SMTP for Amazon SES – YaySMTP

76 Quality Score

Active Installs

16/30

With roughly 3,000 active installs it sits far below the leading SMTP plugins, indicating a small but niche user base concentrated among AWS-focused sites.

Update Freshness

25/25

The plugin was updated within the last update cycle and supports WordPress 7.0, which is the strongest signal in the profile and suggests an actively maintained codebase.

User Rating

13/15

A score of 84 from 10 ratings is positive but rests on a very small sample, so the rating is more directional than statistically reliable.

Support Health

8/15

Zero support threads and zero resolutions means there is no public track record of the developer responding to user issues, which is a real risk if you run into AWS-specific edge cases.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Tested against WordPress 7.0 and requiring only PHP 5.3 and WordPress 4.0, it has the broadest possible compatibility range of any plugin in the comparison set.

Scores higher than 45% of indexed plugins

About

Send WordPress emails through Amazon SES server using YaySMTP

Active Installs 3k+

Rating ★★★★ 4.2/5

Last Updated 2026-09-16 6:37pm GMT

Requires WordPress 4.0+

Tested Up To 7.1.1

Requires PHP 5.3+

Security History

3 known vulnerabilities, all patched

2 High 1 Medium

Most recent: July 16, 2025

View details ▸

What It Does

YaySMTP configures WordPress to send outgoing transactional emails through Amazon Simple Email Service (SES) instead of the default PHP mail function or a generic SMTP server. It handles the API authentication against AWS and routes wp_mail() calls to SES, which is typically used for higher deliverability and volume than a standard web host can provide. Setup is narrowly focused on Amazon SES, with no built-in support for other providers like SendGrid, Postmark, or Mailgun.

Who It's For

This plugin fits WordPress sites that already run on AWS infrastructure and want a lightweight, dedicated SES integration without the overhead of a multi-provider SMTP plugin. It suits developers and agencies managing multiple AWS-based client sites who are comfortable pulling IAM credentials and configuring sending limits in the SES console. Small businesses operating at modest scale on AWS will also benefit, since SES pricing is competitive for low volumes when sending from an EC2 or Lightsail instance.

Who Should Skip It

Anyone not already on AWS, or anyone who needs a fallback mailer, email logging, or multi-provider flexibility, should look elsewhere. If you are on shared hosting, send only a handful of emails per week, or do not have someone who can manage IAM policies and SES sandbox mode, this plugin adds complexity without real benefit.

The Bottom Line

YaySMTP is a focused, well-maintained Amazon SES connector for WordPress, but its tiny install base and zero public support history make it hard to recommend over FluentSMTP or Post SMTP for most users. It is worth considering only if you specifically want a lightweight SES-only tool and are comfortable supporting yourself through AWS documentation and the SES console. Final quality score: 75.67 out of 100.

Related Plugins

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Pick this if you want the most popular, most documented, and most actively supported SMTP plugin in the WordPress ecosystem, with logging and dozens of mailer integrations.

FluentSMTP 91/100

Pick this if you need Amazon SES support plus logging, multiple provider routing, and an active development team with a larger install base of around 600,000.

Post SMTP 91/100

Pick this if you want built-in email logging, failure alerts, a backup SMTP fallback, and a mobile app for monitoring delivery on the go.

Easy WP SMTP 87/100

Pick this if you want a simple, beginner-friendly SMTP setup with Gmail, Office 365, and Outlook presets and do not need AWS-specific features.

WP Mail Logging 86/100

Pick this as a companion plugin if your main priority is capturing every email WordPress sends for auditing, rather than choosing the SMTP provider.