Pinny’s Simple SMTP – Lightweight SMTP Mailer vs FunnelKit Automations –

Pinny’s Simple SMTP is a ultra lightweight SMTP plugin weighing in at just 4KB. It’s simple to use, highly secure, and includes all the basic features you need to send emails reliably. 🚀 Super Easy 30-Second Configuration Tired of bloated setup wizards, “Connect Account” popups, and endless menus? Pinny’s Simple SMTP is designed to be invisible. We removed the fluff so you can get back to work. 1. Enter your Host & Port. 2. Enter your Login. 3. Click Save. That’s it. You are done. There is no complex UI to learn. No dashboards to manage. It is a true “Set and Forget” solution that just works. Unlike most SMTP plugins (which are typically 2MB+ in size), Pinny’s Simple SMTP is ultra-lightweight, easy to set up, and never compromises on security. We ensure your sensitive credentials are always protected with automatic encryption—no more storing passwords in plain text. This plugin is different. It’s smaller than a favicon, works with any mail provider, and takes just seconds to set up. Features: Ultra Lightweight (4KB): This is the a ultra lightweight SMTP plugin. It has zero impact on your site speed. Encrypted Security: We take security seriously. Your SMTP password is encrypted in the database using native WordPress salts. We never store credentials in plain text. Dead Easy Setup: No confusing wizards or tutorials needed. Just enter your Host, Port, and Login, then click Save. All Basic Features: Supports TLS/SSL, custom ports, “From” email/name overrides, and includes a 1-Click Test Email tool. Zero Bloat: No ads, no dashboard widgets, no usage tracking, and no upsells. wp-config Configuration Mode: For added security, define SMTP settings in wp-config.php and lock the admin UI. ⚙️ Advanced: Configure SMTP via wp-config.php Pinny’s Simple SMTP supports configuration directly from wp-config.php, allowing administrators and developers to lock SMTP settings and prevent changes from the WordPress dashboard. When enabled, the plugin automatically switches the admin interface to read-only mode. To enable this mode, add the following constants to your wp-config.php file define('PINNYS_SMTP_FORCE', true); define('PINNYS_SMTP_ENABLED', true); define('PINNYS_SMTP_HOST', 'smtp.gmail.com'); define('PINNYS_SMTP_PORT', 587); define('PINNYS_SMTP_ENCRYPTION', 'tls'); define('PINNYS_SMTP_AUTH', true); define('PINNYS_SMTP_USERNAME', '[email protected]'); define('PINNYS_SMTP_PASSWORD', 'your_app_password'); define('PINNYS_SMTP_FROM_EMAIL', '[email protected]'); define('PINNYS_SMTP_FROM_NAME', 'Your Website'); Once PINNYS_SMTP_FORCE is enabled: SMTP settings are loaded from wp-config.php The WordPress settings page becomes read-only Dashboard changes cannot override your configuration Note: If PINNYS_SMTP_FORCE is not defined, the plugin behaves normally and settings can be configured from the WordPress dashboard. 🛡️ The “Zero-Retention” Security Promise Pinny’s Simple SMTP is built on a strict security philosophy: WordPress is a CMS, not an Email Archive. Most SMTP plugins log every email sent from your site into your WordPress database. While this seems convenient, it introduces massive security risks, database bloat, and privacy violations. We feature a Zero-Retention Architecture. We connect, deliver, and vanish. Here is why this is safer for you: 1. The Security Risk (Why we don’t log) Storing email logs in your database creates a high-value target for hackers. The “Big Hack” Reality: In 2024 and 2025, major SMTP plugins (such as Post SMTP) suffered critical vulnerabilities (CVE-2023-6875 and CVE-2025-11833). Hackers were able to bypass authentication, trigger password reset emails, read the plugin’s email logs to capture the reset link, and take over the entire website. Our Fix: You cannot steal what isn’t there. By not logging emails, Pinny’s Simple SMTP renders this entire class of “Account Takeover” attacks impossible. 2. The Database & Privacy Problem Bloat: Transactional logs grow indefinitely. A busy store sends thousands of emails a month. Storing these in wp_options or custom tables slows down your site and bloats your backups. GDPR & Privacy: Your database should not permanently store customer PII (Personally Identifiable Information) like password reset links, purchase receipts, or private contact form messages. If your site is compromised, those logs are a leak waiting to happen. 