Ethereal Email vs SMTP Labs
Ethereal Email
ethereal.emailSMTP Labs
smtp.devSide by side
| Figure | Ethereal Email | SMTP Labs |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $7/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 3 |
| Spec score · Email Testing Software | 7.9 (#13) | 8.4 (#8) |
| Protocols | Ethereal provides SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 access; its help page lists STARTTLS for SMTP and TLS for IMAP and POP3. | The service supports SMTP for sending test mail, IMAP and POP3 for retrieval, and API access. |
| Purpose | Ethereal is a free email-catching service for testing outbound email; it stores messages for review and never delivers them. | SMTP Labs is an email testing service that receives test email over SMTP and lets users inspect it through the web UI, IMAP, POP3, or API. |
| Retention | Messages are stored for a few hours and then deleted. | Message retention depends on the plan and can be up to 90 days, with shorter per-message expiry available. |
| Support | The FAQ directs users to the help page, Nodemailer documentation, or [email protected] for assistance. | The terms state the company has no support or maintenance obligation except as may be included in a paid subscription plan. |
Plans
In their own words
Ethereal Email
Ethereal Email has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
SMTP Labs
SMTP Labs is an email testing service that receives test messages over SMTP and lets you inspect them on the web, through IMAP or POP3, or via an API. Messages remain in a sandbox and cannot reach external recipients. Inspection includes HTML and plain text, headers, MIME structure, raw source, and attachments. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks appear in the interface and API, while a deliverability audit reviews sender configuration, HTML, links, and content patterns associated with spam filters. The REST API covers domains, accounts, mailboxes, messages, and tokens; server-sent events can push new messages. SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 work without a vendor SDK. The Lite plan is free at free with one domain, 50 accounts, and seven-day retention. Pro costs $7 a month, and Max costs $20 a month, with longer retention and expanded domains or accounts. Email and account data are primarily processed in the United States.