Sending emails in bulk for free without necessarily having an email service is also one of the good ways by setting up a free SMTP relay. With so many free SMTP relay services, some come with basic features for small businesses or personal projects. The guide to some of the best free SMTP relay services and how to set them up follows below.

Top Free SMTP Relay Services

Gmail SMTP Relay

• Limits: 500 per day (free), 2,000 per day (Google Workspace)
• SMTP Server: smtp.gmail.com
• Port: 587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)
• Configurations:
  • Use “Allow less secure apps” in your Google account settings.
  • Authenticate using Gmail account email and password.
• Pros: Reliable, Secure, Simple configuration
• Cons: Strict daily limits on sending emails

Sendinblue

• Limits: 300 free
• SMTP Server: smtp-relay.sendinblue.com
• Port: 587
• Configurations:
  • Sign up for a free account on Sendinblue.
  • Get your SMTP credentials through your account settings.
• Pros: High sending limits, a good choice for low volume email campaigns.
• Cons: Your daily limit might be a problem with large-scale campaigns.

Mailgun

• Limitations: 5,000 emails in the first three months.
• SMTP Server: smtp.mailgun.org
• Port: 587
• Setup:
  • Create a free account on Mailgun.
  • Configure your domain and retrieve your SMTP credentials.
• Pros: Offers excellent analytics and is good for developers.
• Cons: The free plan will not last you longer than three months.

SendGrid

• Limitations: 100 emails per day on the free plan.
• SMTP Server: smtp.sendgrid.net
• Port: 587
• Setup:
  • Create a SendGrid account.
  • Get your API key and SMTP details.
• Advantages: Very detailed analytics, smooth integration.
• Disadvantages: Lower sending limits on the free plan.

Amazon SES (Simple Email Service)

• Limitations: 62,000 emails per month for free if sent from an Amazon EC2 instance.
• SMTP Server: Region-specific (e.g., email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com)
• Port: 587 or 25
• Setup:
  • Create an account in Amazon Web Services.
  • Set up your domain and activate the SMTP relay.
• Benefits: Scalable and affordable to small companies with fast-growing needs.
• Drawbacks: More complex to set up compared to other services.

How to Set Up a Relay SMTP Service

These are general steps for setting up any of the relay SMTP services:

1. Sign up for Service: Choose one of the free SMTP relay services above and open an account.
2. Activate Account: Once you activate your account, you will receive the SMTP server address, port number, username, and password that you will require in your application.
3. Configure Your Email Client or Server:
   • Open your email settings for the client or server.
   • Input the SMTP server address and port number.
   • Enable SMTP authentication. Provide the username and password. Encryption type will be set to either TLS/SSL depending on the provider.
4. Send Test Email: Send a test email to verify that the SMTP relay works.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I send unlimited emails with a free SMTP relay?
   • Free SMTP relays usually allow you to send a small number of emails per day or month. If you need to send more, you probably just want to pay to upgrade to a paid offering.
2. Is free SMTP relay service reliable for business purposes?
   • Free SMTP relay service is very suitable for small businesses or personal projects. However, if you have to send thousands of emails, you will likely suffer from throttling or rate limitations.
3. Do I have to be tech-savvy to configure the SMTP relay?
   • The configuration for an SMTP relay depends on basic knowledge of email configuration. Providers give documentation that can guide anyone in setting one up.

Conclusion

Choosing the best free SMTP relay will depend on your specific needs and the volume of emails that you plan to send. If you just need a few emails for small-scale projects, services like Gmail or Sendinblue will be perfect for this. However, if your business is likely to scale up rapidly, an alternative service like Amazon SES will be more scalable and consequently well-suited to businesses that are likely to reach out further in the not too distant future. Whichever service you choose, don’t forget to test your setup so that you know that your email delivery is going to be successful and reliable.