Cost Saving - Free SMTP Relay | research work by airev.pk

Key Points

- It seems likely that MailerSend's Hobby plan is the best fit for your needs, offering free SMTP relay for up to 3,000 emails monthly, covering your 900 emails per month at no cost.

- MailerLite does not offer SMTP relay services, so it is not suitable for your business communication emails.

- The evidence leans toward MailerSend providing reliable deliverability and security features like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, which are important for business emails.

# Plan Recommendation

For your volume of 900 emails per month, MailerSend's Hobby plan is ideal. It is free and includes 3,000 emails per month, well above your needs, with no additional charges. This plan also offers 24/7 customer support and easy setup, ensuring your business emails are delivered reliably without managing your own server.

# Comparison with MailerLite

MailerLite, while a good email marketing platform, does not provide SMTP relay services. Their focus is on newsletters and automations, so for your specific need of SMTP relay for business communications, MailerSend is the better choice.

# Unexpected Detail

An unexpected benefit is that MailerSend's Hobby plan also includes a free trial option for up to 100 emails with a trial domain, which could be useful for testing before fully setting up, even though your volume is already covered.

Survey Note: Detailed Analysis of SMTP Relay Services for Business Emails

This analysis explores the suitability of MailerSend and MailerLite for your requirement of sending approximately 900 emails per month, totaling up to 12,000 per year, for business communication purposes, not marketing. Given the focus on SMTP relay services, we will evaluate the offerings, pricing, and features of both platforms, ensuring alignment with your needs for reliable deliverability and security.

# Overview of SMTP Relay Services

SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, is the industry standard for sending emails, ensuring they reach the recipient's inbox reliably. For business communications, high deliverability and security are crucial to avoid spam filters and comply with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. SMTP relay services, such as those offered by third-party providers, manage this process, offering features like authenticated domains, clean IP addresses, and robust support, which are essential for professional email exchanges.

# Evaluation of MailerSend

MailerSend is a transactional email service that includes SMTP relay, designed for developers and businesses needing reliable email delivery. Based on the latest information available as of April 2025, here are the details relevant to your needs:

Pricing and Plans: MailerSend offers a Hobby plan that is free and includes 3,000 emails per month, which comfortably covers your 900 emails per month. If you exceed 3,000, additional emails cost $1.00 per 1,000, but given your volume, this is unnecessary. Other plans include Starter at $28.00/month for 50,000 emails and Professional at $88.00/month for 150,000 emails, but these are overkill for your needs. The pricing page ([MailerSend Pricing](https://www.mailersend.com/pricing)) confirms these details, with no hidden costs and a pay-as-you-go model.

Features for Business Emails: The Hobby plan includes SMTP relay, Email API, drag-and-drop email builder, and 24 hours of data retention, with up to 5 SMTP users. Security features include SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols, ensuring your emails are authenticated and less likely to be flagged as spam. The platform also offers 24/7 customer support with a 93% satisfaction rate and 100% response rate, which is critical for business communications. Real-time tracking via dashboard analytics for bounces, clicks, and unsubscribes is available, aiding in monitoring email performance ([MailerSend SMTP Relay Features](https://www.mailersend.com/features/smtp-relay)).

Deliverability and Compliance: MailerSend emphasizes clean IP addresses and managed deliverability, with documentation highlighting compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA, which is vital for sending sensitive business information. This aligns with your need for reliable business email delivery.

Suitability: Given your volume of 900 emails per month, the Hobby plan at $0 cost is ideal, offering all necessary features without additional expense. The ability to manage multiple domains and integrate with WordPress via their official plugin ([MailerSend WordPress Integration](https://www.mailersend.com/integrations/official-smtp-plugin)) adds flexibility for business use.

User Feedback: Recent reviews from 2025 highlight positive experiences with MailerSend's support, with one user appreciating prompt resolution of issues. However, there was a concerning review about unauthorized charges on the Hobby plan, with an invoice for over $9,000, suggesting potential billing errors. This indicates users should monitor their accounts to avoid unexpected charges, but overall, the feedback leans positive for reliability.

# Evaluation of MailerLite

MailerLite is primarily known for email marketing, focusing on newsletters, automations, and landing pages. However, for SMTP relay services, the analysis shows:

SMTP Relay Availability: MailerLite does not offer SMTP relay directly. Their help documentation ([MailerLite Help](https://www.mailerlite.com/help/does-mailerlite-offer-smtp-simple-mail-transfer-protocol)) states they do not have an SMTP infrastructure, instead referring users to their partner company, MailerSend, for such services. This was confirmed across multiple sources, including reviews and pricing pages, indicating MailerLite is not suitable for your SMTP relay needs.

Alternative Offerings: MailerLite's pricing includes a free plan for up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month, but this is geared toward email marketing, not transactional SMTP relay. Their Enterprise plan mentions additional services like Dedicated IP, but this is for high-volume marketing, not relevant for your business communication emails ([MailerLite Pricing](https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing)).

Conclusion for MailerLite: Given your specific need for SMTP relay, MailerLite is not a viable option, as they do not provide this service, directing users to MailerSend instead.

# Comparative Analysis

To summarize, here is a table comparing the two services based on your requirements:

Given this comparison, MailerSend's Hobby plan is the clear choice, offering free SMTP relay with sufficient volume and essential features for business communications.

# Additional Considerations

While MailerSend fits your needs, it's worth noting other SMTP relay services mentioned in broader reviews, such as SendLayer and SMTP.com, offer free trials and low-cost plans, but since you specified MailerSend and MailerLite, we focused on those. An unexpected benefit is MailerSend's free trial option for up to 100 emails with a trial domain, which could be useful for testing, even though your volume is already covered by the Hobby plan.

For business emails, reliability is key, and MailerSend's focus on deliverability, security, and support ensures your communications reach the inbox, avoiding spam filters, which is crucial for professional interactions.

# Final Recommendation

Based on the analysis, I recommend MailerSend's Hobby plan at $0 per month, covering your 900 emails per month with no additional cost, offering robust SMTP relay features for business communications. MailerLite is not suitable as it does not provide SMTP relay services.

Key Citations

- [MailerSend Pricing comprehensive details](https://www.mailersend.com/pricing)

- [MailerSend SMTP Relay detailed features](https://www.mailersend.com/features/smtp-relay)

- [MailerLite Help comprehensive support](https://www.mailerlite.com/help/does-mailerlite-offer-smtp-simple-mail-transfer-protocol)

- [MailerLite Pricing straightforward fair plans](https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing)