Comparison
VuloMail vs WP Mail SMTP.
WP Mail SMTP is the default choice for a reason: 4 million sites, a 4.8-star rating from more than 5,000 reviews, and 19 years on WordPress.org. Its free version sends email well, but the email log, backup connection, failure alerts and Amazon SES or Microsoft 365 sending are all in Pro, from $99 a year at full price. VuloMail includes those in the free plugin and adds SMS alerts, but it is brand new and has no reviews yet.
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)
4M+
Rating
No reviews yet
4.8/ 5 · 5,205 reviews
Current version
1.0.0
4.10.2
Last updated
12 Oct 2026
8 Oct 2026
On WordPress.org since
12 Oct 2026
12 Sep 2007
Requires
WordPress 6.4+ · PHP 7.4+
WordPress 5.5+ · 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 WP Mail SMTP 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
WP Mail SMTP
14 in free; Microsoft 365, Amazon SES and Zoho need Pro
Any SMTP server
VuloMail
WP Mail SMTP
Gmail / Google Workspace
VuloMail
SMTP preset with an app password; no Google sign-in
WP Mail SMTP
Sign in with Google, no password stored
Microsoft 365 / Outlook
VuloMail
SMTP preset with an app password; no Microsoft sign-in
WP Mail SMTP
One-click Microsoft sign-in
Amazon SES
VuloMail
SMTP preset
WP Mail SMTP
Sends through your own provider account
VuloMail
WP Mail SMTP
Rules that route emails to different providers
VuloMail
One primary and one backup for all email
WP Mail SMTP
Smart Conditional Routing
Reliability & visibility
Backup connection when the primary fails
VuloMail
Plus WordPress's own mailer as a last resort
WP Mail SMTP
With automatic retry
Log of every email sent
VuloMail
Email and SMS in one log
WP Mail SMTP
With attachments, export and print
Resend from the log
VuloMail
When message-content storage is switched on
WP Mail SMTP
Single or bulk
Alert when an email fails
VuloMail
By SMS, at most one text every 15 minutes
WP Mail SMTP
Email, Slack, Teams, Discord, Twilio SMS, webhooks
Sender-domain DNS check (SPF/DMARC)
VuloMail
Checked from your own server
WP Mail SMTP
Runs through WP Mail SMTP's own service
Open / click tracking
VuloMail
WP Mail SMTP
SMS
Text-message (SMS) alerts
VuloMail
Twilio, Vonage, Plivo or Clickatell
WP Mail SMTP
Email-failure alerts via Twilio only
WooCommerce order & stock texts to you
VuloMail
Orders, failed payments, refunds, stock, reviews
WP Mail SMTP
Order-update texts to customers
VuloMail
Processing, completed, refunded, cancelled, notes
WP Mail SMTP
Admin
WP-CLI commands
VuloMail
WP Mail SMTP
Multisite network settings
VuloMail
Not documented
WP Mail SMTP
Network-wide settings and logs
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.
WP Mail SMTP
Free version: Sending through 14 email services or any SMTP server, Gmail sign-in, test emails and a domain DNS check.
Pro
$99/yr
1 site
$49 in the first year
Elite
$149/yr
1 site
Adds White Glove Setup. $99 in the first year
Developer
$249/yr
20 sites
$199 in the first year
Agency
$449/yr
100 sites
$399 in the first year
Discounts are introductory; WP Mail SMTP states that renewals are at full price.
Strengths
Where each one wins.
We list theirs first. If one of these matters most to you, it should decide it.
- Track record: 4 million active installs and 5,205 reviews averaging 4.8 out of 5. VuloMail was listed on 12 October 2026 and has no reviews yet.
- Sign in with Google in the free version, so no Gmail password or app password is stored on your site. VuloMail's Gmail preset uses an app password.
- Pro has features VuloMail doesn't offer at any price: open and click tracking, weekly email summaries, rate limiting, background sending queues, conditional routing and multisite network settings.
- Paid one-to-one support and a White Glove Setup service that configures DNS and the mailer for you.
- Email log, resend, backup connection and failure alerts are free in VuloMail. In WP Mail SMTP each needs Pro, $99 a year for one site at full price.
- Amazon SES, Microsoft 365 and Zoho presets are in the free plugin, alongside 22 email APIs. WP Mail SMTP keeps all three for Pro.
- SMS: WooCommerce order, stock and review alerts for you, and order updates for customers, through Twilio, Vonage, Plivo or Clickatell. WP Mail SMTP only texts you when an email fails, and only in Pro.
- No outside service in the loop: VuloMail's DNS check runs from your own server, and it never contacts a VuloLabs server. WP Mail SMTP's domain check sends your From address and domain to its own service.
Verdict
Which one should you pick?
Choose WP Mail SMTP if
- You want the most proven plugin and the largest support community.
- You need open and click tracking, weekly reports, rate limiting or multisite network controls, and you're happy to pay for Pro.
- You send through Gmail and want Google sign-in instead of an app password.
Choose VuloMail if
- You want a log, a backup connection and failure alerts without a yearly licence.
- You run WooCommerce and want texts about orders and stock, or order updates sent to customers.
- You use one of the less common services VuloMail supports, such as ZeptoMail, SocketLabs, Mailtrap or Bird.
Switching
Moving from WP Mail SMTP.
Add the same account
Add the provider you use in WP Mail SMTP 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 WP Mail SMTP
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.
More comparisons
All 10 comparisonsYour email, delivered. Free.
Install VuloMail, connect the provider you already pay for, and send your first test in about five minutes.