Sending emails is easy. Getting them into the inbox instead of spam? That’s where the real work begins.
Whether you’re a developer, startup, SaaS company, or marketing team, your SMTP provider directly affects your deliverability, sender reputation, and customer trust.
Below is a curated list of the best SMTP servers for 2025, starting with a fast-growing solution built for modern businesses: MailCub.
1. MailCub
MailCub is built specifically for startups, SaaS platforms, and agencies that want full control over their email infrastructure—without dealing with complex server setups.
Best for:
Custom email server setup, transactional emails, and business email hosting
Key Features
-
Full email server setup (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, rDNS)
-
Clean IP reputation with warm-up support
-
Custom SMTP relay
-
Simple dashboard to monitor delivery & performance
-
Email hosting + transactional emails on one platform
Pros
-
Low and transparent pricing
-
Real human support for setup & troubleshooting
-
White-label & brand-friendly
-
Ideal for businesses in developing regions
- Free trial
Pricing (approx.)
-
Free Trial
- Transactional emails: ~$0.001125 per email
-
Custom server pricing varies based on volume & setup
2. Brevo
Brevo offers SMTP along with email marketing and automation tools, making it suitable for teams that want more than just sending emails.
Pros
-
Easy setup
-
Built-in templates
-
Marketing automation included
Cons
-
Can feel heavy if you only need SMTP
- Add unsubscribe button at the top by default.
Pricing (approx.)
-
Free: Limited emails/day
-
Paid SMTP: ~$0.0018 per email
3. Amazon SES
Amazon SES is a favorite among developers and enterprises sending large volumes.
Pros
-
Extremely cheap
-
Highly scalable
-
Reliable infrastructure
Cons
-
Complex setup
-
Starts in sandbox mode
-
Not beginner-friendly
Pricing
-
$0.0001 per email
-
Extra cost for attachments & data transfer
4. SendGrid
SendGrid is widely used for transactional emails and API-based sending.
Pros
-
Excellent analytics
-
Strong API & documentation
-
Scales well
Cons
-
Support is expensive
-
Pricing increases quickly with volume
Pricing (approx.)
-
roughly $0.00045 per 1,000 email
5. Mailgun
Mailgun is a developer-focused SMTP and API platform with advanced tracking.
Pros
-
Strong APIs
-
High reliability
-
Advanced logs & analytics
Cons
-
Short log retention
-
Technical for non-developers
Pricing (approx.)
-
roughly $0.0015 per email
6. Mailtrap
Mailtrap is designed only for testing, not real email delivery.
Pros
-
Safe testing environment
-
Prevents accidental real sends
-
Great for staging & QA
Cons
-
Not for production use
Pricing
-
Free: 200 emails/day
-
Paid testing plans available
7. Postmark
Postmark focuses purely on fast and reliable transactional emails.
Pros
-
Excellent inbox placement
-
Fast delivery
-
Outstanding support
Cons
-
No marketing campaigns
-
Transactional only
Pricing
-
$0.0015 per email
8. Mailchimp
Mandrill works best if you’re already using Mailchimp.
Pros
-
Seamless Mailchimp integration
-
Reliable delivery
Cons
-
Requires Mailchimp account
-
Expensive compared to alternatives
Pricing (approx.)
-
roughly $0.03 per credit per email
Need help setting up SPF, DKIM, DMARC, or a full email server?
👉 Visit MailCub.com
We handle the technical complexity so you can focus on growing your business.
