In this article, we’ll cover the differences between PHPMailer and the mail()<\/strong> function, showing you how to send emails with both.<\/p> Download glossary for web beginners<\/a><\/p> \n\n\n\n\n\n PHP mail is a function for sending emails with PHP scripts. The built-in PHP function can target multiple recipients per email sending. However, it isn’t suitable for bulk emailing without using an external PHP mailing package like PHPMailer. PHP mail allows PHP-based website administrators to send mail from their web server using PHP scripts. It’s a popular alternative to getting a third-party email hosting service, as the PHP function is integrated with the web server.<\/p> Sending emails in PHP<\/a> is possible via the native PHP mail()<\/strong> function or an external PHP mailing package like PHPMailer. Here’s a brief coverage of each method, including their advantages and disadvantages:<\/p> PHP mail() function<\/strong><\/p> Mail()<\/strong> is a PHP function that uses PHP scripts to send simple emails. The mail function includes three mandatory parameters ‒ $to<\/strong>, $subject<\/strong>, and $message<\/strong>. Optional parameters to utilize include $headers<\/strong> and $parameters<\/strong>. We’ll cover them in more detail later.<\/p> This built-in PHP function returns a boolean value upon execution ‒ TRUE<\/strong> if the server successfully receives the email for sending or FALSE <\/strong>on failure.<\/p> Advantages:<\/strong><\/p> Disadvantages:<\/strong><\/p> \n\n\n Important!<\/strong> For Hostinger users, keep in mind that the current limits for emails sent via PHP mail() are 100\/day<\/strong> and 10\/minute<\/strong>. These limits will reset every 24 hours and they will be consumed immediately if there are queued emails.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> PHPMailer<\/strong><\/p> PHPMailer is a popular mail-sending library that supports the process via the mail()<\/strong> function or through a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)<\/a> server. It gives access to a set of functions for sending mail, simplifying the manual PHP mail configuration process.<\/p> Advantages<\/strong>:<\/p> Disadvantages<\/strong>:<\/p> \n\n\n Important!<\/strong> If you use PHPMailer with Titan Mail on Hostinger, the sending limit is<\/a> 1000 emails\/day<\/strong> and 300 emails\/hour<\/strong>. For Hostinger’s email service, the limit is higher<\/a> – up to 3000 emails\/day<\/strong> with no hourly limit. Check the parameters and limits for each service, as they vary depending on your hosting plan.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> In this section, we’ll cover the steps of using PHPMailer to send mail. We recommend using an authenticated SMTP connection with PHPMailer to increase the deliverability of your emails against spam filters.<\/p> Installing PHPMailer is quite simple, especially when using Composer<\/a>.<\/p> Note that Hostinger’s Premium and Business <\/strong>web hosting plans<\/a>, as well as cloud hosting options<\/a>, come pre-installed with two versions of this software.<\/p> Use the composer<\/strong> command to activate Composer version 1.10. If you need the new 2.0 version or you’re using PHP version 8.0 or later, execute the composer2<\/strong> command.<\/p> \n\n\n Important!<\/strong> You must install PHPMailer using Composer through SSH for it to work correctly. Adding a phpmailer.php<\/strong> file with SMTP code, as we’ll cover later in this guide, won’t work without proper installation.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> Follow these steps to install PHPMailer manually:<\/p> \n\n Learn more SSH commands<\/a> to help manage your server.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> To understand how PHPMailer works, let’s review each script component above.<\/p> \n\n\n The SMTPDebug = 2;<\/strong> line is only applicable when you test a script and want to see how it operates. Remember to change it to SMTPDebug = 0;<\/strong> when you are done with the test to prevent receivers from catching the SMTP protocol delivery report.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> After installing PHPMailer, you can start sending emails in PHP. In this section, we’ll show you how to send email through the Hostinger SMTP server using PHPMailer.<\/p> To do so, follow the steps below:<\/p> \n\n\n If you're using Titan Mail, connect via port 465<\/strong> (SSL) or 587<\/strong> (STARTTLS). Visit Emails → Configure Desktop App<\/strong> to see your email account configuration details<\/a>. You can also check Titan's official tutorial<\/a> to get the correct SMTP, IMAP, or POP settings.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> In addition to sending simple PHP mail, PHPMailer lets users create various contact forms, such as feedback surveys.