MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress
by Danny van Kooten · Email & Marketing
Also makes 8 other plugins · 1.1M+ installs across the portfolio →
The #1 Mailchimp plugin for WordPress. Allows you to add a multitude of newsletter sign-up methods to your site.
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 89/100
no flags
Active installs
1M+
≈1.9M estimated
Momentum
-14%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “email”, “form” and “newsletter” for “sign”, “email campaigns” and “email campaign”. “email” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sign” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “form” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “email campaigns” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “newsletter” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #19. “email campaign” sits at #11 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
89 health vs 66 average across 2,120 Email & Marketing plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →1.3%
of downloads still active
At least 1M of 78.6M lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Email & Marketing plugin keeps 0.9%, across 1,295 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 15 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
Recent review vibe
read from the latest 12 reviews to 2026-07-12Reviewers keep praising easy setup and reliable Mailchimp integration, with only minor gripes about a confusing first-time setup and wanting more design options.
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
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 45 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.8★ over 1,497 reviews, smoothed to 4.78★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
1 of 2 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Mark more forum threads resolved — the resolved ratio feeds the ranking.
Get the full rank-higher report →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.
40
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.1
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
24%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| mailchimp your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| mc4wp | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| newsletter sign up | #2 | #2 | up 2 |
| mailchimp wordpress | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| mailchimp subscribe | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| ajax mailchimp subscribe | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| sign up | #3 | #2 | 0 |
| simple mailchimp form | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| mailchimp form | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| ajax mailchimp form | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| subscribe your tag | #6 | #4 | down 1 |
| sign | #7 | #6 | 0 |
| contact form 7 mailchimp | #4 | #4 | 0 |
| subscriber | #7 | #6 | 0 |
| sign up form | #4 | #3 | up 3 |
| subscribers | #8 | #5 | 0 |
| email obfuscation | #8 | #2 | 0 |
| email subscriber | #9 | #8 | up 2 |
| email campaigns | #10 | #8 | down 2 |
| email campaign | #11 | #8 | up 2 |
| email your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| form your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
348 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 302 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 2 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- Swap “email”, “form” and “newsletter” for “sign”, “email campaigns” and “email campaign”. “email” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sign” sits at #7 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “form” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “email campaigns” sits at #10 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “newsletter” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #19. “email campaign” sits at #11 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 1.9M · 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
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
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.
15
releases in the last 12 months
2mo ago
latest release · v4.14.1 · 16 Sep 2026
208
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 “1M+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8 months ago and the previous band took 5.3 years to cross, so the real count is still just under 2M.
Install history since 1 Jun 2021
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ nschouinc4mo ago
Connected my list in a few minutes, forms match my site’s styling without extra tweaking, and double opt-in works as expected. No complaints so far.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ De Harris4mo ago
We have been using MC4WP for almost a year now, and I am so pleased how it has been working for us. It was easy to integrate and set up. No issues, so I highly recommend you use it for your site.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Nonos5mo ago
Clean, stable and updated regularly
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ James7mo ago
I’ve been using this for a long time to add subscribers to Mailchimp both on a form and in the Woocommerce checkout. I recently encountered a problem experimenting with the Woocommerce block-based checkout and M4CWP support were great. Highly recommended plugin.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Reyna7mo ago
Tried Mailchimp for WordPress for my forms. It connects fine and does the basic job. But the setup felt a bit confusing at times. Works ok overall, but could be simpler and smoother.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Clark W7mo ago
Simple, powerful, and exactly what we needed. Solved our problem without the usual headaches.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Bentomen8mo ago
Good plugin for connecting Mailchimp with WP. Setup was pretty easy and forms started collecting emails without much hassle. UI is clean too. A few more design options would be nice, but overall works well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ 4mifix8mo ago
I like it so far and will update this review as time goes on.
