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7 Best Email & Newsletter WordPress Plugins

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Newsletters are important. But managing an email list and making the time to create and send newsletters doesn’t always fit into your schedule (or your budget). Did you know that you could send a newsletter right from your WordPress dashboard? And better yet – that there are quite a few newsletter WordPress plugins that you can use to make setup easy?

Today we’re going to look at some of the easiest ways for you to manage your newsletter with WordPress. So without further ado, let’s get into what we think are the best email and newsletter plugins for WordPress.

Disclaimer: WPExplorer is an affiliate for one or more products listed below. If you click a link and complete a purchase we could make a commission.

1. MailPoet

MailPoet Emails & Newsletters

MailPoet is a powerful newsletter and email manager that seamlessly integrates with WordPress. You can build your email list, design newsletter and send them out right from the WordPress dashboard. Plus it’s 100% free up to 2,000 subscribers!

So what makes MailPoet one of the best WordPress newsletter plugins? Let’s start from the beginning – first off, it really is super easy to setup and use. Just install and activate MailPoet just like any other plugin, then you’re ready to start sending newsletters. No extra configuration or service plans needed. You’re now able to create/manage your subscribers and lists right from WordPress!

Next up, MailPoet includes a powerful newsletter builder to create and customize your emails. Choose where you’re creating a newsletter, an automatic signup welcome email or automated “new post” notification. Then select a ready-made, responsive template and you’re basically ready to go! You can of course customize

MailPoet also offers complete WooCommerce integration, though it’s one of many features of MailPoet premium (definitely worth the upgrade imo). If you upgrade to pro you can send customer welcome emails, product upsells and new product notices (note: abandoned cart and customer rewards are on the way!). Pro also features stats on audience engagement (clicks and opens), white-labeled newsletter footer, same-day weekday support and the ability to send more emails to more subscribers via any method (such as a SMTP).

MailpPoet is also GDPR compliant and translation ready. In fact, 20 language translations are already provided (and you are welcome to join their Transifex project if you’d like to help with a translation for your own language).

2. AcyMailing (Freemium)

AcyMailing

Next on our list is AcyMailing – a freemium plugin that offers both a free WordPress plugin as well as premium memberships to add functionality to your newsletter. Best of all, it offers the easy of campaign building via WordPress but works with SMTP or a third party mailing service, so it’s up to you how you want to send you newsletters.

Starting off, the base AcyMailing plugin is free (you can even grab it from WordPress.org using the link above). This includes the ability to create newsletters in WordPress with the AcyMailing drag and drop editor. Add custom fields for subscribers’ names, quickly insert blog posts, and even integrate social sharing options. The builder makes it easy even without coding knowledge.

You can also manage unlimited subscribers, send unlimited emails, and view basic statistics for your newsletters. Plus there is a handy subscription widget that you can add to sidebars or footers to grown your mailing list. And as mentioned, this is all for free – so you can get started testing it our right now, then upgrade if and when you’re ready.

So, why upgrade to a premium plan when the free AcyMailing plugin is so great? Simple – the value. These include added automation options, scheduling, captchas, segmentation, bounce back handling, and more make upgrading more than worth it. Plus there are advanced statistics to help you improve opens and click through rates.

The Enterprise plan which includes all AcyMailing features and integrations (plus supports unlimited subscribers and emails) is less than €90 per year. Comparatively, premium email services on the other hand start at around $50 per month for only 2000 contacts. So by choosing AcyMailing you’re not only simplifying your newsletter creation, but you’re also lessening the strain on your budget. It’s a win-win!

3. Mailster (Premium)

Mailster Email Newsletter Plugin

Mailster is an email newsletter plugin for WordPress that brings the whole email marketing experience of creating, sending and managing email newsletters right inside your WordPress backend.

The plugin lets you send and create beautifully crafted emails to your subscribers thanks to the built in email builder. You can craft a whole campaign with simple drag and drop motions in minutes and provide a professional looking campaign to your audience.

Thanks to the auto responder feature creating custom action based emails was never as easy as this. Select a specific date, actions or many other options when a certain email should be sent to your subscriber. You can also combine particular combinations of criteria on when a subscriber will receive mail.

Mailster stores all your subscribers right inside WordPress so you own all the data and there are no fees or limitations. You can create an unlimited amount of lists and subscribers without paying a penny. Other email marketing services have certain pricing tiers for this so by using Mailster you can save a significant amount of money and there is no need to worry about certain thresholds.

