Is Port 25 really open on every plan?

Yes. Outbound Port 25 is open on all 21 plans across all five ranges, from the moment the server deploys, with no approval form and no waiting period. One distinction worth knowing: on Cloud VPS and VDS, open Port 25 is written into the plan specification itself. On the Classic, SSD and NVMe ranges it is open by default as a matter of how we run the network, but it is not part of the published specification. If your business depends on it, the two guaranteed ranges are the safer choice.

Does Port 25 access cost extra?

No. It is included in the monthly price shown on the pricing page, on every plan. There is no add-on, no unlock fee and no higher tier required to get it.

Why do the big cloud providers block it?

Because compromised and disposable cloud instances have historically been used to send spam in volume, so blocking the port for everyone is the cheapest way to protect the provider's network reputation. AWS blocks it by default and requires a written request to remove the restriction; Google Cloud blocks connections to external port 25 and offers no unblock path at all, pointing customers to third-party senders instead.

Can Port 25 ever be disabled on my server?

Yes, and it is fair that you know this before you order. Repeated blacklisting, high spam-complaint rates or sending that breaches the Acceptable Use Policy can result in Port 25 being closed on the affected server. The policy exists because one abusive sender damages the network reputation that every other customer depends on.

What counts as acceptable sending?

Opt-in email marketing and transactional mail, to recipients who asked to hear from you, with a working unsubscribe mechanism. Purchased, scraped or rented lists are not acceptable and are the fastest route to having sending disabled.

Do I need Port 25 if I send through Amazon SES or SendGrid?

No. Relays accept mail on ports 587 or 465 and handle the final delivery themselves, so outbound Port 25 from your own server is not required. You need Port 25 when you want to deliver directly and own the sending reputation yourself.

Is inbound Port 25 open too, so I can receive mail?

Yes. Nothing at our end filters inbound SMTP, so a mail server you run can accept incoming mail as well as send it. Software such as Postal, which handles both directions, works as designed.

Will an open Port 25 get my mail into the inbox?

On its own, no. Port 25 is the door, not the reputation. Reverse DNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, a gradual volume ramp and a clean list all decide whether mail is accepted. An open port only means nothing at the network level is stopping you from trying.

Port 25 · All 16 Plans

Port 25 is open. No form, no queue, no waiting.

The large clouds block outbound Port 25 by default and either make you apply for it or refuse outright. Here it works the moment your server deploys, on every plan, at no extra cost. This page shows exactly what that is worth — and what it still does not do for you.

Outbound and inbound
Dedicated IPv4
Custom rDNS on request
56 countries

Compare the Policies What It Does Not Do

Wait before you can send

0 days

From $4.95/mo · open on every plan

No approval form to submit
No higher tier required
Inbound SMTP unfiltered too
Not a substitute for SPF/DKIM/rDNS

Close-up of network switch ports with cables plugged in, lit by blue LED indicators

Port 25 VPS Hosting, in One Paragraph

Port 25 is the TCP port mail servers use to hand messages directly to each other. If you want to run your own mail server and deliver mail yourself rather than paying a relay per message, you need outbound Port 25 open. Most large providers block it by default because spammers abused it, and getting it unblocked ranges from a written application to simply not being possible. On VPS For Life it is open on all 16 plans from the moment the server deploys, at no extra cost — on the condition that what you send is opt-in.

Open by default: every plan, from $4.95/mo, no ticket and no approval wait.
Guaranteed in the specification on Cloud VPS and VDS — see below if sending is business-critical.
Both directions: outbound for sending, inbound unfiltered so you can receive.
No extra charge: not an add-on and not restricted to larger plans.
Conditional: abusive sending can have it closed on the affected server.
Not sufficient on its own: rDNS, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and list quality decide delivery.
Not needed if you relay through SES, SendGrid or similar on ports 587/465.

What the Large Providers Actually Do

Quoted from their own documentation rather than characterised by us, and checked on 17 August 2026. Follow the links and read the originals.

