Description
Bentostudio Mail is a modular WordPress mail management solution built entirely on native WordPress APIs – no external dependencies, no SaaS account required.
The plugin deliberately focuses on the core functions of SMTP sending and mail logging. For SMTP configuration, it provides a plain SMTP interface only, without pulling in additional third-party service dependencies. The two core areas – SMTP settings and mail logging – can also be used independently of each other: for example, you can configure SMTP sending only, without logging any mails, or use the mail log without changing anything about the SMTP route.
SMTP Sending
- Simple configuration of the SMTP sending method directly in the WordPress backend.
- Technically thorough two-step connection diagnostics: a raw socket probe (
fsockopen()) followed by a full PHPMailer handshake with a captured debug transcript. - Send a live test email to confirm end-to-end delivery.
- Detects other active third-party SMTP plugins and notes that, due to hook load order, its own settings take precedence for actual sending.
Mail Log & Statistics
- Stores sent emails (similar in principle to Flamingo).
- Privacy-friendly by design: data is stored exclusively in your own server’s local database – no external services or cloud connections involved.
- Freely configurable retention by entry count and/or age, helping you apply the data minimization / storage limitation principle required by data protection laws such as GDPR (EU/UK), CCPA/CPRA (California), LGPD (Brazil), PIPA (South Korea), PDPA (Singapore), and DPDPA (India).
- Dashboard with live SMTP status, delivery statistics, and an activity overview.
- Logs failed delivery attempts.
- Identifies the sending source in the statistics (e.g. Contact Form 7, WordPress system notifications).
Role-Based Access Control
- Assign access to the statistics and SMTP settings with a single click.
- Uses WordPress’s existing user roles (Editor, Shop Manager, etc.) – no separate permission system required.
- Four granular capabilities, one per module page.
Other Technical Features
- Clean uninstall: removes the database table and every
wp_optionsentry the plugin ever wrote.
Screenshots
Installation
- Upload the
bentostudio-mailfolder to/wp-content/plugins/. - Activate the plugin through Plugins > Installed Plugins.
- Navigate to Bentostudio Mail > SMTP Settings and enter your SMTP credentials.
- Click Test Connection to verify server reachability via a socket probe and PHPMailer handshake.
- Click Send Test Email to confirm end-to-end delivery.
FAQ
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Does this plugin store SMTP passwords securely?
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SMTP credentials are stored in
wp_optionsin plain text, the same way all core WordPress options are stored. Restrict database access and use application-specific passwords where your provider supports them. -
Which encryption modes are supported?
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TLS (STARTTLS on port 587), SSL (implicit TLS on port 465), and none (unencrypted, not recommended).
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Does the plugin detect other active SMTP plugins?
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Yes. Bentostudio Mail detects when other SMTP plugins are active and flags this to the user. It does not automatically disable or modify those plugins’ settings – however, due to hook load order, its own
phpmailer_initconfiguration is the one that ends up controlling actual mail delivery. -
Does this plugin help with compliance with data protection laws like GDPR or CCPA?
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All mail logs are stored exclusively in your own server’s local database – no data is transmitted to external services. The freely configurable retention period and entry limit help you apply the data minimization principle required by GDPR/DSGVO, CCPA/CPRA, LGPD, PIPA, PDPA, and DPDPA, among others. Ensuring your privacy policy and its legal basis are compliant remains your responsibility.
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Can I grant SMTP or statistics access to editors or shop managers?
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Yes. In Plugin Setup > Role Assignment you can assign any registered WordPress role to each of the four access capabilities independently.
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What happens to my data when I uninstall the plugin?
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Clicking Delete in the plugin list runs
uninstall.php, which drops the{prefix}bentostudiomail_mail_logtable and removes all plugin options fromwp_options. No data is left behind.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
Contributors & Developers
“Bentostudio Mail” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.
Contributors
Translate “Bentostudio Mail” into your language.
Interested in development?
Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.
Changelog
2.0.2
- Improved formatting in the mail preview.
2.0.1
- Consolidated update – see previous releases.
1.0.18
- Initial public release.
- Modular architecture with four built-in modules: Overview, Statistics, SMTP Settings, Plugin Setup.
- Role-based capability system with per-module granularity.
- SMTP connection tester with raw socket probe and full PHPMailer debug transcript.
- Detection of active third-party SMTP plugins.
- Mail log with configurable entry-count and age-based retention limits.
- AJAX detail modal with sandboxed email body preview.
- Clean uninstall script.