Flamingo vs Simple SMTP (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Simple SMTP has a higher user rating (5/5 from 11 reviews) while Flamingo leads in active installations (800K+ vs 2.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Flamingo has accumulated 8.2M+ total downloads while Simple SMTP has 31K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Flamingo | Simple SMTP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.2/5 | ► | 5/5 |
| Total Reviews | 118 | ◄ | 11 |
| Active Installs | 800K+ | ◄ | 2.0K+ |
| Total Downloads | 8.2M+ | ◄ | 31K+ |
| Support Resolution | 33% | N/A | |
| Last Updated | 4 months ago | ◄ | 7 months ago |
| First Released | 2012 | 2020 | |
| Age | 14 years | 6 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.7+ | 5.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 7.0+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 2.6.1 | 1.3.4.1 |
Rating Breakdown
Flamingo
Simple SMTP
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Flamingo averaged approximately 1,763 daily downloads while Simple SMTP averaged 27.
Recent Reviews
Flamingo Reviews
Works Really Well
Its a great addition to contact form 7 and much needed if you don’t have your email server setup yet.
Only works with PHP sendmail, not external SMTP
This plugin only works with contact forms using PHP mail. It doesn’t seem to work with an external SMTP mail server. I tested it out and there were no messages collected in DB. Also there’s no option
Great! (But has a minor bug)
This is a great tool, especially with its integration into the Contact Form 7 plugin. However, there’s a minor bug when exporting non-Latin characters, such as Persian. It seems the encoding is set to
Simple SMTP Reviews
Clean, No Ads！！！
Perfectly and elegantly meets my needs, the best STMP plugin I’ve used so far.
Perfect for local Email solution
The Simple SMTP plugin truly lives up to its name, offering a straightforward and effective solution for managing email communications, especially when paired with MailPit. I’ve been using it locally
Simple and effective
Thank you for developing this module, it works great and currently it doesn’t include many other things that could bloat the site.
More Plugins Worth Comparing
Top alternatives in the same category as Flamingo and Simple SMTP
The Ultimate Forever Free Mail SMTP Plugin for WordPress. Connect with any SMTP, SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, Brevo, Postmark, Sparkpost, Google...
MW WP Form is shortcode base contact form plugin. This plugin have many features. For example you can use many validation rules, inquiry data saving, …
Customize the default WooCommerce email templates design and text through the native WordPress customizer. Preview emails and send test emails.
Easily send email from your WordPress site through Mailgun using the HTTP API or SMTP.
Configure a SMTP server to send email from your WordPress site. Configure the wp_mail() function to use SMTP instead of the PHP mail() function.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Flamingo or Simple SMTP more popular?
Which has better ratings — Flamingo or Simple SMTP?
Are Flamingo and Simple SMTP free?
Which plugin has better support — Flamingo or Simple SMTP?
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.