How to Freeware smtp relay

Explore how freeware smtp relay can improve your email deliverability and marketing efficiency.

Email communication is one of the essentials of a business, and you can enhance your delivery capabilities by using an SMTP relay. You will be able to send emails freely without having to pay for some expensive email service provider when you use a freeware SMTP relay. This is a how-to guide explaining what an SMTP relay is and how to set one up.

An SMTP relay simply is a server that accepts to forward email messages between other servers. Every time you send an email, the SMTP relay acts as a go-between, ensuring that your messages get through to the destination. Using an SMTP relay will significantly improve deliverability rates for mass emails.

Free SMTP relays will save you money compared to using paid email services.

Most freeware SMTP relay services have user-friendly interfaces that can be very easily integrated with your email clients.

Such services tend to boast better deliverability rates because they utilize established IP addresses and configurations.

Step 1: Choose a Freeware SMTP Relay Service

There are numerous freeware SMTP relay services. Some of the popular ones are:

In this list, I included SendinBlue that offers free use up to 300 emails a day. Another option is the Gmail SMTP Server. If you already have a Gmail account, you could probably use it for sending free emails, but surely with some limits. Mailgun would offer free mail with up to 5,000 emails sent per month for the first three months.

SendGrid: Offers a free version that lets you send mail of up to 100 messages a day.

If you choose to use an SMTP relay service, you’ll need to visit its website and obtain an account. Based on the type of service you have chosen, you’ll probably be prompted to enter some basic information, such as your name and email address.

Most SMTP relay services offer some form of domain verification to prevent spam. Most often, this will involve a TXT record in the settings on your DNS. Add that one according to the instructions given to you by the service.

Now that you’ve signed up and confirmed your domain, you’ll want to set up your email client or application to use the appropriate SMTP settings. Here’s the bare minimum of what you’ll need to know:

SMTP Server Address: Your SMTP relay service should provide this to you (most services use something similar to smtp.gmail.com for Gmail, etc.).

Port Number: This can vary, but you’ll find that most use either 587 with TLS or 465 using SSL.