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 4.13.1 Release date: Jun 22, 2026 Forms: Improve handling of pasted wrapper tags in form content. Forms: Remove mc4wp_default_form_id option. We now default to first available form. Forms: Improve the {email} dynamic content ta 4.13.1
- — Version 4.13.0 Release date: Jun 1, 2026 Improve performance by preloading core plugin classes and skipping dynamic content tag parsing when no tags are present. Improve security for admin AJAX requests by adding a nonce check and stri 4.13.0
- — Version 4.12.6 Release date: May 26, 2026 Fix integrations losing runtime options like double opt-in when sign-up attempts are processed asynchronously. Thanks Jon Parker ! Fix Site Tracking Pixel setting not being saved when disabling 4.12.6
- — Version 4.12.5 Release date: May 8, 2026 Fix fatal error on plugin activation in some cases when wp_rand() returns a value below 10 for the minute part. Thanks Tim Carr ! View the full changelog on GitHub 4.12.5
- — Version 4.12.3 Release date: May 5, 2026 Improved Mailchimp Site Tracking Pixel support. Site is now automatically discovered or registered in Mailchimp when feature is enabled. Sign-up attempts for integrations are now processed async 4.12.3
- — Version 4.14.0 Release date: Aug 4, 2026 Integrations: Show the sign-up checkbox on the admin “Add New User” form. Thanks arnelap ! Misc: Add a code snippet for sending the WordPress username to Mailchimp with User Sync. Misc: Update W 4.14.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceAll 13 disclosed vulnerabilities are patched in the current version (4.14.1). Sites still on an older version should update.
- Patched Medium · 6.1 MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress <= 4.14.0 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting via 'data' Dynamic Content Tag ↗2026-09-18 CVE-2026-87917 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 4.14.0 Patched in 4.14.1
- Patched Medium · 6.4 MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress <= 4.12.0 - Authenticated (Author+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Form Response Messages ↗2026-08-21 CVE-2026-4561 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 4.12.0 Patched in 4.12.1
- Patched Medium · 4.4 MailChimp for Wordpress <= 4.9.16 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-09-20 CVE-2024-8680 Improper Neutralization of Script-Related HTML Tags in a Web Page Affects <= 4.9.16 Patched in 4.9.17
- Patched Medium · 6.1 MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 4.9.9 - 4.9.16 - Reflected Cross-Site Scripting ↗2024-09-18 CVE-2024-8850 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects 4.9.9 - 4.9.16 Patched in 4.9.17
- Patched Medium · 5.5 MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress <= 4.8.6 - Authenticated (Admin+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2022-03-02 CVE-2021-36833 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 4.8.6 Patched in 4.8.7
- 2022-03-02 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 4.8.7 Patched in 4.8.7
- 2021-06-01 Cross-Site Request Forgery Affects <= 4.8.4 Patched in 4.8.5
- 2021-06-01 URL Redirection to Untrusted Site Affects <= 4.8.4 Patched in 4.8.5
- 2019-11-09 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 4.1.6 Patched in 4.1.7
- 2017-09-08 CVE-2017-18577 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 4.1.7 Patched in 4.1.8
- 2016-12-13 CVE-2016-10871 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects < 4.0.11 Patched in 4.0.11
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.
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 7.0
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 126 languages, 15 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.
Share of voice
How often each assistant names MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress when asked about this topic, where it comes in the answer, and how that compares with its wp.org search position. Latest run 25 Oct 2026.
- Assistants
- ChatGPT, Claude
- Topics tracked
- Newsletter
Readme readiness
8 of 8 pass · checked 25 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "The #1 Mailchimp plugin for WordPress. Allows you to add a multitude of newsletter sign-up methods to your..."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 10 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 10 of 10 read like questions a user would type.
- ✓ Names who it is for Names its audience or use cases ("use it", "if you need", "if you want").
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions WooCommerce, Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity Forms and 5 more.
- ✓ Headings and lists 6 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,688 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text All 5 tags appear in the text.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-03-08 2M+ → 1M+ down after 1923 days in tier
- 2020-12-01 1M+ → 2M+ up after 1154 days in tier
- 2017-10-04 900K+ → 1M+ up after 95 days in tier
- 2017-07-01 800K+ → 900K+ up after 61 days in tier
- 2017-05-01 700K+ → 800K+ up after 61 days in tier
- 2017-03-01 600K+ → 700K+ up after 151 days in tier
- 2016-10-01 700K+ → 600K+ down after 60 days in tier
- 2016-08-02 600K+ → 700K+ up after 25 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).
-
MailerLite – Signup forms (official) 100K+ installs · 3.1★ · 3 shared tags B -
Mailchimp List Subscribe Form 60K+ installs · 2.8★ · 3 shared tags B -
Genesis eNews Extended 40K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags A -
BlossomThemes Email Newsletter 20K+ installs · 3.6★ · 3 shared tags -
Mail Subscribe List 3K+ installs · 4.3★ · 3 shared tags D -
Block for Mailchimp – grow your email list with signup forms 2K+ installs · 3.9★ · 3 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/mailchimp-for-wp" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress: 1M+ active installs, 4.8★ (1,497 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/mailchimp-for-wp
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.