What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the mail() function versus a Mailer class for sending emails in PHP?

When sending emails in PHP, using the mail() function is a simple and straightforward way to send emails directly from your server. However, it lacks some advanced features like attachments, HTML emails, and SMTP authentication. On the other hand, using a Mailer class, such as PHPMailer or Swift Mailer, provides more functionality and flexibility for sending emails, including support for attachments, HTML emails, and SMTP authentication. However, setting up and using a Mailer class may require more code and configuration compared to the mail() function.

// Using the mail() function to send a basic email
$to = "recipient@example.com";
$subject = "Hello";
$message = "This is a test email sent using the mail() function.";
$headers = "From: sender@example.com";

mail($to, $subject, $message, $headers);