Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

TinyLetter VS PHPMailer

Compare TinyLetter VS PHPMailer and see what are their differences

TinyLetter logo TinyLetter

Start writing your own newsletter instantly.

PHPMailer logo PHPMailer

Email sending library for PHP.
  • TinyLetter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-18
  • PHPMailer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-12

TinyLetter features and specs

  • Simplicity
    TinyLetter is very user-friendly and simple to use, making it ideal for beginners who are new to email marketing.
  • Free Service
    TinyLetter is free to use, which makes it an attractive option for individuals or small businesses that have a limited budget.
  • Personal Touch
    The platform allows for a more personal approach to email marketing, as it focuses on direct communication and has a more intimate feel.
  • No Ads
    Emails sent through TinyLetter are free of advertisements, providing a cleaner and more professional appearance.
  • Owned by Mailchimp
    Being owned by Mailchimp offers a guarantee of reliability and a quality backend infrastructure to handle email distributions.

Possible disadvantages of TinyLetter

  • Limited Features
    TinyLetter lacks advanced features such as segmenting, automation, detailed analytics, and advanced integrations, which are available in other email marketing tools.
  • Basic Design Options
    TinyLetter provides limited design customization options, which might not be sufficient for users looking to create highly branded emails.
  • Subscriber Limit
    The service is not suitable for larger email lists as it primarily supports smaller subscriber bases—typically around 5,000 subscribers.
  • No A/B Testing
    TinyLetter does not offer A/B testing capabilities, which can be a significant drawback for those who wish to optimize their email content and send times.
  • No Phone Support
    Customer support is limited to email and articles, with no phone support available, which could be challenging for those needing immediate assistance.

PHPMailer features and specs

  • Widely Used
    PHPMailer is one of the most popular mail libraries for PHP, which means it is well-tested and trusted by a large community.
  • SMTP Support
    It provides robust support for sending emails via SMTP, including authentication mechanisms, which enhances the reliability of email delivery.
  • HTML and Attachments
    PHPMailer allows easy sending of HTML emails and attachments, simplifying the creation of complex messages and file handling.
  • Error Handling
    Provides detailed error messages and debugging features, which can significantly help in identifying issues during the email sending process.
  • Internationalization
    Supports multiple languages and UTF-8 content, which is essential for sending emails to recipients worldwide.

Possible disadvantages of PHPMailer

  • Setup Complexity
    While flexible, setting up PHPMailer can be complex for beginners, especially when configuring SMTP settings correctly.
  • Dependency Management
    PHPMailer relies on Composer for dependency management, which requires users to have an understanding of this tool if they haven't used it before.
  • Overhead
    For very simple email sending tasks, using PHPMailer might add unnecessary overhead compared to PHP's native mail() function.
  • Version Compatibility
    Updating PHPMailer along with PHP updates can sometimes lead to compatibility issues or require codebase changes.
  • Security Considerations
    As with all software that deals with email sending, incorrect configurations of PHPMailer can expose servers to security vulnerabilities such as open relays.

Analysis of TinyLetter

Overall verdict

  • If you are looking for a basic, no-frills email newsletter service and have a relatively small subscriber list, TinyLetter is a good option. Its simplicity and focus on content without unnecessary features make it an attractive choice for personal newsletters or small projects.

Why this product is good

  • TinyLetter is considered good because it offers a simple, user-friendly platform for sending newsletters. It is particularly favored for its minimalistic design and straightforward functionality, which makes it easy for users without technical expertise to create and share content with their subscribers. The platform is free to use, which is appealing for users who are just starting out or have modest needs.

Recommended for

  • Individuals or small organizations with a simple newsletter need
  • Users who prioritize ease of use and minimal setup
  • Content creators wanting a direct and personal touch with subscribers
  • People who prefer a free service for smaller-scale email campaigns

TinyLetter videos

REVIEW. Tinyletter (by Mailchimp)

More videos:

PHPMailer videos

Send Mail Using PHP Mailer With Gmail SMTP | 100% Working PHPMailer Tutorial

More videos:

  • Review - Send Mail Using Contact Form With PHPMailer and Gmail SMTP On Live Hosting Server

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to TinyLetter and PHPMailer)
Email Marketing
90 90%
10% 10
Newsletter Marketing
100 100%
0% 0
Email Marketing Platforms
Email Delivery
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare TinyLetter and PHPMailer

TinyLetter Reviews

7 Cheaper Mailchimp Alternatives to Consider in 2019
Are just looking for a simple way to stay in touch with fans. For example, TinyLetter is popular with artists and writers. It’s not a good option for businesses, though.
Oh God, It's Raining Newsletters - by Craig Mod
Buttondown is a (somewhat) recently launched NAAS built by a very engaged developer, beautifully designed, that looks like it might be the new TinyLetter. Subscription integrations forthcoming (eating into Substack territory?). This is probably where I’d start if I were starting a public newsletter today.
Source: craigmod.com
The 12 Best Free Email Marketing Apps
If you choose Mailchimp, here are 6 ways to automate your email marketing with Mailchimp. And if you love Mailchimp but just need a super simple, bare-bones option for email newsletters, the brand also offers TinyLetter.
Source: zapier.com
An Alternative for TinyLetter
TinyLetter users were quick to mourn the shutdown of the service. The reactions mostly expressed sadness. TinyLetter’s simplicity and intimacy were strong selling points to the artists, writers and other members of the creative class that relied on it.

PHPMailer Reviews

We have no reviews of PHPMailer yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, TinyLetter seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 8 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

TinyLetter mentions (8)

View more

PHPMailer mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of PHPMailer yet. Tracking of PHPMailer recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing TinyLetter and PHPMailer, you can also consider the following products

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

SendGrid - Learn why more developers choose SendGrid for their email deliverability service to send transactional emails triggered by web apps. Get started for free

Sendy - Sendy is a self hosted newsletter app that sends emails 100x cheaper via Amazon SES

EmailJS - Send email directly from your client-side Javascript code – no server side code required. Add static or dynamic attachments, dynamic parameters, captcha code and more. Start with our free tier!

Listmonk - Send e-mail campaigns from a powerful dashboard. High performance and features packed into one app.

MailerLite - Affordable Email Marketing Software. Get all features (Segmentation, Automation, A/B testing) for up to 1,000 subscribers & send unlimited emails for free!