USING YOUR OWN EMAIL ADDRESS [ULTIMATE PLAN]

Honeycomb Go comes with a default SMTP mailer to increase the deliverability of emails in your system. All emails sent from your site will be sent via the noreply@honeycombgo.site. In our Ultimate Membership you can use your own SMTP so that your emails are sent from your own domain eg. yourname@yourdomain.com.

While each mailer in SMTP works differently, they all serve an important function: authentication.

When an email provider (like Google, Outlook, etc.) receives a new email, it will check to see if that email seems legitimate. One of the most important things it does during this process is look to see whether the email has been authenticated. In other words, email providers check if each email was actually sent from the site that it claims it was sent from.

Most of us never see this information in the emails we receive, but our email providers are checking over these details very carefully. And as the spamming industry continues to grow (and get more clever), providers are becoming even more strict about which emails they’ll allow into users’ inboxes. If an email doesn’t pass these checks, then it may end up in the recipient’s spam folder or simply never get delivered at all.

Each mailer has a different approach to solving your site’s email delivery issues, and also different requirements. In the sections below, you can check out a quick overview of each mailer to determine which option is the best fit for your Honeycomb Go site.

SMTP.com

SMTP.com has been improving email delivery for over 20 years and has a strong reputation for reliability. It offers a free trial, after which a paid account is required. However, its pricing options are competitive, and importantly, its setup process is fairly simple compared to many similar services.

• Cost: Free for up to 50,000 emails in the first 30 days. After this trial period, a paid account is required. You can check out   SMTP.com pricing page for all its plan options.
• From Email Requirements: For reliable email delivery, you’ll need a domain-specific From Email (e.g., pattie@honeycombgo.com).
• Bottom Line: SMTP.com is a recommended mailer because it’s an industry leader for email delivery. While many similar services require a pretty extensive setup process, SMTP.com has kept its requirements as simple as possible.

Sendinblue

Sendinblue offers reliable email delivery services as well as a generous free plan. This mailer uses a secure API, and as an added bonus, you won’t have to enter a credit card to complete the setup process (unless you decide you’d like a paid plan). If you already use Sendinblue for its email marketing services, then you can use the same account to set up this mailer.

• Cost: Free for up to 300 emails per day. It also has a wide variety of paid plans with higher monthly limits.
• From Email Requirements: Works with any From Email, but we strongly recommend using a domain-specific email for greater reliability.
• Bottom Line: Sendinblue is a recommended mailer because of its easy setup. It has a solid free option with no credit card required, and most importantly, its services are reliable.

Google Workspace / Gmail

The Gmail mailer uses Google’s API to securely improve email deliverability. It’s free and works with your existing Gmail or G Suite account.

However, Google’s API tends to have more restrictions than the mailers listed above and can be difficult to set up.

• Cost: Please note, though, that Google simply won’t allow large numbers of emails to be sent with its API (you can check out more details on Google’s email limit page).
• From Email Requirements: Works with Gmail addresses, G Suite email addresses, Google Workspace aliases, or Gmail aliases at a custom domain.
• Bottom Line: Gmail’s API only offers a free service, so you don’t have to worry about getting charged at any point. However, if you do hit its limits then it simply won’t send your emails. Its API also tends to run into more issues than the other API-based mailer options, which can make it less reliable.

Mailgun

Mailgun is a popular and super reliable tool for improving email delivery. It also uses a secure API and has a 3-month free trial.

After that trial period, a paid account is required. However, its pricing is super competitive (as low as $0.80 USD per 1,000 emails). It’s also worth noting that you’ll need a credit card to create a Mailgun account.

• Cost: Free for up to 5,000 emails per month during your first 3 months. After that, pricing options start at $0.80 USD per 1,000 emails sent.
• From Email Requirements: Works with any From Email, but we highly recommend using a domain-specific email for best reliability.
• Bottom Line: Mailgun is one of the most reliable email delivery options around, and has super competitive pricing.

Microsoft Outlook / 365

The Outlook / 365 mailer uses Microsoft’s Graph API to securely improve the deliverability of your site’s emails. A credit card is required to complete your account setup with Microsoft. However, it’s free to use your account for better email delivery.

• Cost: Free
• From Email Requirements: Works only with Microsoft-based email addresses (e.g., pattie@outlook.com, pattie@live.com, and Office 365 emails)
• Bottom Line:Microsoft’s API is a secure option and free to use for email delivery. However, the setup process is fairly involved, and this API tends to cause minor delays (a couple of minutes at most) in email deliveries

Postmark

Postmark prides itself on its reliable email delivery services. You’ll need to verify your domain by adding DNS records to your DNS settings and will also need to have your account manually approved by the Postmark team. However, Postmark includes unique features like message streams, which can be useful for keeping transactional and marketing emails separate.

• Cost: Postmark’s free developer plan allows you to send 100 emails per month. To send more than that, you’ll need to invest in a paid plan. See Postmark’s pricing page for more details.
• From Email Requirements: Works with any From Email, as long as you first verify it in your Postmark account. However, we recommend using a domain-specific email address for maximum reliability.
• Bottom Line: With its free developer plan, Postmark is an affordable mailer to get started with. Its setup process is a little more involved than some of the other options, but its reputation for reliable email delivery and its advanced features may outweigh the extra steps needed to configure it.

Zoho Mail

Zoho offers secure and reliable email delivery services through its API, and you won’t have to enter a credit card to complete your account setup (unless you decide you’d like a paid plan). This mailer also places emphasis on its data security strategies, which include a network security system that uses the latest encryption technologies.

• Cost: There is a “Forever Free” option, as well as several paid plans with additional features.
• From Email Requirements: Works with any From Email, but we highly recommend using a domain-specific email for best reliability.
• Bottom Line: Zoho is a reliable option for anyone looking to improve their site’s email deliverability. As a bonus, it also offers an integration with its Zoho CRM to help businesses manage their sales better.

‘Other SMTP’

‘Other SMTP’ is the only mailer that does not use an API. Instead, it uses traditional SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). This can be convenient in the short term because it requires fewer steps to set up.

However, this mailer tends to be less convenient in the long term. For example, you’ll need to edit your mailer password setting any time you change your email account’s password.

• Cost: Free
• From Email Requirements: Works with any email address. However, you’ll need to use the same From Email site-wide.
• Bottom Line: This should not be the first choice mailer for any site, as it’s less secure and less reliable than the other mailers. For those sites where it’s needed and there aren’t server-related issues, though, the setup is often pretty quick.