Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP
by Jack - BNFW · Email & Marketing
Also makes 1 other plugin · 30K+ installs across the portfolio →
Supercharge your WordPress email notifications using a WYSIWYG editor and shortcodes. Default and new notifications available. Add-ons available.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
A 91/100
no flags
Active installs
30K+
≈35K estimated
Momentum
-11%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “email”, “message” and “notification” for “alerts”, “wysiwyg editor” and “digest”. “email” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “alerts” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “message” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “wysiwyg editor” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “notification” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #18. “digest” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
91 health vs 66 average across 2,124 Email & Marketing plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →2.7%
of downloads still active
At least 30K of 1.1M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Email & Marketing plugin keeps 0.9%, across 1,294 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Email & Marketing plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
This plugin shipped 4 releases in the last 12 months, and every existing install that updated counted as another download. wp.org publishes no split between first installs and updates, so we show the raw rate rather than guess at one.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Excellent listing optimization
Well tuned across the board
Updated 2 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 184 reviews, smoothed to 4.65★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 1 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
26
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.9
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
6%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-1.8
Acceleration
recent half vs earlier
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| alert your tag | #5 | #4 | down 1 |
| alerts | #5 | #5 | down 1 |
| wysiwyg editor | #5 | #4 | — |
| notifications | #8 | #5 | down 1 |
| email notifications | #8 | #8 | down 3 |
| customize | #10 | #10 | down 4 |
| wordpress emails | #10 | #11 | down 2 |
| wysiwyg | #9 | #6 | down 2 |
| alert email | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| customize message | #4 | #2 | down 1 |
| email alerts | #7 | #8 | down 2 |
| digest | #7 | #4 | down 2 |
| notify your tag | #12 | #8 | down 3 |
| reminders | #7 | #6 | down 3 |
| wordpress email | #13 | #13 | down 5 |
| email notify on reply | #5 | #5 | — |
| email alert | #6 | #6 | down 2 |
| text message alerts | #6 | #5 | 0 |
| reminder | #10 | #6 | down 3 |
| notification your tag | #18 | #10 | down 3 |
| email your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
182 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 132 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 1 of its tags isn't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “email”, “message” and “notification” for “alerts”, “wysiwyg editor” and “digest”. “email” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “alerts” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “message” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #22. “wysiwyg editor” sits at #5 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “notification” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #18. “digest” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
- One page off on “notify”. #12 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,490 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 31.8K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
Actively maintainedHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
4
releases in the last 12 months
2d ago
latest release · v1.10.2 · 31 Oct 2026
83
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “30K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 2.6 years ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 50% of the way through.
Install history since 5 Mar 2021
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.9.9.1 Fixed: User shortcodes in the last update weren’t using the correct data. 1.9.9.1
- — Version 1.9.9 Fixed: The [email_change_confirmation_link] shortcode link now respects being overridden correctly. Fixed: Escaping in various shortcodes. Fixed: Issue where non-English dates added via shortcodes still showed in English 1.9.9
- — Version 1.9.8 Added: Support for the new ‘Send Notification Only Once’ feature in the Digest add-on . Fixed: Various PHP warnings. 1.9.8
- — Version 1.9.7 Resolved: Due to user feedback, I’ve downgraded the PHP requirements for the plugin to PHP 7.4. 1.9.7
- — Version 1.9.6 Added: You can now use [user_ip_address] and [email_user_ip_address] in notifications that can use the User shortcodes. Fixed: An issue with the Global Override add-on where notifications couldn’t be overridden when usin 1.9.6
- — Version 1.9.5 Fixed: An issue with the Global Override add-on where notifications couldn’t be overridden when using the Block Editor. 1.9.5
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 3 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (1.10.2). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2023-07-18 CVE-2023-33999 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.6.14 Patched in 1.7
- 2022-01-31 CVE-2022-0345 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects < 1.8.7 Patched in 1.8.7
Vulnerability records provided by Wordfence Intelligence. Copyright 2012-2026 Defiant Inc. License and terms.
CVE records: Copyright 1999-2026 The MITRE Corporation. CVE terms of use.
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 126 languages, 9 at 90% or more
Plus 102 more locales with partial translations.
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
7 of 8 pass · checked 26 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Supercharge your WordPress email notifications using a WYSIWYG editor and shortcodes. Default and new notif..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 8 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 8 of 8 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for One audience phrase ("if you want"); say who the plugin is for and what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions ACF, Multisite.
- ✓ Headings and lists 3 headings and 8 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 6,605 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 4 of 5 tags appear in the text; "message" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2024-03-10 40K+ → 30K+ down after 5 days in tier
- 2024-03-05 30K+ → 40K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-03-04 40K+ → 30K+ down after 6 days in tier
- 2024-02-27 30K+ → 40K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2024-02-26 40K+ → 30K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2024-02-25 30K+ → 40K+ up after 49 days in tier
- 2024-01-07 40K+ → 30K+ down after 710 days in tier
- 2022-01-27 30K+ → 40K+ up after 626 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
Notification – Custom Notifications and Alerts for WordPress 10K+ installs · 4.5★ · 4 shared tags B -
Manage Notification E-mails 100K+ installs · 4.6★ · 3 shared tags A -
Post Status Notifier Lite 700+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags B -
Disable auto-update Email Notifications 30K+ installs · 4.2★ · 2 shared tags C -
Subscribe2 – Form, Email Subscribers & Newsletters 10K+ installs · 3.5★ · 2 shared tags B -
WP Notification Bars 10K+ installs · 3.8★ · 2 shared tags D
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/bnfw" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP: 30K+ active installs, 4.8★ (184 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-02. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/bnfw
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