VPS For Life Outbound Port 25 works from the moment the VPS deploys. No form, no approval queue, no waiting period. Open by default
Amazon EC2 “By default, AWS blocks outbound traffic on port 25 for all EC2 instances and Lambda functions on elastic network interfaces.” Removal requires the Request to remove email sending limitations form with a written use case, and a response typically takes around 48 hours. Requests can be, and are, refused.
Read the provider's documentation → Blocked by default
Google Compute Engine “Connections to destination TCP Port 25 are blocked when the destination is external to your VPC network.” The documentation offers no unblock path and directs customers to ports 587/465 and to third-party sending services instead.
Read the provider's documentation → Blocked, no removal offered

Open everywhere, guaranteed on two ranges. Port 25 is open by default on all 16 plans. On Cloud VPS and VDS it is written into the plan specification; on Classic, SSD and NVMe it is open as a matter of how the network is run rather than as a published guarantee. In practice it works the same on all of them — but if losing the ability to send would stop your business, buy the guarantee rather than the default.

To be fair to them: blocking Port 25 by default is a reasonable decision for a platform running millions of disposable instances. We can leave it open because we are smaller, we know who our customers are, and we enforce an Acceptable Use Policy rather than a blanket block. That is a trade — it works only as long as the people sending from this network send responsibly.

What an Open Port 25 Does Not Do

It would be easy to sell this as a deliverability feature. It is not one. Port 25 is the door — these five things decide whether your mail is let in.

Reverse DNS still has to be set An open port does not give your IP a PTR record. Receiving servers check that your reverse DNS matches your sending hostname, and a generic provider hostname is a mark against you. We set the PTR on request. rDNS on your dedicated IP → Yours
SPF, DKIM and DMARC are yours to publish These are DNS records on your sending domain, not server settings. Nothing about an open port publishes them, and mail without them is treated with suspicion by every major inbox provider. Yours
A new IP has no reputation yet A fresh address is not trusted or distrusted — it is unknown, which in practice means throttled. Volume has to be built gradually. Sending a large campaign on day one is the fastest way to damage an address you will then be stuck with. Yours
Your list quality decides the outcome Complaint rates and bounces drive reputation far more than any server specification. A purchased list will fail regardless of how the server is configured — and it will breach our Acceptable Use Policy. Acceptable Use Policy → Yours
You still install and run the mail server Every plan is unmanaged. Postfix, Exim, Haraka, Postal — whichever you choose, installing, securing and maintaining it is your job, not ours. What unmanaged means here → Yours

Every Range Has It

Port 25 is not a feature of the expensive plans. The entry plan of each range is below, generated from the same data as the pricing page.

NVMe VPS

4 plans · from $9.95/mo

Enterprise NVMe VPS Hosting

Entry plan

Starter NVMe VPS

1 Core · 2 GB RAM
20 GB NVMe · 10 Gbps Port

$9.95/mo

+ $1.00 one-time setup

Compare NVMe VPS

Cloud VPS

4 plans · from $13.95/mo

Scalable Cloud VPS Solutions

Entry plan

Starter Cloud VPS

1 Core · 2 GB RAM
30 GB NVMe (triple-replicated) · 10 Gbps Port

$13.95/mo

Compare Cloud VPS

Classic VPS

4 plans · from $4.95/mo

Affordable Classic VPS Hosting

Entry plan

Starter Classic VPS

1 Core · 1 GB RAM
15 GB SAS · 1 Gbps Port

$4.95/mo

+ $3.00 one-time setup

Compare Classic VPS

VDS

4 plans · from $24.95/mo

Dedicated Resources, Maximum Performance

Entry plan

Starter VDS (Xeon E3)

2 Cores · 2 GB Dedicated RAM
50 GB NVMe · 10 Gbps Port

$24.95/mo

Compare VDS

All 16 plans include open Port 25, a dedicated IPv4 address and full root access. No plan includes backups. See all 16 plans · which software should you run?

Port 25 Questions

Deploy, and start sending the same minute.

From $4.95 a month with Port 25 already open, a dedicated IPv4 address and root access from the first second — plus a 7-day money-back guarantee.

See All 16 Plans Ask About Your Sending