Marketing · Review · Updated 17 October 2026
SMTP.com reviewEmail relay and API with a dedicated IP from $80/month and 90-day data retention
Very good
Brent score, out of 5
SMTP.com is a focused sending service for businesses that need reliable relay at volume and want a dedicated IP without paying enterprise prices. The flat plans are simple and the 90-day data retention is generous. There is no free tier listed, and the useful extras (Reputation Defender, Insight Engine) each add 20% to your bill.
Price
$25/month for 50,000 emails
Free option
Paid only
Best for
Apps and SaaS products sending transactional email at 50,000+ messages a month
Opens J2 Global Canada (Ziff Davis) in a new tab · We may earn a commission
Disclosure: we may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never affects our ratings. How we make money
Best for
- Apps and SaaS products sending transactional email at 50,000+ messages a month
- Senders who want a dedicated IP at a mid-range price
- Teams migrating from SendGrid or Mailgun who want help moving
- High-volume senders who need a dedicated platform instance
Skip it if
- Hobby projects that only need a few hundred emails a month free
- Marketers who want a newsletter builder, templates and lists in one tool
- Buyers who want to test the service on a free plan first
Your app's password resets land in spam. Order confirmations arrive late. Or your newsletter platform keeps throttling you because one shared IP got a bad name. When email is part of how your product works, the sending layer matters more than the template.
SMTP.com has been in the email delivery business for more than two decades and does one job: get messages from your server or app into the inbox. It sells simple monthly volume plans, includes a dedicated IP from the second tier, and keeps up to 90 days of sending data.
This review covers what each plan includes, what the add-ons really cost, and when a different provider makes more sense.
What is SMTP.com?
SMTP.com is an email relay and email API service owned by J2 Global Canada, a Ziff Davis company. You point your application, website or marketing platform at SMTP.com's relay or call its API, and it handles sending, authentication (SPF, DKIM), feedback loops, bounces and reporting. Plans are sold by monthly email volume, with shared IPs on the entry plan and dedicated IPs above it. Very large senders (250 million+ emails a month) get a dedicated instance of the platform with their own MTA.
Pros and cons
What we like
- Flat monthly plans: 50,000 emails for $25, 100,000 for $80, 1 million for $500
- Dedicated IP included from the $80 Starter plan upward
- Up to 90 days of data retention without a paid retention add-on
- SPF, custom DKIM and feedback loops on all plans
- In-house support team and turnkey migration help
- Pay by credit card or PayPal
What could be better
- No free plan is listed on the pricing page
- Reputation Defender and Insight Engine each cost an extra 20% of the plan price
- The cheapest plan uses a shared IP
- It is a sending service, not a full email marketing suite with an editor and audience tools
Overall
Very good
- Features4.0
- Ease of use4.0
- Value4.3
- Support4.3
Key features of SMTP.com
SMTP relay and email API
Send through standard SMTP credentials or the Email Relay API, so it works with most apps, CMSs and marketing tools. API documentation and webhooks are available for developers.
Dedicated and hybrid IP pools
Starter and higher plans include a dedicated IP, so your reputation is not tied to other senders. SMTP.com also offers hybrid pools that mix shared and dedicated sending.
90-day data retention
SMTP.com says it keeps up to 90 days of sending data, so you do not need to export CSVs or pay for a longer retention tier to investigate a delivery problem.
Reputation Defender (add-on)
This optional tool checks list health and suppresses bad addresses in real time to cut hard and soft bounces. It costs 20% of your plan price.
Insight Engine (add-on)
A newer add-on that enriches customer profiles with extra data for segmentation and engagement. It is also priced at 20% of your plan cost.
Migration and onboarding help
SMTP.com says it moves hundreds of customers a month from providers such as SendGrid and Mailgun, with managed onboarding and integration help from its team.
SMTP.com pricing
Checked 2026-10. Prices can change; confirm on J2 Global Canada (Ziff Davis)’s site.
