Sometimes, you send someone an important email, which ends up in the spam folder. To solve this problem, SMTP comes in. It is used in both email marketing and transactional marketing. It improves the delivery of your emails, helps to reduce bounce rate, and ensures that your emails will not end up in the spam folder. This blog will explore the best SMTP service providers and help you choose one.
What is an SMTP Service?
SMTP stands for simple mail transfer protocol. It is a dedicated service application for properly sending emails from companies through an authenticated server. Such services specialize in sending heaps of messages rapidly and securely, which is required in any email marketing campaign or transactional email of a business. Ordinary email providers such as Gmail or Outlook do not offer such features, whereas the providers of SMTP have dedicated IPs, much higher sending limits, and, above all, detailed analytics.
Why Email Deliverability Matters?
In simple terms, email deliverability is the ability of your emails to reach your recipient’s inbox and not land in the spam folder. Weak deliveries would damage your marketing campaigns and harm your sender’s reputation. Spam triggers, low domain reputation, and unverified email lists are examples of poor deliverability. Professional SMTP services increase the chances of landing your emails directly in the inbox since they show higher authentication, infrastructure dedicated to your network, and advanced email monitoring tools.
How to Choose the Best SMTP Service Provider?
The SMTP provider choice is dependent on several factors:
- Deliverability Rates: High deliverability rates play a role in the amount of deliveries of your emails that are actually read.
- Security: You want to look for providers that offer SSL/TLS encryption to secure the delivery of your email
- Scalability: If you are going to grow, you want an SMTP service that can ride a crescendo of increasing volumes of emails sent.
- API Access: If sending automated emails is a need for your website or app then this SMTP service should be able to integrate seamlessly.
- Analytics: Detailed report and track open rates, bounce rates, and deliverability.
- Pricing: calculate the budget that will be spent. Take into account how the provider’s pricing would scale with the email volume.
- Top SMTP Service Providers with High Email Deliverability
Here’s a look at the top SMTP service providers that excel in email deliverability, reliability, and features.
1. Mailgun
Mailgun is also a well-loved and highly trusted service for developers and businesses that require dependable services for transactional emails. It boasts some of the best email deliverability and substantial API integrations, making it very suitable for automated email systems.
Key Features:
- Emails can be validated in real-time.
- Advanced analytics and performance tracking.
- Intimate focus on email security and deliverability.
Pros:
- High deliverability rates.
- It is best suited for developers and projects that rely on APIs.
Cons:
- Technical skills are needed for the setup and integration process.
2. Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
Brevo is great for large businesses and mid-sized companies because of its user-friendly interface and very good email deliverability rates. The SMTP service by Brevo, previously known as Sendinblue, is ideal for a small to mid-size business that wants affordable and scalable options.
Key Features:
- Excellent email automation tools.
- Advanced reporting and email tracking.
- Integration with popular CMS platforms like WordPress.
- Affordable pricing and it has a free plan with limited functionality.
Pros:
- Affordable for businesses on a budget.
- Easy integration with other marketing tools.
Cons:
- Only a few emails can be sent on the free account.
3. SMTP.com
SMTP.com has proven to be a reliable service, promising large deliverability rates in addition to offering good security. Its features suit businesses looking at reliability and advanced reporting.
Key Features
- Dedicated IP addresses for improving email reputation
- Reliable email sending with fewer downtimes
- Constant analysis of the performance as well as the deliverability of emails
Pros
- Highly suitable for large-scale email campaigns
- Totally customizable via API access
Cons
- It would prove to be pretty expensive for even the most modest of businesses.
4. Amazon SES (Simple Email Service)
Amazon SES is a low-priced SMTP provider that is ideal for sending bulk emails. It is very scalable, and therefore very popular for large-scale business applications or those who use Amazon Web Services.
Key Features
- Pay-as-you-go price model.
- Compatibility with other AWS software.
- High scalability in sending email lists.
Pros
- Relatively cheap for sending bulk emails.
- Provides guarantee of delivery of emails.
Cons
- Too complicated to set up for non-technical users.
5. SendGrid
One of the highly respected SMTP providers offering the intensity of API, advanced analytics, and high deliverability rate is SendGrid. This makes it a great choice for businesses that want some flexibility in their email campaigns.
Key Features:
- High deliverability with dedicated IP.
- Very strong email marketing tools.
- Scalable pricing plans for all sizes.
Pros:
- Good analytics and reporting.
- Flexible pricing is based on email volume.
Cons:
- Paid plans can be quite expensive, depending on the size of your mailing list.
6. Postmark
This postmark is known to have an extremely high deliverability when it comes to transactional emails, so is great for e-commerce stores and websites that require dependable notifications and receipts.
Key Features:
- Excellence in transaction email delivery performance
- Reports of message activity in real-time
- A user-friendly API for an easy integration process
Pros:
- Focus on fast and reliable email delivery
- Easy setup for transactional emails
Cons:
- Not well suited for marketing email campaigns.
7. Mailtrap
Mailtrap is a weird SMTP provider designed for developers and teams to test email workflows. It provides a safe environment where you can test emails before delivering them to real users.
Key Features
- Sandbox Testing Environment for Emails.
- Spam analysis and deliverability monitoring.
- Integration with popular development platforms.
Pros:
- Great for testing and development.
- Guarantees deliverability by catching the potential problems that often spring up beforehand.
Cons:
- It’s not good for massive email campaigns.
How to Improve Email Deliverability with Any SMTP?
Service No matter which SMTP service you choose, the best practice to get even more improved email deliverability
- DOUBLE OPT-IN: Use Double Opt-in so that recipients want to receive your emails at their end.
- CLEAN UP YOUR EMAIL LIST: Clean up your email list by removing all inactive or bounced email addresses.
- AVOID SPAMMY SUBJECT LINES: Use clear subject lines; do not use clickbait subject lines.
- AUTHENTICATE YOUR DOMAIN: Set up your domain’s SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.
MONITORING EMAIL METRICS: Monitor analytics such as bounces, open rate, and click rate regularly.
Conclusion
Improve email deliverability by starting with the right SMTP provider. You might need something as affordable as Brevo or a solution with scalability coming from Amazon SES, and there’s always an SMTP service for that given need. Compare features, pricing, and deliverability rates to your business to determine the best fit.
