Hostking limits how many email messages an account can send per hour and per day, and how many recipients can be on one message. This keeps mail servers off spam blacklists and protects every customer's email delivery. If you are seeing a "max emails per hour exceeded" or similar error, this article explains why and what to do.
What is the email sending limit per hour?
The email sending limit per hour is a server setting that caps the number of outgoing messages one account or domain can send within any 60-minute window. The exact figure depends on your control panel and plan, so it is not the same for every account.
To check the limit on your own account, open a support ticket or ask via live chat from the client area, and support can confirm the current figure and, where appropriate, review it with you.
cPanel accounts
On cPanel servers, the hourly cap is called Max Emails Per Hour. A related setting, Max Defers and Failures Per Hour, limits how many messages can bounce or be deferred before sending is paused, which stops a compromised account from spamming invalid addresses.
If you go over the limit, you may see a message in the mail log similar to:
domain.com has exceeded the max emails per hour allowed. Message discarded.domain.com has exceeded the max defers and failures per hour allowed.
DirectAdmin accounts
On DirectAdmin servers, sending limits can apply at admin level, per DirectAdmin user, and per individual email account. If an account reaches its hourly limit, further messages are normally held in the mail queue and resent automatically once the limit resets, rather than being lost.
What happens when you hit the limit
- Any messages sent beyond the hourly limit are queued, not deleted.
- Queued messages are automatically retried and usually go out once the hour resets.
- You may notice a delay in delivery rather than an outright failure.
- If the limit is hit repeatedly, check whether a script, plugin, or compromised account is sending more mail than expected.
Common causes of hitting the limit
- A contact form, newsletter plugin, or script sending in bulk from one mailbox.
- A compromised WordPress installation or email account being used to send spam.
- Sending to a large mailing list in one batch instead of spacing it out.
- Repeated bounces caused by sending to invalid or outdated addresses.
How to avoid hitting the limit
- Space out large sends, such as newsletters or notification emails, instead of sending them all at once.
- Use a dedicated email marketing or transactional email service for bulk mailing rather than your hosting mailbox.
- Keep your mailing lists clean and remove invalid addresses to reduce bounces.
- Use SMTP authentication and a strong, unique password on every email account to reduce the risk of it being hijacked for spam.
- Check your outgoing mail logs regularly if you send a high volume of email, so you notice unusual activity early.
If you have a legitimate need to send more email than the current limit allows, for example a large but genuine mailing list, contact support through the client area or live chat to discuss it rather than trying to work around the limit.
Other mail sending limits
Alongside the hourly limit, Hostking mail servers also apply:
- A daily sending limit per account.
- A limit on the number of recipients allowed per message.
- A limit on non-delivery failures per hour, to protect the server from being blacklisted when mail is sent to addresses that no longer exist.
These limits apply to both webmail and email clients (such as desktop or mobile mail apps) connected over SMTP. If a mail client repeatedly shows "rejected" or "deferred" errors, this usually means the hourly limit has been reached rather than a problem with the client's settings.