3. The Right Way to Log If you need to track email delivery, do it where it belongs: At your Email Provider. Gmail / Google Workspace: Has a “Sent” folder and comprehensive audit logs. SendGrid / Mailgun / SES: These services are built to archive millions of emails securely, with proper rotation policies and access controls. Microsoft / Outlook: Native “Sent Items” retention. Pinny’s Simple SMTP keeps your WordPress database clean, fast, and secure by letting your email provider do its job. 🚫 The “Anti-Bloat” Architecture: Why We Rejected OAuth Pinny’s Simple SMTP is built on a strict performance philosophy: Do not load code you do not use. The industry standard is to force users into OAuth (Log in with Google/Microsoft). While this looks fancy, for a WordPress plugin, it is technically inferior to standard SMTP. Here is why we deliberately stripped OAuth out of Pinny’s: 1. The “Universal Adapter” Trap (Bloat) Most users connect to one provider (e.g., just Gmail). However, to support OAuth, other plugins must bundle massive SDK libraries for 10–15 different services (Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo, Zoho, etc.). The Result: You install megabytes of vendor code just to send a simple email. Our Fix: Pinny’s uses standard SMTP. We don’t force you to host 14 unused API libraries on your server just to use the 15th. This keeps our codebase at ~4KB. 2. The Complexity Risk (Security) In security, Complexity is the Enemy. OAuth flows require redirects, token storage, refresh tokens, and constant API updates. Every external library added to a plugin increases the “Attack Surface”—more code means more places for bugs to hide. The Reality: If a plugin’s bundled “Google API Client” has a vulnerability, your site is at risk—even if you are using Outlook. Our Fix: We use native WordPress functions. No external dependencies. No third-party SDKs. No supply-chain vulnerabilities. 3. The Reality of “Shared OAuth Infrastructure” Many plugins advertise “one-click OAuth login” for Gmail or Microsoft 365. To provide this convenience without requiring users to create their own developer credentials, these plugins typically authenticate through a shared OAuth application (Client ID and Secret) owned by the plugin developer. This creates several potential risks including: Shared API rate limits OAuth quotas apply to the shared application, not your individual site. Abuse impact If other sites using the same OAuth application send spam or violate provider policies, the provider may restrict or flag the application, potentially affecting all connected users. Application suspension When the shared OAuth application is disabled or restricted by the provider, authentication will fail for every site using it. Developer infrastructure dependency Some plugins route OAuth authentication through servers operated by the plugin developer. If that infrastructure experiences downtime, users may be unable to connect accounts or refresh authentication tokens. Maintenance risk OAuth integrations require ongoing API updates. If a plugin is abandoned and the OAuth application is not maintained, authentication may eventually stop working. Pinny’s Simple SMTP avoids these dependencies entirely by using direct SMTP authentication, allowing your site to communicate directly with your mail server without shared OAuth infrastructure. 4. App Passwords: The Superior Choice We use App Passwords (Standard SMTP Authentication). This is the secure, recommended method for server-side mailing (Gmail/Workspace & Microsoft 365). Strictly Scoped: An App Password usually only has permission to send mail. Unlike an OAuth token (which can sometimes be scoped too broadly), an App Password cannot be used to change your account settings or read your Drive files. Instantly Revocable: If you suspect a breach, you can revoke that specific App Password instantly from your Google/Microsoft dashboard without changing your main login credentials. Zero Downtime: OAuth tokens expire or disconnect if the API changes. App Passwords work until you say stop. Pinny’s Simple SMTP chooses stability over shiny buttons. Enter your Host, Port, and App Password → Save. Done.

