platform, or a customer management system) that needs to send emails programmatically (e.g., account activation emails, password reset emails, notifications), you’ll need to integrate an SMTP provider’s API into your application to handle email delivery. SMTP providers offer APIs and SMTP relay services that allow developers to send emails from their applications reliably and securely.
Bulk Email Sending: If you need to send a large volume of emails (e.g., marketing campaigns, newsletters) to a list of subscribers or customers, using an SMTP provider specialized in bulk email sending can help manage the delivery process efficiently and maintain good email deliverability rates. These providers often offer features such as dedicated IP addresses, and analytics.
Overall, if you need to send emails reliably, securely, and at scale, or if you’re looking for additional features beyond basic email-sending capabilities, using an SMTP provider is often the best solution. They handle the complexities of email delivery, ensure high deliverability rates, and offer features to meet various email-sending needs.
How to send via SMTP?
Sending emails via SMTP is an incredibly simple and secure way to transfer emails between two systems. After all, SMTP stands for Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and is widely used by businesses and organizations around the world as the industry standard for transferring emails. Not only is it a reliable method of sending emails, but it also ensures that all communication is secure and confidential. Furthermore, using SMTP makes it easy for users to keep track of all messages sent and received, allowing them to stay organized and efficient.
When you decide to use an SMTP server to connect with Inboxroad, you need to fill in the following fields:
SMTP host: smtp.deliverabilitymanager.net
SMTP port: 587
SMTP user: enter the username you received from us
SMTP password: enter the password you received from us
Return Path address: enter your email address for receiving bounces
Why use SMTP?
SMTP is a reliable and secure way to send emails. It is an open protocol, meaning it can work with any email provider. Additionally, SMTP is a well-tested protocol, and it is widely used by businesses and individuals. We recommend using SMTP when sending emails to ensure that your emails are delivered successfully. If you have any questions about using SMTP, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
Inboxroad – Best SMTP Server
If you want to take your email marketing efforts to the next level then you must try Inboxroad. Is one of the best SMTP services that has grown in recent times.
Inboxroad is a European company that started as an email marketing company seven years ago. Since then, its constant development has made it a top service provider.
Boost your email deliverability and engagement with Inboxroad. Our comprehensive solutions and expert guidance ensure your messages reach the inbox
Inboxroad – Feature Highlights
Inboxroad is primarily turning lots of heads for its SMTP Relay & APIs.
It is perfectly integrated with major email marketing services like Ongage, Interspire, Mailwizz, Pabbly, etc.
The service provider also assigns a delivery expert for you.
The expert then monitors your performance and offers actionable advice every week
You alone will be responsible for your sender reputation as the SMTP service is backed up by dedicated IPs. If you want, it also offers custom IP warm-ups.
If in case you find yourself stuck or don’t know what to do, you can refer to its extensive setup guides or get in touch with prompt customer support.
Pricing Of Inboxroad
Inboxroad doesn’t believe in leaving any stones unturned.
Therefore, if you have bulk email-sending requirements, you’ll find its pricing plans quite affordable. As low as 0,10€ per CPM.
Also, the good part is that there is a free plan or free trial. Where you can send up to 1000 emails per month for free to test Inboxroad services.
The subscription plans are built purely on the number of emails.
Here’s a brief overview of the pricing plans –
Free plan – 1,000 emails per month, FREE
Basic – The basic plan lets you send out 100.000 emails a month.
Pro – The first tier of the Pro plan offers 250,000 emails/month.
And, the second tier of the Pro plan offers 500,000 emails sending quota.
Premium – Finally, this plan enables you to send 1 million emails in a month
Apart from this, if you want to send more than 1 million emails, you must request a custom pricing plan.
