Comparison
VuloMail vs SureMail.
SureMail, from the team behind Astra, is free with no paid tier: multiple fallback connections, automatic retries, a log with resend, and delivery analytics. It’s only 21 months old but already has 200,000 installs. VuloMail’s difference is SMS, with alerts and WooCommerce texts built in, plus a longer list of email services and an SPF and DMARC check.
At a glance
The numbers, side by side.
From the WordPress.org plugin directory on 13 October 2026. VuloMail is new: it was listed on 12 Oct 2026, so it has no install base or reviews yet. Weigh that against the feature list below.
Active installs
Under 10 (new)
200K+
Rating
No reviews yet
4.7/ 5 · 25 reviews
Current version
1.0.0
2.0.3
Last updated
12 Oct 2026
8 Oct 2026
On WordPress.org since
12 Oct 2026
22 Jan 2025
Requires
WordPress 6.4+ · PHP 7.4+
WordPress 5.4+ · PHP 7.4+
Tested up to
WordPress 7.1.3
WordPress 7.1.3
Features
What’s free, and what isn’t.
Each row says whether SureMail includes a feature in its free plugin, keeps it for a paid plan, or doesn’t offer it. VuloMail has no paid plan, so everything it does is included.
Sending
Email services built in
VuloMail
22 email APIs, plus 18 one-click SMTP presets
SureMail
13 services, including Brainstorm Force's SureContact
Any SMTP server
VuloMail
SureMail
Gmail / Google Workspace
VuloMail
SMTP preset with an app password; no Google sign-in
SureMail
Sign-in method not stated
Microsoft 365 / Outlook
VuloMail
SMTP preset with an app password; no Microsoft sign-in
SureMail
Not listed; generic SMTP may work
Amazon SES
VuloMail
SMTP preset
SureMail
Sends through your own provider account
VuloMail
SureMail
Rules that route emails to different providers
VuloMail
One primary and one backup for all email
SureMail
Reliability & visibility
Backup connection when the primary fails
VuloMail
Plus WordPress's own mailer as a last resort
SureMail
Several fallbacks in order, plus auto-retry
Log of every email sent
VuloMail
Email and SMS in one log
SureMail
Resend from the log
VuloMail
When message-content storage is switched on
SureMail
Alert when an email fails
VuloMail
By SMS, at most one text every 15 minutes
SureMail
Via SureTriggers: Slack, Telegram, Discord and more
Sender-domain DNS check (SPF/DMARC)
VuloMail
Checked from your own server
SureMail
Open / click tracking
VuloMail
SureMail
SMS
Text-message (SMS) alerts
VuloMail
Twilio, Vonage, Plivo or Clickatell
SureMail
Possible through SureTriggers
WooCommerce order & stock texts to you
VuloMail
Orders, failed payments, refunds, stock, reviews
SureMail
Order-update texts to customers
VuloMail
Processing, completed, refunded, cancelled, notes
SureMail
Admin
WP-CLI commands
VuloMail
SureMail
Multisite network settings
VuloMail
Not documented
SureMail
Pricing
What it costs.
Plugin prices only. Your email or SMS provider bills you separately with either plugin, except where noted.
VuloMail
$0
No paid plan, no account, no limits set by VuloMail. Every feature on this page is in the free plugin.
SureMail
Free version: Everything. SureMail describes itself as completely free.
No paid plans. Some alert channels go through SureTriggers (OttoKit), a separate Brainstorm Force service.
Strengths
Where each one wins.
We list theirs first. If one of these matters most to you, it should decide it.
- Several fallback connections tried in order, and automatic retries after a delay. VuloMail has one backup, then WordPress's mailer.
- Delivery analytics and charts.
- Alerts through SureTriggers can reach almost any channel, if you also use that service.
- A larger installed base already: 200,000 sites.
- SMS is built in, with no second service: 18 alerts for your site and store, including order updates for customers.
- 22 email APIs, including Mailtrap, Mandrill, Resend, SendLayer, ZeptoMail and SocketLabs, which SureMail doesn't list.
- Microsoft 365 and Outlook presets, and a sender-domain SPF and DMARC check.
- Privacy defaults: bodies aren't stored unless you opt in, recipients can be masked, and nothing is sent to a vendor service.
Verdict
Which one should you pick?
Choose SureMail if
- You want several fallbacks and automatic retries.
- You already use SureTriggers or other Brainstorm Force products.
Choose VuloMail if
- You want SMS alerts or WooCommerce customer texts without connecting another service.
- You send through Microsoft 365 or one of the providers SureMail doesn't list.
Switching
Moving from SureMail.
Add the same account
Add the provider you use in SureMail as a VuloMail connection. Nothing changes until you set it as primary.
Set it as primary
Optionally add a backup connection, so a second provider takes over if the first fails.
Send a test
Tools → Send a test email goes through live routing. Diagnostics confirms your SPF and DMARC records.
Deactivate SureMail
Two plugins handling the same email compete for it. VuloMail's Diagnostics flags any it recognises.
Sources & method
Checked on 13 October 2026. Plugin numbers come from the WordPress.org plugin directory; features and prices come from each vendor's own listing and pricing pages. Products change, so check the vendor's current page before you decide.
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Install VuloMail, connect the provider you already pay for, and send your first test in about five minutes.