FunnelKit Automations (formerly Autonami) is a powerful WordPress marketing automation engine that allows you to automate your marketing workflows. You can use FunnelKit Automations to: Create WooCommerce abandoned cart campaigns to recover the lost revenue. Create post-purchase follow-up sequences to educate and upsell customers. Set up a welcome email workflow to greet and get your customers onboard with on-brand welcome emails. Tag contacts, and add them to specified lists or sequences, update custom fields, and do so much more – just like you can in a popular CRM such as ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit, MailChimp, Klaviyo and others (PRO feature). Customize WooCommerce email templates – order confirmation, login details, delivery completed emails – with the in-built drag-and-drop visual email builder. Create targeted audience segments and reach out to them via beautifully designed broadcast campaigns. Unlock more money-making opportunities by connecting your business with various WordPress plug-ins such as LearnDash, WishList Member, Affiliate WP, and more. Connect your website to 1000’s other services by connecting FunnelKit Automations with Zapier, Integromat, Pabbly, Integrately, and more. And more. FunnelKit Automations (Formerly Autonami) is a simple yet powerful automation plugin that gives you complete control over your website and automation. It is user-friendly and makes it easy for you to set up effective automation that helps drive more sales while helping customers. FunnelKit Automations is backed by a fantastic support team that is helpful, caring, and responsive. I always receive quick replies, and they go out of their way to help me. I am genuinely grateful for their plugin, help, and the FunnelKit Team. — Anthony, And the best thing about FunnelKit Automations? We have no cap on contacts, which means you do not have to pay more as your contact list grows. That’s what FunnelKit Automations is to your eCommerce marketing automation game. How Can FunnelKit Automations Help You Automate Your Marketing? Engage better with your buyers with essential WooCommerce automations like welcome emails, abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase email sequences, customer win-back campaigns, and much more. You can create beautiful emails with a drag-and-drop builder and interact with your leads via newsletter campaigns. Now, you no longer need to have ten different plugins to do eCommerce marketing. FunnelKit Automations Lite (Free) Version FunnelKit Automations comes in two versions – Lite (Free) and Pro. The Lite version comes equipped with crucial pre-built automations that give you a headstart in your WooCommerce marketing automation journey, and you can build on it as your business grows. Create Automated Campaigns on the All-New Canvas Interface FunnelKit Automations is powered by the robust automation builder and the minimalist Canvas interface. A clean interface that allows you to visualize your workflow as you build it. It simplifies the automation-building process and view in-line analytics such as email open/click-through rates and more on the interface itself. In the Pro version, you can even view individual contact’s journey and in-depth analytics. Visualize and create powerful workflows precisely the way you want. View Abandoned Users and Other Cart-Related Details at One Place Abandoned cart users are crucial to your profits. These are the users who had almost completed their purchases but got distracted and left. If targeted properly, these users are very likely to come back and complete their purchases. FunnelKit Automations gives you cart-related information such as – recoverable, recovered, and lost carts. This information can be crucial to understanding your users and be the building blocks for your WooCommerce abandoned cart recovery campaign. Get One-Click Import Recipes FunnelKit Automations Lite comes with crucial pre-built marketing campaigns that you can import with one click, customize the email copy and delay time, and go live in a matter of minutes. You get automations such as – abandoned cart recovery, welcome email sequence for new customers, review collection emails, and a first purchase anniversary campaign. There are various other WooCommerce events that you can try out and create your custom WooCommerce marketing automations from scratch. With Autonami Lite, the following WooCommerce events are available at your disposal: Cart Abandoned Cart Recovered Order Created Order Created – Per Product Order Status Changed Order Item Refunded Order Item Stock Reduced Order Note Added Review Received If there are other users you’ve given permission to access your store, then you can track their activity with WordPress events such as User Created and User Login. Send Simple Text-Based Emails FunnelKit Automations Lite comes with a text-based email builder that allows you to create and send text emails with ease. Do not underestimate the power of simple text emails. In some automated campaigns, simple text emails have performed better than visual ones. Personalize your emails with merge tags, add a catchy subject line, and a persuasive preview text. FunnelKit Automations is GDPR compliant; hence, the ‘unsubscribe text’ comes pre-inserted. Time Your Emails Right with Delays FunnelKit Automations allows