Detailed statistics are a core feature of Mailster which lets you visually see opens, clicks, and bounces. Additionally you get detailed statistics of each individual subscriber and see exactly which actions where triggered while viewing the campaign.

Mailster integrates with dozens of plugins like sending providers, WooCommerce and many popup form plugins. Plus there are over 120 stunning templates available so finding the perfect fit for your next project won’t be a problem.

4. The Newsletter

The Newsletter Plugin

The aptly named Newsletter plugin is just what it says – a newsletter plugin. This free WordPress plugin is a great option to create and send newsletters from your WordPress installation.

The plugin includes a subscription widget and form, so you can easily start building your subscriber list. There’s even single or double optin settings, plus a privacy checkbox to keep your WordPress site GDPR compliant.

When it comes to creating your emails, The Newsletter is full of options. Use the drag and drop editor to create custom email layouts, adding in content blocks, hero images, headings, calls to action and more. The Newsletter plugin is also SMTP ready, integrates with WordPress User Registration and is compatible with most of the popular WordPress translation plugins (including WPML, Polylang and TranslatePress).

With The Newsletter’s built-in delivery speed control you can even edit the rate at which you send your newsletter. So you can send batches of 10 (or any number) instead of emailing your subscribers all at once. And with The Newsletter plugin you aren’t limited by any restrictions – add unlimited subscribers and send unlimited newsletters!

Looking for more? The Newsletter team offers tons of premium addons for reports, automation/autoresponders, WooCommerce, Google Analytics, geolocation and more.

5. Email Subscribers & Newsletters

Email & Newsletters

Email Subscribers & Newsletters is a completely free plugin that enables you to send emails, create newsletters, and collect leads – all from a single hub. This plugin creates a simple subscription form that isn’t quite as customizable as some of the other options on this list. However, it offers nearly all the features you’ll need, making it possible to:

  • Send notification emails to subscribers when new posts are published.
  • Collect customer emails by adding a subscription box (via widget, shortcode, or PHP).
  • Allow double opt-in and single opt-in methods for subscribers.
  • Provide an unsubscribe link for each email.

Keeping subscribers regularly updated is a perfect way to enhance your reputation. While this plugin may not be the most flexible option, its ability to help you attract potential subscribers and maintain current ones is undeniable.

6. Tribulant Newsletters Lite

Tribulant Newsletters Lite Plugin

Another WordPress powered newsletter option is Newsletters by Tribulant. This all in one newsletter option supports mailing lists, paid subscriptions, POP/IMAP bounce handling, DKIM signature and even SMTP authentications – and more.

Creating newsletters is as easy as creating a post. In fact, you can even send a post as your newsletter! Or use one of the included templates. When you’re ready, send out your newsletter from within the dashboard. The queueing features makes it easy to send your emails in batches (which Tribulant recommend for lists over 100 subscribers). You can also setup autoresponders and newsletters by conditions to further reach-out to your audience.

But there is a bit more about Tribulant Newsletters that you might want to know. Here’s a quick snapshot of more of the plugin’s features:

  • Post/Page optin
  • Sidebar widgets
  • Email history
  • Email attachments
  • Bit.ly click tracking
  • WordPress dashboard widget
  • Premium extensions: WooCommerce, Google Analytics, Contact Form 7, s2Member, etc.

7. SendPress

SendPress Newsletters

SendPress is a great option if you want to have a simple, easy way to send newsletters from your WordPress site. With the plugin installed you’ll have access to a simple code-free newsletter editor, responsive newsletters with tracking and scheduling, customizable templates, signup form and widget, as well as single and double optin settings.

But what’s unique that I haven’t seen before is the option to create newsletter lists according to WordPress roles. This way you can create and send custom newsletters to your subscribers, as well as weekly notices to your blog authors. This is a great way to stay in touch with your readers as well as your team.

Other notable plugin features include Postman SMTP compatibility, Auto Cron (which ensure all your newsletter emails are sent), and helpful online documentation. If you’re interested you can also upgrade to Pro to get access to API sending via additional SMTP options, automated bounce management, reporting, customizable HTML newsletter templates, spam score and premium/priority support.

A Quick Note on the WordPress PHP Mail Function and SMTP

One last thing before you install a newsletter plugin and get started. A standard WordPress installation can certainly be used to send a newsletter from the dashboard (that’s why we wrote this list). However there are a couple caveats to keep in mind.

