3 ms·

Send email without any SMTP

3 points by NicolasRz_ 6y ago

Hello all. A few weeks ago, I was building two showcase sites. The first with wordpress and the second without (just html/css/js on netlify) And like everytime, my customers wanted a contact form. For the website on netlify, I was like, damn I need to get a server and configure a smtp only to send email to my customer from his website.... For the wordpress website, I have used ContactForm7 and EasySmtp to achieve this. But I needed gmail email/password from my customer ... Explaining why I needed these information... Everytime it's complicate and/or boring And I thought, really ? there are not easier thant all of that ? No. So I decided to build a NoSmtp. A wordpress plugin that send email without any configuration. Of course, I need at least email of my client, to send email to him and the website address. Ok it's now built and workind on production. Ok I solved the wordpress problem. Next. My NoSmtp can work with a simple ajax call. But I wanted something else, something that need no code, that anyone could use. So I built a Chrome Extension, where you can click on your inputs form (email/subject/ body something like that). The next step is just to include in your html head a simple js link. And it's working. The extension chrome and the javascript code is not ready to be in prod, but almost ! That's all. My NoSmtp through by Mailjet and a paid plan of course, to emails reach their destination ! I came here to have your feedbacks, what's do you think about that ? It's something useless, not interesting ? or something that could be help some person ? I made a demo for the wordpress plugin, that you can see here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-ZyaIiuEg8&feature=youtu.be Another video will come for the chrome extension ^^ Thanks in advance :) Link to the website : https://bit.ly/39r0Hvr

harshad_bn 6y ago
Hello there, My first question, Once the other method ie CF7 and Easysmtp are setupped then there's no problem as such, then why there's such need. I am not convinced that There's any need of Nostmp to that large extent. Let me know if I am missing something here. Next, sending email via extension is not a viable option. Either you can add button which pops up the email interface would be good. To make your extension and NoSmtp more valuable, you can add options to send bulk email via extension for free upto 10,000 email, which is the limit of mailjet if I am not wrong. Thanks
- NicolasRz_ 6y ago
  Hello, thanks for reply ! Indeed CF7 and EasySmtp are great plugin. But I would like something easier. But for example, like I said for easy smtp, I always have to ask gmail credentials from my customer to setup it. And sometimes it's complicate. And sorry for the explanation about the chrome extension. It's not clear I see. It's not an extension to send email ^^. Imagine you have a static website online with only html/css/js And you don't want yo have a backend or you don't know to code (to make an ajax call). I purpose to include a simple js file (one of mine) And with the chrome extension you can click on your inputs form to settup it. And that's all. It's a no code way to have a working contact form without coding and without server or smtp ^^ Maybe with a video it will be clearer I keep in mind your idea about the extension :D But like you said, maybe there are no need. I had this need but maybe I was the only one haha.
auganov 6y ago
Well, for customers I'd say that's a worse solution as they will now depend on a potentially less-reliable 3rd party for something so simple. But who knows, maybe for the sheer ease of installation some people will prefer that. Wouldn't be surprised. You could probably add some more features on top of this to make for a stronger value proposition. As for the Chrome Extension I don't get what it's supposed to do.
seanwilson 6y ago
Try https://formspree.io/ https://formspree.io/ (I've used this for around 5 years with zero issues, and it's super easy to set up) or https://www.typeform.com/ https://www.typeform.com/. Google for something like "email contact form for static site" to find others. I'm surprised there isn't a standard free one by now. There's a ton of others, usually with a small free tier and then a modest paid tier price. The free ones usually don't last long until they shut down. Can you set Netlify to email forms without using Zapier? I can't get my head around why Netlify don't make emailing a contact form a core feature - it's essential to almost every business site.
- NicolasRz_ 6y ago
  Hey I didnt know formspree thanks ! Yes I can plug no smtp to any netlify
  - seanwilson 6y ago
    > Yes I can plug no smtp to any netlify Hmm, had a quick look at no smtp and it looks like a similar same thing as Formspree. Formspree has been around for a while now though and has a bigger free tier so I'd side with that. Works on any website too, just paste the HTML snippet in. Like I mentioned, I've seen a ton of services like this come and go each time I research this. I'm guessing they shut down when they don't make enough money or get hit with spam/abuse, so I'd be cautious about using one that's not been around for a while.
sethammons 6y ago
Disclaimer, I work with Twilio SendGrid. SendGrid has a Wordpress plugin too, fwiw.

3 points by NicolasRz_ 6y ago

harshad_bn 6y ago

Hello there, My first question, Once the other method ie CF7 and Easysmtp are setupped then there's no problem as such, then why there's such need. I am not convinced that There's any need of Nostmp to that large extent. Let me know if I am missing something here. Next, sending email via extension is not a viable option. Either you can add button which pops up the email interface would be good. To make your extension and NoSmtp more valuable, you can add options to send bulk email via extension for free upto 10,000 email, which is the limit of mailjet if I am not wrong. Thanks

NicolasRz_ 6y ago
Hello, thanks for reply ! Indeed CF7 and EasySmtp are great plugin. But I would like something easier. But for example, like I said for easy smtp, I always have to ask gmail credentials from my customer to setup it. And sometimes it's complicate. And sorry for the explanation about the chrome extension. It's not clear I see. It's not an extension to send email ^^. Imagine you have a static website online with only html/css/js And you don't want yo have a backend or you don't know to code (to make an ajax call). I purpose to include a simple js file (one of mine) And with the chrome extension you can click on your inputs form to settup it. And that's all. It's a no code way to have a working contact form without coding and without server or smtp ^^ Maybe with a video it will be clearer I keep in mind your idea about the extension :D But like you said, maybe there are no need. I had this need but maybe I was the only one haha.

auganov 6y ago

Well, for customers I'd say that's a worse solution as they will now depend on a potentially less-reliable 3rd party for something so simple. But who knows, maybe for the sheer ease of installation some people will prefer that. Wouldn't be surprised. You could probably add some more features on top of this to make for a stronger value proposition. As for the Chrome Extension I don't get what it's supposed to do.

seanwilson 6y ago

Try https://formspree.io/ https://formspree.io/ (I've used this for around 5 years with zero issues, and it's super easy to set up) or https://www.typeform.com/ https://www.typeform.com/. Google for something like "email contact form for static site" to find others. I'm surprised there isn't a standard free one by now. There's a ton of others, usually with a small free tier and then a modest paid tier price. The free ones usually don't last long until they shut down. Can you set Netlify to email forms without using Zapier? I can't get my head around why Netlify don't make emailing a contact form a core feature - it's essential to almost every business site.

NicolasRz_ 6y ago
Hey I didnt know formspree thanks ! Yes I can plug no smtp to any netlify
- seanwilson 6y ago
  > Yes I can plug no smtp to any netlify Hmm, had a quick look at no smtp and it looks like a similar same thing as Formspree. Formspree has been around for a while now though and has a bigger free tier so I'd side with that. Works on any website too, just paste the HTML snippet in. Like I mentioned, I've seen a ton of services like this come and go each time I research this. I'm guessing they shut down when they don't make enough money or get hit with spam/abuse, so I'd be cautious about using one that's not been around for a while.

sethammons 6y ago

Disclaimer, I work with Twilio SendGrid. SendGrid has a Wordpress plugin too, fwiw.