you to add delays to your email sequence and communicate with your customers on the right time. You can set delays in minutes, hours, days, weeks, and even months to better optimize your automated campaigns. My respect and appreciation for the FunnelKit Automations Team continue to grow as we migrate from a major ESP into FunnelKit. FunnelKit Automations is powerful and intuitive—and the support we receive (when needed) continually exceeds our expectations. What a delight it is to work with folks who care so deeply about the customers they serve and the products they build! — Stacy Farrell, FunnelKit Automations Lite Use Cases 1. Create High-Converting Abandoned Cart Recovery Sequence FunnelKit Automations allows you to create targeted and well-segmented WooCommerce abandoned cart recovery campaigns. Live-capture the cart as soon as the user enters the email. Works perfectly on mobile as well. Create segmented automated campaigns based on cart total, cart items items in the cart, the coupon used, whether the cart has coupons or not, etc. Intuitive cart abandonment analytics for quick stats of recoverable carts, recovered carts, etc. Auto ends the automation when a user completes the purchase. Set up delays in your emails in minutes, hours, and days. Pro feature: Send personalized WooCommerce discount coupon code based on the cart value or items (or any rule) with a set expiry time. Take a look at the video below: 2. Set up WooCommerce Follow-Up Emails for Post-Purchase Engagement Post-purchase or follow-up emails are sent out to engage with your customers after they’ve just bought from you. Here are some of the post-purchase engagement emails you can send: Shipment Check-In Email – Check with your new buyers about their shopping experience with you. Cross-Sell or Product Recommendation Email – Send automated emails to recommend products to customers based on the items they bought. Purchase Anniversary Email – Create an automated anniversary campaign with a WooCommerce discount coupon code on the 6-months or 1-year anniversary. Product Education Email – Educate them on how to use the product that they’ve just bought. This depends on what item they purchased and if that needs education. Take a look at the video to see all the post-purchase use cases: This is not it, we have some powerful use cases that you can execute with FunnelKit Automations Pro. But, before that, let’s understand what FunnelKit Automations Pro brings to the table! FunnelKit Automations Pro Version Even though you can do a lot with FunnelKit Automations Lite version, the Pro version unlocks a whole new spectrum of WooCommerce marketing automation that you never knew was possible within WordPress. FunnelKit Automations Pro lets you communicate with buyers to strengthen the relationship and lay the ground for the second sale. FunnelKit Automations Pro makes FunnelKit Automations a mini-CRM, allowing you to view 360° contact profiles, build targeted audiences, tag users, add them to sequences, run automated campaigns, send broadcasts, connect with form builders, and more – perform all the actions you can in an expensive SAAS-based CRM. All without leaving WordPress. Like many people, we have used Infusionsoft, Active Campaign, Mail Chimp, you name it, we have tried them all at one point or another, and NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, compares to FunnelKit Automations. When you pair FunnelKit Automations with your own SMTP servers like Sendgrid, Mailgun, and Amazon SES, you instantly control your own email marketing service, and even better, you control your own email marketing REPUTATION. Gone are the days of using services that send all their email from the same servers, so you don’t have to suffer from unreliable email delivery based on the bad habits of other users of the same service. You can now control everything and tie all your marketing in with your WordPress website, run email broadcasts, abandon WooCommerce cart emails, automated sequences based on user activity, and so much more. FunnelKit Automations is WONDERFUL, and their support is top-notch. — Monster Development, Get Actionable Insights on Your Dashboard FunnelKit Automations Pro adds more to the already incredible analytics dashboard. Along with the cart-related data, you get a list of your Top Automations, Top Broadcasts, and even Popular Emails. These lists can help you replicate your success by following the same formula. The dashboard also displays: – Total Contacts – Emails Sent – SMSs Sent – Total Orders – Total Revenues View Detailed Customer Profiles With detailed customer profiles, you can view all the important details of every contact on your list. With FunnelKit Automations Pro, you can get a deeper understanding of your customers. Quickly see the most important details about them – the latest engagement with your emails, total spend, total orders, last order date, AOV (individual), comparison to the store’s AOV, etc. These details can help you create targeted automated campaigns. Create advanced segmentation by tagging and listing the customers and creating a precise set of audiences to use in marketing campaigns. Send Broadcast Campaigns To Multiple Contacts With live cart capturing, FunnelKit Automations captures emails the moment it is entered on the checkout page. You can create an automation to