If your business in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines sends email from software, whether a website, a booking engine, an online store or an accounting package, you will eventually face a choice: send through an SMTP server or through an email API. Mailpro offers both. Neither is universally better; the right choice depends on what your software supports and how much control you need.
The short version
- Choose SMTP if your software already has an “outgoing mail server” setting and you just want its emails to be delivered reliably.
- Choose the API if you are building or customising an application and want richer features, such as templates, contact management and real-time event data.
How each one works
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the standard language mail servers use to pass messages to each other. Your software connects to Mailpro’s SMTP server, logs in and hands over the message. See what is SMTP? for a fuller explanation.
An API (application programming interface) lets your application send a structured request over HTTPS, for example “send template 12 to this guest with these fields”. Mailpro returns a response immediately and can notify you later of what happened.
Side-by-side comparison
| Factor | SMTP relay | Email API |
|---|---|---|
| Set-up | Enter host, port, username and password in your software | Write code using an API key |
| Works with | Almost any software that sends email, including WordPress, accounting and property management tools | Custom applications and integrations |
| Templates and personalisation | Built by your software | Can use Mailpro templates and fields |
| Delivery information | Logs and statistics in Mailpro | Logs, statistics and real-time webhooks |
| Contact management | Not included in the sending step | Add and update contacts in the same integration |
| Speed to get running | Minutes | Hours to days, depending on your project |
Vincentian examples
A guesthouse using an off-the-shelf booking system
The system has an SMTP setting. Point it at Mailpro, authenticate the domain, and confirmations are delivered through a monitored, reputable server instead of a shared web host. SMTP is the obvious choice.
A tour operator building its own booking app
The developer wants to send pre-arrival emails with the guest’s trip details, record bounces in the booking record and add guests to a newsletter list if they opt in. The API does all of that in one integration.
An accountant sending invoices from QuickBooks or Xero
These tools can send through a custom SMTP server. Using Mailpro’s relay means you can later prove an invoice was delivered, using the SMTP logs.
An online store shipping to the diaspora
An e-commerce platform sending order and shipping notifications to customers in North America and the UK might use its built-in SMTP option at first, then move to the API when it wants webhooks to trigger follow-up SMS to +1 784 numbers.
Things that matter either way
- Authentication: publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC for your sending domain. Without them, Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook are more likely to filter your mail.
- Security: Mailpro encrypts connections with TLS 1.3. Keep SMTP passwords and API keys out of public code.
- Honest sender details: the Cybercrime Act 2016 in SVG makes falsifying email headers or spoofing a sender an offence. Always send as yourself.
- Data location: Mailpro hosts data in Switzerland, outside US jurisdiction, which helps when you handle data about European guests under GDPR.
Moving from one to the other
Switching later is not difficult, but plan it. If you move a website from SMTP to the API, keep the same sending domain so the reputation you have built carries over, and run both in parallel for a few days while you compare delivery in the logs. If you move the other way, for example because a new booking platform only supports SMTP, check that the platform can use port 587 with TLS and that its “from” address matches your authenticated domain.
Questions developers in SVG ask
Our internet connection sometimes drops. Which method copes better?
Both rely on your application reaching Mailpro over the internet. With either, build in retries: if a request fails, queue the message and try again rather than losing it. Many SMTP libraries retry automatically; with the API, your code should handle it. If your system is hosted in the cloud rather than on a server in your office, local outages matter less.
Is one faster?
For the volumes most Vincentian businesses send, both are effectively instant. The API can be slightly more efficient for large batches because one request can carry many recipients.
Which is easier to secure?
Both use encrypted connections. API keys can be scoped and rotated easily; SMTP passwords should be unique to Mailpro and stored in your software’s settings, not in shared documents.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many businesses start with SMTP for their existing software and add the API for a new project. Both draw on the same account and credits, and pricing is based on emails sent.
For more detail, read our article on SMTP relay vs email API, explore the email API for SVG or the SMTP server for SVG.