<\/p> Like previous PHP scripts, create a new PHP file in the public_html<\/strong> folder and name it formscript.php<\/strong>. Copy and paste the script below into the new file and modify the values accordingly:<\/p> \n\n\n Taking user input from $_POST<\/strong> and using it unsanitized is not safe due to cross-site scripting (XSS)<\/strong> attacks. To avoid this, check out the best practices for PHP variable sanitization<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> Save your changes and run the script from your browser.<\/p> Here’s what the result will look like:<\/p> If a visitor submits a message via the form, they will get a confirmation. The form’s content will be sent to the email address you entered here:<\/p> \n\n\n If the PHPMailer contact form doesn’t work, change the $mail->SMTPDebug = 0;<\/strong> line to $mail->SMTPDebug = 2<\/strong> to identify the cause. Don't forget to remove the line or change the 2<\/strong> to 0<\/strong> after.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> Visit PHPMailer’s official repository<\/a> on GitHub to check out other examples of how to use this mail-sending library.<\/p> If you’re a WordPress user, use a contact form plugin<\/a> like Formidable Forms<\/strong>, Contact Form 7<\/strong>, or WPForms <\/strong>to streamline the form-building process.<\/p> Another method to send emails directly from PHP is the built-in mail() <\/strong>function. To use the PHP mailer feature, users hosting their PHP application or site on a local server will need to configure a Sendmail<\/strong> program by changing the <\/strong>php.ini<\/strong> file<\/a> in their PHP installation folder.<\/p> If you use a hosting server, Sendmail<\/strong> usually comes already pre-configured. However, you must ensure that your hosting provider allows you to manage the Sendmail service<\/strong> option manually.<\/p> By default, the Sendmail<\/strong> service is already enabled. Nevertheless, double-check to be sure.<\/p> \n\n\n Important!<\/strong> Titan Mail enables the PHP mail()<\/strong> function by default. Thus, you can’t switch it on or off in hPanel.<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p> To help you understand the PHP mail() <\/strong>function, we’ll review the components of the PHP script used in the previous section.<\/p> The first two lines above enable error reporting to inform you if the PHP script has failed to execute.<\/p>What is PHP Mail?<\/h2>\n
\n<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/p>PHPMailer vs mail() function: pros and cons<\/strong><\/h2>
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How to use PHPMailer to send emails<\/strong><\/h2>
Installing PHPMailer<\/h3>
![\"Hostinger](\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/11\/Web-hosting_in-text-banner.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n
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cd public_html<\/pre>
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composer2 require phpmailer\/phpmailer<\/pre>
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![\"Finished](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/Finished-Composer-installation-process.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>Suggested reading<\/h4>\n
Understanding PHPMailer components<\/h3>
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use PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer;<\/code> – imports the PHPMailer class to the global namespace<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\nrequire '..\/vendor\/autoload.php';<\/code> – includes various libraries that PHPMailer needs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail = new PHPMailer;<\/code> – creates a new PHPMailer object.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->isSMTP();<\/code> – tells PHPMailer class to use the custom SMTP configuration defined in the script instead of the local mail server.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->SMTPDebug = 2;<\/code> – detects if something goes wrong with the SMTP connection.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->Host = 'smtp.hostinger.com';<\/code> – this is where the SMTP server address should be specified.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->Port = 587;<\/code> – set the SMTP port here. We’ll pick SMTP port 587<\/a> as the default mail submission port for all types of SMTP data transmission.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->SMTPAuth = true;<\/code> – activates SMTP authentication.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->Username = 'mymail@myawesomedomain.tld';<\/code> – specify your email address here.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->Password = 'My$tr0ngPa55w0rd!;<\/code> – enter your email password here.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->setFrom('mymail@myawesomedomain.tld', 'Your Name');<\/code> – this is where you insert the sender’s email address.