tag users in real time. You can segment these users into audience sets like – US customers, repeat buyers, high-value customers, etc. You can tag your users in real-time and segment them into audience sets based on: – Geographical location – US Customers, Canada Customers, etc. – Products Purchased – Order Values – Coupon Used – AOV and Lifetime Spend – Engagement-related parameters – WordPress User Status, and more This audience segmentation will help pinpoint your emails and attain more engagement. Get Access to 20+ Advance Pre-Built Automations with One Click FunnelKit Automations Pro version unleashes 20+ marketing automations that you can import with just one click and boost your sales instantly. The library is every-growing and currently includes various email sequences like: Abandoned Cart Recovery Post-purchase email sequence Condition-based email sequence for precise targeting Turning Subscribers into Customers in 7 days WooCommerce Subscriptions – related email sequences Affiliates-related email sequences Customer Win-back campaign and even more Create Condition-Based Automated Workflows The most important and EXCITING benefit of FunnelKit Automations Pro is Condition – the ability to create condition-based automations. Create conditions based on cart total, cart items, contact fields, order total, items purchased, average order value, geographical location, and even saved audiences. Here are a few most-used Condition categories: Customer Details: Gender, Company, Date of Birth, etc. WooCommerce Cart Details: Cart Total, Total Revenue, Total Orders Count, Purchased Products, Used Coupons, AOV, First Order, Last Order, etc. Geography: Country, State, City, etc. Engagement: Last Open, Engaged, Unengaged, Last Click, etc. Broadcast: Broadcast Sent/Open/Clicked And more such amazing Conditions to create personalized email sequences. Such conditions allow you to focus more on the profitable side of your customers. Build advanced email and SMS sequences according to the conditions set and take your eCommerce marketing game up a notch. Create Targeted Campaigns with Advanced Actions Unlock a whole new spectrum of Actions with the Pro version. You can customize your email workflow with various actions such as: Messaging: Send Email, Send SMS, Send Message to a Channel/User FunnelKit Automations: Create Contact, Change Status, Update Fields, Add/Remove Tags, Add/Remove Contact to/from a List, Add Contact Note, End Automation WooCommerce: Create/Delete Coupon, Change Subscription Status, Assign/Update Membership Plan This is just the cream of the crop, as you delve deeper into FunnelKit Automations, you can add more actions to your email sequence. The Pro version opens up the advanced Actions and Delay functionalities and even more helpful features like adding Goals, Jumps, and Exits to your automations. Delay: Advanced delay functionalities let you send emails in the contact’s timezone, as well as at a specific time of a specific day. Add a delay until a custom date is picked by the user on a form submitted. Goals: If your email sequence has a common goal, then the automation will stop when the goal is achieved, i.e., the subsequent emails won’t go out. Examples of goals include – a link clicked, an order placed, a user subscribed, and more. Jump: Shorten your automations by making contacts jump from one node to another within the workflow. Exit: Exit the automation for all those contacts that don’t meet the set condition. These contacts will move out of your automation. Create Dynamic Coupon Codes to Instigate Urgency Who doesn’t love coupons? FunnelKit Automations Pro lets you build dynamic coupons from scratch right inside WordPress. Customize your WooCommerce discount coupon settings without leaving your workflow – set an expiry date for the coupon, add a discount amount (fixed or in percentage), add a prefix to the coupon code, enable free shipping, and more. Create personalized coupon codes with merge tags – with the user’s first name or last name. Once done, embed the coupon code inside your emails with ease. Create Beautiful Emails Using Built-In Email Builder and Engage Better with Broadcast Campaigns Do not know where to start with email designing? Our WooCommerce marketing automation plugin comes with an in-built visual email builder that empowers you to create beautiful emails that can send your click-through rates through the roof. FunnelKit Automations gives you content blocks for designing emails. From writing text and adding logos to showing products in emails – there are blocks for just about everything. Save these emails as templates and reuse them in future automated campaigns. Send and schedule broadcast campaigns/ newsletters in real-time. Engage better with your audience with newsletters and create a stronger bond. A/B Test Your Emails and Choose the Best-Performing Copy A lot of your email marketing campaign’s success depends on the copy of your email. If the subject line is catchy and the copy is engaging, you are halfway home. FunnelKit Automations Pro lets you split-test your emails and choose the best version that can maximize your campaign’s performance and bring in profits. You can create multiple versions of the same email by changing the subject line, altering the preview text, and more. FunnelKit Automations Pro Use Cases **1. [Create …