diff --git a/lib/Mailer/Methods/PHPMail.php b/lib/Mailer/Methods/PHPMail.php
index 3f1b4269c5..349a191e77 100644
--- a/lib/Mailer/Methods/PHPMail.php
+++ b/lib/Mailer/Methods/PHPMail.php
@@ -1,10 +1,13 @@
 <?php
+
 namespace MailPoet\Mailer\Methods;
 
 use MailPoet\Mailer\Mailer;
 
 if(!defined('ABSPATH')) exit;
 
+require_once ABSPATH . WPINC . '/class-phpmailer.php';
+
 class PHPMail {
   public $sender;
   public $reply_to;
@@ -22,12 +25,12 @@ class PHPMail {
 
   function send($newsletter, $subscriber, $extra_params = array()) {
     try {
-      $message = $this->createMessage($newsletter, $subscriber, $extra_params);
-      $result = $this->mailer->send($message);
+      $mailer = $this->configureMailerWithMessage($newsletter, $subscriber, $extra_params);
+      $result = $mailer->send();
     } catch(\Exception $e) {
       return Mailer::formatMailerSendErrorResult($e->getMessage());
     }
-    if($result === 1) {
+    if($result === true) {
       return Mailer::formatMailerSendSuccessResult();
     } else {
       $result = sprintf(__('%s has returned an unknown error.', 'mailpoet'), Mailer::METHOD_PHPMAIL);
@@ -39,33 +42,30 @@ class PHPMail {
   }
 
   function buildMailer() {
-    $transport = \Swift_MailTransport::newInstance();
-    return \Swift_Mailer::newInstance($transport);
+    $mailer = new \PHPMailer(true);
+    // send using PHP's mail() function
+    $mailer->isMail();
+    return $mailer;
   }
 
-  function createMessage($newsletter, $subscriber, $extra_params = array()) {
-    $message = \Swift_Message::newInstance()
-      ->setTo($this->processSubscriber($subscriber))
-      ->setFrom(array(
-          $this->sender['from_email'] => $this->sender['from_name']
-        ))
-      ->setSender($this->sender['from_email'])
-      ->setReplyTo(array(
-          $this->reply_to['reply_to_email'] =>  $this->reply_to['reply_to_name']
-        ))
-      ->setReturnPath($this->return_path)
-      ->setSubject($newsletter['subject']);
+  function configureMailerWithMessage($newsletter, $subscriber, $extra_params = array()) {
+    $mailer = $this->mailer;
+    $mailer->clearAddresses();
+    $mailer->clearCustomHeaders();
+    $mailer->isHTML();
+    $mailer->CharSet = 'UTF-8';
+    $mailer->setFrom($this->sender['from_email'], $this->sender['from_name'], false);
+    $mailer->addReplyTo($this->reply_to['reply_to_email'], $this->reply_to['reply_to_name']);
+    $subscriber = $this->processSubscriber($subscriber);
+    $mailer->addAddress($subscriber['email'], $subscriber['name']);
+    $mailer->Subject = (!empty($newsletter['subject'])) ? $newsletter['subject'] : '';
+    $mailer->Body = (!empty($newsletter['body']['html'])) ? $newsletter['body']['html'] : '';
+    $mailer->AltBody = (!empty($newsletter['body']['text'])) ? $newsletter['body']['text'] : '';
+    $mailer->Sender = $this->return_path;
     if(!empty($extra_params['unsubscribe_url'])) {
-      $headers = $message->getHeaders();
-      $headers->addTextHeader('List-Unsubscribe', '<' . $extra_params['unsubscribe_url'] . '>');
+      $this->mailer->addCustomHeader('List-Unsubscribe', $extra_params['unsubscribe_url']);
     }
-    if(!empty($newsletter['body']['html'])) {
-      $message = $message->setBody($newsletter['body']['html'], 'text/html');
-    }
-    if(!empty($newsletter['body']['text'])) {
-      $message = $message->addPart($newsletter['body']['text'], 'text/plain');
-    }
-    return $message;
+    return $mailer;
   }
 
   function processSubscriber($subscriber) {
@@ -76,8 +76,8 @@ class PHPMail {
       );
     }
     return array(
-      $subscriber_data['email'] =>
-        (isset($subscriber_data['name'])) ? $subscriber_data['name'] : ''
+      'email' => $subscriber_data['email'],
+      'name' => (isset($subscriber_data['name'])) ? $subscriber_data['name'] : ''
     );
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/unit/Mailer/Methods/PHPMailTest.php b/tests/unit/Mailer/Methods/PHPMailTest.php
index 93d381daec..36ae73ef02 100644
--- a/tests/unit/Mailer/Methods/PHPMailTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/Mailer/Methods/PHPMailTest.php
@@ -35,7 +35,8 @@ class PHPMailTest extends MailPoetTest {
 
