SmartSMTP
by ThemeGrill · Email & Marketing
Also makes 12 other plugins · 99.5K+ installs across the portfolio →
Reliable Email Delivery with SmartSMTP
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
B 84/100
Few reviews
Active installs
2K+
≈2.7K estimated
Momentum
+81%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Swap “email”, “wp mail” and “smtp” for “encryption”, “sendinblue” and “wordpress smtp”. “email” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “encryption” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “wp mail” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sendinblue” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “smtp” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #20. “wordpress smtp” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. All five slots are taken, so one has to go.
84 health vs 66 average across 2,120 Email & Marketing plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →11%
of downloads still active
At least 2K of 19K 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 5 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
Most to gain: Rating quality
Updated 15 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.0.8, the current branch or newer
4.7★ over 3 reviews, smoothed to 4.13★ and held back under 25 reviews
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
2 of 3 support threads resolved in the last 2 months
To rank higher: Too few reviews to rank on quality — nudge happy users to leave one.
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.
39
Momentum
Mixed: one swing, the rest drifting
+0.0
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
19%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-0.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| smtp plugin your tag | #9 | #19 | up 5 |
| mail delivery your tag | #14 | #21 | up 5 |
| custom smtp | #7 | #14 | up 2 |
| smtp your tag | #20 | #19 | 0 |
| sender name | #12 | #17 | down 3 |
| gmail smtp | #15 | #17 | up 1 |
| encryption | #17 | #21 | 0 |
| wordpress smtp | #17 | #20 | up 6 |
| sendinblue | #17 | #22 | up 6 |
| wp smtp | #18 | #21 | up 6 |
| deliverability | #18 | #20 | up 2 |
| smtp email solution | #11 | #22 | up 1 |
| my smtp wp | #13 | #20 | 0 |
| smtp mail | #22 | #23 | 0 |
| brevo | #23 | #23 | 0 |
| wp mail smtp | #23 | #22 | down 4 |
| mail smtp | #22 | #22 | 0 |
| wordpress mail smtp | #23 | #23 | 0 |
| email your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| wp mail your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
48 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 18 listed. 30 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”, “wp mail” and “smtp” for “encryption”, “sendinblue” and “wordpress smtp”. “email” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “encryption” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “wp mail” isn't earning its slot: you're not in the first 24 results for its own search. “sendinblue” sits at #17 untagged, close enough for a declared tag to move it up. “smtp” isn't earning its slot: it only gets you to #20. “wordpress smtp” sits at #17 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 “mail delivery”. #14 puts you just past the first ten results, where almost all the clicks stop. The gap to close is small.
Daily downloads
Since 30 Oct 2024 · 732 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 3.6K · 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.
5
releases in the last 12 months
15d ago
latest release · v1.3.0 · 16 Oct 2026
9
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 “2K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 8 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 67% of the way through.
Install history since 29 Oct 2024
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ Vu Tru So1.4y ago
Great plugin, thank you
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ wavecrest1.4y ago
I’ve had a very positive experience with this plugin—it’s the only one that worked reliably for my setup, which I truly appreciate. The core functionality is solid and performs as expected. One area for improvement would be the testing feature: while the plugin itself was already working perfectly, the test email was so minimal in content that my mail server rejected it. It would be great if future updates could include a more robust test email format to avoid this issue. Overall, thank you for a very helpful and functional tool!
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ alex4woo1.7y ago
This plugin is the a lightweight and does it’s job well.It has the test mail feature that you can use to troubleshoot problems.Thank you!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.2.0 Feature – Added Resend/Retry button to email logs. Enhance – Improved email logs. Enhance – Improved control design. Tweak – Added attachments in mail log. Tweak – Added an admin notice when email failures occur continuo 1.2.0
- — Version 1.1.3 Feature – One-Click Gmail setup via OAuth; no manual SMTP credentials required. 1.1.3
- — Version 1.1.2 Fix – Added support for .marketing domain extensions. 1.1.2
- — Version 1.1.1 Feature – Dashboard page. Feature – Fallback connection. Feature – Gmail service provider. Tweak – Enforced “From Name” and “From Email Address” options. Fix – Minor design improvements. 1.1.1
- — Version 1.0.1 Fix – Readme content. 1.0.1
- — Version 1.0.0 Feature – Initial release. 1.0.0
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.3.0). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2026-08-19 CVE-2026-66606 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 1.2.0 Patched in 1.2.1
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
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
6 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description is 38 characters, too short to say what the plugin does.
- ✓ Has a FAQ 3 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 3 of 3 read like questions a user would type.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Gutenberg, Brevo, Sendinblue.
- ✓ Headings and lists 7 headings and 5 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 3,212 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "smtp plugin", "wp-mail" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-02-27 1K+ → 2K+ up after 215 days in tier
- 2025-07-27 900+ → 1K+ up after 14 days in tier
- 2025-07-13 800+ → 900+ up after 22 days in tier
- 2025-06-21 700+ → 800+ up after 18 days in tier
- 2025-06-03 600+ → 700+ up after 25 days in tier
- 2025-05-09 500+ → 600+ up after 19 days in tier
- 2025-04-20 400+ → 500+ up after 24 days in tier
- 2025-03-27 300+ → 400+ up after 16 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).
-
SMTP by BestWebSoft 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags C -
Lettermint 500+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B -
Pro Mail SMTP 300+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags B -
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ installs · 4.8★ · 2 shared tags A -
Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ installs · 4.6★ · 2 shared tags A -
WP Mail Logging 300K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SmartSMTP into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/smart-smtp" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SmartSMTP — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SmartSMTP: 2K+ active installs, 4.7★ (3 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/smart-smtp
Spotted a number that looks wrong? Report a data issue and we'll check it against the source.