  • Many email providers (including Gmail and Yahoo) will automatically mark PHP emails as spam – this means your newsletter might skip subscriber’s inboxes entirely.
  • Some hosting companies may limit the PHP mail function for WordPress. In addition, depending on your server’s max_execution_time your site may even time out in the middle of sending your newsletter (and if you try to resend, you may accidentally send duplicate emails to your subscribers).
  • Security plugins may also create conflicts with the PHP mail function (just be sure to double check for any errors if you are using one).

Because of these reasons we recommend considering a SMTP (simple mail transfer protocol). Implementing an SMTP helps circumvent these shortcomings by using a secure, reliable mail server. This improves the likelihood that your newsletter will be delivered.

Luckily you can simply install an SMTP plugin to securely setup your mail client – though you may need to do a bit of research to be sure the SMTP plugin plays nice and doesn’t conflict with your newsletter plugin. There are plenty of third party SMTP plugins such as WP Mail SMTP or Easy WP SMTP which allow you to connect your WordPress site to a mail server (such as SendGrid, Gmail, Yahoo, etc).

Or if you can find a newsletter plugin that already ships with integrated SMTP that’s event better! Some WordPress newsletter plugins already offer this built-in (like Jackmail) which is awesome.


That’s it for now! If you have any question about the newsletter WordPress plugins mentioned above, or any you think should be on the list be sure to let us know. Otherwise download a plugin, setup SMTP and start sending newsletters right from your WordPress dashboard!

newsletter-wordpress-plugins
Article by Kyla WPExplorer.com staff
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12 Comments

  1. Connie

    I would have loved to learn more about newsletter-templates which guarantee a stable layout of newsletters

    I never saw the option to create templates, in MailPoet I have to create a newsletter and keep as draft which you have to copy for any new newsletter – this is not so “userproof”…

    • AJ Clarke

      Hi Connie, what exactly are you looking to learn regarding newsletter templates? Do you want to learn how to code your own (it’s just basic HTML) or are you looking for places where you can download free or purchase newsletter templates (I may have some recommendations). MailPoet does have a guide for creating a custom template but they also have the ability to import a custom template so you can hire a designer/developer to make you a custom template for your site, that’s usually the best thing and than you can upload it for use 😉

  2. Andrew

    Thank you for the roundup. Can you please tell me if I can use the Postcards by designmodo with one of this plugin?

    If yes, how can I connect the apps?

    • Kyla

      From my understanding Postcards can be used to design an html email template, so as long as you can export the code I would think your export can be used with any of the solutions on the list. But definitely ask the plugin developer to be sure.

  3. Sim

    MailerLite has good integration with WordPress and is not listed in your article, Kyla. Have you tried it?

    • Kyla

      Hmm – it looks interesting. I’ve never heard of MailerLite before, but it looks to be more of a MailChimp email marketing equivalent rather than a WordPress based newsletter (especially since an account signup is required). I’ll have to look into it a bit more though. Thanks for sharing!

  4. Himanshu

    Hi,

    I was looking for a good WordPress plugin for sending newsletters and my search ended with MailPoet. Thanks for writing such a useful post. Keep up the good work 🙂

    Best Regards,

    Himanshu Tyagi
    Founder – CodeItBro

  5. Rupam

    Informative and helpful post. This post will help those bloggers and marketers who want to boost their website conversion quickly.

    Thank you for this post.

  6. Balvinder Singh

    Thanks for listing all the plugins, now I am confused about what to try. But will check one by one from mail poet/newsletter maybe.

  7. Saima Sumar

    This is a great compilation, very helpful, I can choose the best WordPress newsletter plugin from your list. Thanks for making it easy!!

  8. Philip Franckel

    I want to publish newsletters using MailChimp or another service but I want a newsletter section on my website, similar to a press release section, where I can have a copy of each newsletter sent organized by date.

    Is there a newsletter plugin that does that?

    • Kyla

      Hmmm… if you want to use a third party service I know that MailChimp has a chunk of code you can add (note – there are a few more steps in this process to be sure your posts accurately display, but it possible), and I would think other popular services might have something similar.

      But if you use a self-hosted newsletter some have a newsletter archive option built-in. For example MailPoet has an archive shortcode you can add to any page – easy peasy.

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