Essential
$25/month
monthly
- 50,000 emails/month
- Shared IP
- Email Relay API and detailed reporting
Starter
$80/month
monthly
- 100,000 emails/month
- Dedicated IP
- Expert support
Growth
$300/month
monthly
- 500,000 emails/month
- Dedicated IP
- Marked as the best choice
Business
$500/month
monthly
- 1,000,000 emails/month
- Dedicated IP
- Detailed reporting
High Volume Senders
Custom quote
contract
- Minimum 250 million emails/month
- Dedicated platform instance, IP and MTA
- No shared mail queue
Watch out: Prices are in US dollars; budget an extra 20% per add-on if you want Reputation Defender or Insight Engine, and check overage terms before you exceed your plan volume.
See current SMTP.com pricing →What people use SMTP.com for
Transactional email for a SaaS app
A SaaS product sends sign-up confirmations, password resets and receipts through the API. At around 80,000 emails a month, the $80 Starter plan gives it a dedicated IP so its reputation is its own.
Relay for a marketing platform
A business already using a CRM or newsletter tool routes its sending through SMTP.com's relay to separate its deliverability from the platform's shared pool.
Moving off SendGrid or Mailgun
A team unhappy with deliverability or support on another provider uses SMTP.com's turnkey migration service to switch DNS records and sending without rebuilding its app.
How to get started with SMTP.com
- 1
Pick the plan that matches your monthly volume on the pricing page
- 2
Verify your sending domain and add the SPF and DKIM records SMTP.com gives you
- 3
Point your app or platform at the SMTP relay, or plug in the API key
- 4
Send a test batch and check delivery in the reporting dashboard
- 5
Add Reputation Defender if your lists are older or bounce rates are high
SMTP.com alternatives
| Product | Choose it when |
|---|---|
| SMTP.com 4.1 | Apps and SaaS products sending transactional email at 50,000+ messages a month |
| Brevo4.4 | Choose Brevo if you want transactional email plus newsletters, automation and a free plan in one tool. |
| SendGrid | Choose SendGrid if you want a large developer ecosystem and a free entry tier. |
| Sender4.4 | Choose Sender if you mainly send newsletters and want a low-cost marketing tool with a visual editor. |
SMTP.com: frequently asked questions
How much does SMTP.com cost?+
Plans start at $25/month for 50,000 emails on a shared IP. Starter is $80/month for 100,000 emails with a dedicated IP, Growth is $300/month for 500,000 and Business is $500/month for 1 million.
Does SMTP.com have a free plan or free trial?+
The pricing page does not list a free plan or a free trial. You buy a paid plan to start; large senders can request a custom quote.
Do I get a dedicated IP with SMTP.com?+
Yes, from the Starter plan ($80/month) upward. The Essential plan uses a shared IP.
What is Reputation Defender?+
It is SMTP.com's add-on that monitors list health and suppresses invalid addresses in real time to protect your domain and IP reputation. It costs 20% of your plan price.
How long does SMTP.com keep email logs?+
SMTP.com says it keeps up to 90 days of data, which is longer than many providers include by default.
Who owns SMTP.com?+
SMTP.com is a trademark of J2 Global Canada, Inc., a Ziff Davis company.
Final verdict
Is SMTP.com worth it?
If your app or business sends tens of thousands of emails a month and deliverability has started to slip, SMTP.com is a straightforward fix: pick a volume plan, verify your domain and send through a dedicated IP from $80/month. You get relay, API and 90 days of reporting from day one.
See SMTP.com plansAffiliate link · we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Reviewed by
Amjid Ali, Founder and editor
Amjid Ali is a Melbourne-based AI and automation lead, author of five books on infrastructure, automation and digital transformation, and a corporate trainer whose courses on n8n, Proxmox, firewalls and ERP have taught thousands of IT professionals.
Last updated 17 October 2026 · How we review
You might also like
Marketing
Brevo review
Email, SMS and automation priced by emails sent, not by contacts stored
Marketing
InboxAlly review
Seed-based email warmup that pulls your messages out of spam and Promotions
Marketing
Sender review
Affordable email and SMS marketing with a free plan for 2,500 subscribers
SMTP.com 4.1
$25/month for 50,000 emails