   function testItCanBuildMailer() {
     $mailer = $this->mailer->buildMailer();
-    expect($mailer->getTransport() instanceof \Swift_MailTransport)->true();
+    expect($mailer)->isInstanceOf('PHPMailer');
+    expect($mailer->Mailer)->equals('mail'); // uses PHP's mail() function
   }
 
   function testWhenReturnPathIsNullItIsSetToSenderEmail() {
@@ -47,34 +48,63 @@ class PHPMailTest extends MailPoetTest {
     expect($mailer->return_path)->equals($this->sender['from_email']);
   }
 
-  function testItCanCreateMessage() {
-    $message = $this->mailer
-      ->createMessage($this->newsletter, $this->subscriber, $this->extra_params);
-    expect($message->getTo())
-      ->equals(array('mailpoet-phoenix-test@mailinator.com' => 'Recipient'));
-    expect($message->getFrom())
-      ->equals(array($this->sender['from_email'] => $this->sender['from_name']));
-    expect($message->getSender())
-      ->equals(array($this->sender['from_email'] => null));
-    expect($message->getReplyTo())
-      ->equals(array($this->reply_to['reply_to_email'] => $this->reply_to['reply_to_name']));
-    expect($message->getSubject())
-      ->equals($this->newsletter['subject']);
-    expect($message->getBody())
+  function testItCanConfigureMailerWithMessage() {
+    $mailer = $this->mailer
+      ->configureMailerWithMessage($this->newsletter, $this->subscriber, $this->extra_params);
+    expect($mailer->CharSet)->equals('UTF-8');
+    expect($mailer->getToAddresses())->equals(
+      array(
+        array(
+          'mailpoet-phoenix-test@mailinator.com',
+          'Recipient'
+        )
+      )
+    );
+    expect($mailer->getAllRecipientAddresses())
+      ->equals(array('mailpoet-phoenix-test@mailinator.com' => true));
+    expect($mailer->From)->equals($this->sender['from_email']);
+    expect($mailer->FromName)->equals($this->sender['from_name']);
+    expect($mailer->getReplyToAddresses())->equals(
+      array(
+        'reply-to@mailpoet.com' => array(
+          'reply-to@mailpoet.com',
+          'Reply To'
+        )
+      )
+    );
+    expect($mailer->Sender)->equals($this->return_path);
+    expect($mailer->ContentType)->equals('text/html');
+    expect($mailer->Subject)->equals($this->newsletter['subject']);
+    expect($mailer->Body)
       ->equals($this->newsletter['body']['html']);
-    expect($message->getChildren()[0]->getContentType())
-      ->equals('text/plain');
-    expect($message->getHeaders()->get('List-Unsubscribe')->getValue())
-      ->equals('<' . $this->extra_params['unsubscribe_url'] . '>');
+    expect($mailer->AltBody)
+      ->equals($this->newsletter['body']['text']);
+    expect($mailer->getCustomHeaders())->equals(
+      array(
+        array(
+          'List-Unsubscribe',
+          'http://www.mailpoet.com'
+        )
+      )
+    );
   }
 
   function testItCanProcessSubscriber() {
-    expect($this->mailer->processSubscriber('test@test.com'))
-      ->equals(array('test@test.com' => ''));
-    expect($this->mailer->processSubscriber('First <test@test.com>'))
-      ->equals(array('test@test.com' => 'First'));
-    expect($this->mailer->processSubscriber('First Last <test@test.com>'))
-      ->equals(array('test@test.com' => 'First Last'));
+    expect($this->mailer->processSubscriber('test@test.com'))->equals(
+      array(
+        'email' => 'test@test.com',
+        'name' => ''
+      ));
+    expect($this->mailer->processSubscriber('First <test@test.com>'))->equals(
+      array(
+        'email' => 'test@test.com',
+        'name' => 'First'
+      ));
+    expect($this->mailer->processSubscriber('First Last <test@test.com>'))->equals(
+      array(
+        'email' => 'test@test.com',
+        'name' => 'First Last'
+      ));
   }
 
   function testItCanSend() {