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->addReplyTo('mymail@myawesomedomain.tld', 'Your Name');<\/code> – informs the recipient which address they should reply to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->addAddress('recipient@domain.tld', 'Receiver Name');<\/code> – insert the recipient’s address here.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->Subject = 'Checking if PHPMailer works';<\/code> – add the email subject here.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->msgHTML(file_get_contents('message.html'), __DIR__);<\/code> – reads an HTML message body from an external file. The file_get_contents()<\/strong> function will load the content from message.html<\/strong>, a local file located in the public_html <\/strong>directory, and include it in the message.<\/li>\n\n\n\n$mail->Body = 'This is just a plain text message body';<\/code> – contains the mail message body.<\/li>\n\n\n\n\/\/$mail->addAttachment('attachment.txt');<\/code> – if you want to include attachments, add the file names and remove the double slash from this statement.<\/li>\n\n\n\nif (!$mail->send()) {<\/code> – defines what happens when the script is executed.<\/li>\n\n\n\necho 'Mailer Error: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;<\/code> – you will see an error message and details of the error if the script fails to send.<\/li>\n\n\n\n} else {<\/code> <\/strong>– <\/strong>extends the if<\/strong> statement and describes what happens if the previous condition is not met.<\/li>\n\n\n\necho 'The email message was sent!';<\/code> – means the email sending process is successful.<\/li>\n<\/ul>Pro tip<\/h4>\n
Using PHPMailer with Hostinger SMTP<\/h3>
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<?php\n require 'vendor\/autoload.php';\n use PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer;\n $mail = new PHPMailer;\n $mail->isSMTP();\n $mail->SMTPDebug = 2;\n $mail->Host = 'smtp.hostinger.com';\n $mail->Port = 587;\n $mail->SMTPAuth = true;\n $mail->Username = 'mymail@myawesomedomain.tld';\n $mail->Password = 'My$tr0ngPa55w0rd!';\n $mail->setFrom('mymail@myawesomedomain.tld', 'Your Name');\n $mail->addReplyTo('mymail@myawesomedomain.tld', 'Your Name');\n $mail->addAddress('recipient@domain.tld', 'Receiver Name');\n $mail->Subject = 'Checking if PHPMailer works';\n $mail->msgHTML(file_get_contents('message.html'), __DIR__);\n $mail->Body = 'This is just a plain text message body';\n \/\/$mail->addAttachment('attachment.txt');\n if (!$mail->send()) {\n echo 'Mailer Error: ' . $mail->ErrorInfo;\n } else {\n echo 'The email message was sent.';\n }\n?><\/pre>\n
Configuring Titan SMTP<\/h4>\n
Creating a PHPMailer contact form<\/h3>
<?php\nuse PHPMailer\\PHPMailer\\PHPMailer;\n$msg = '';\nif (array_key_exists('email', $_POST)) {\n require 'vendor\/autoload.php';\n $mail = new PHPMailer;\n $mail->isSMTP();\n $mail->Host = 'smtp.hostinger.com';\n $mail->Port = 587;\n $mail->SMTPDebug = 0;\n $mail->SMTPAuth = true;\n $mail->Username = 'mymail@myawesomedomain.tld';\n $mail->Password = 'My$tr0ngPa55w0rd!';\n $mail->setFrom('mymail@myawesomedomain.tld', 'Mr. Snuffles');\n $mail->addAddress('recipient@domain.tld', 'Receiver Name');\n if ($mail->addReplyTo($_POST['email'], $_POST['name'])) {\n $mail->Subject = 'PHPMailer contact form';\n $mail->isHTML(false);\n $mail->Body = <<<EOT\n Email: {$_POST['email']}\n Name: {$_POST['name']}\n Message: {$_POST['message']}\nEOT;\n if (!$mail->send()) {\n $msg = 'Sorry, something went wrong. Please try again later.';\n } else {\n $msg = 'Message sent! Thanks for contacting us.';\n }\n } else {\n $msg = 'Share it with us!';\n }\n}\n?>\n\n<!DOCTYPE html>\n<html lang=\"en\">\n<head>\n <meta charset=\"UTF-8\">\n <title>Contact form<\/title>\n<\/head>\n<body>\n<h1>Contact us<\/h1>\n<?php if (!empty($msg)) {\n echo \"<h2>$msg<\/h2>\";\n} ?>\n<form method=\"POST\">\n <label for=\"name\">Name: <input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" id=\"name\"><\/label><br>\n <label for=\"email\">Email address: <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" id=\"email\"><\/label><br>\n <label for=\"message\">Message: <textarea name=\"message\" id=\"message\" rows=\"8\" cols=\"20\"><\/textarea><\/label><br>\n <input type=\"submit\" value=\"Send\">\n<\/form>\n<\/body>\n<\/html><\/pre>Pro tip<\/h4>\n
![\"Contact](\"\/tutorials\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/Contact-Us-form-example.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>$mail->addAddress('recipient@domain.tld', 'Receiver Name');<\/pre>Pro tip<\/h4>\n
How to send emails using the PHP mail() function<\/strong><\/h2>
Understanding PHP Mail components<\/h3>
ini_set( 'display_errors', 1 );\nerror_reporting( E_ALL );<\/pre>
$from = \"mymail@myawesomedomain.tld\";<\/pre>