SMTP Mailer
by Noor Alam · Email & Marketing
Also makes 25 other plugins · 152.1K+ installs across the portfolio →
Configure a SMTP server to send email from your WordPress site. Configure the wp_mail() function to use SMTP instead of the PHP mail() function.
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
70K+
≈79K estimated
Momentum
-31%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: Add “smtp mailer”, “email logger” and “smtp plugin” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4, #5 and #5 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
89 health vs 66 average across 2,122 Email & Marketing plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →4.6%
of downloads still active
At least 70K of 1.5M 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 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.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Support resolution
Updated 55 days ago
Tested up to WordPress 7.1.4, the current branch or newer
4.6★ over 67 reviews, smoothed to 4.39★
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
0 of 1 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.
28
Momentum
Losing ground
-1.6
Velocity
places per keyword, 28d
7%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 28d
-1.7
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| phpmailer your tag | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| mailer | #2 | #2 | 0 |
| php mailer | #1 | #1 | 0 |
| smtp mailer | #4 | #5 | 0 |
| smtp your tag | #5 | #5 | 0 |
| smtp server | #5 | #5 | 0 |
| smtp plugin | #5 | #5 | 0 |
| email logger | #5 | #6 | down 2 |
| smtp mail | #6 | #8 | down 2 |
| wordpress smtp | #7 | #7 | 0 |
| outgoing email | #8 | #9 | down 2 |
| configure | #12 | #15 | — |
| logger | #8 | #7 | down 2 |
| encryption | #10 | #12 | down 3 |
| php mail | #15 | #15 | down 3 |
| function | #17 | #19 | down 3 |
| mail your tag | #22 | #19 | down 1 |
| cc email | #9 | #8 | 0 |
| mail smtp | #9 | #11 | down 1 |
| wordpress mail smtp | #10 | #11 | down 5 |
| email your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
67 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 20 listed. 45 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
- Add “smtp mailer”, “email logger” and “smtp plugin” to your wp.org tags. You rank #4, #5 and #5 for them without listing them, close enough for a declared tag to move you up. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so with 4 listed these are the slots worth spending.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 57.6K · 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
2mo ago
latest release · v1.1.28 · 7 Sep 2026
16
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 94% run the current release. 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 “70K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 21 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 90% of the way through.
Install history since 3 Nov 2018
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 1.1.26 WordPress 7.0 compatibility update. 1.1.26
- — Version 1.1.25 Added security for debug output. 1.1.25
- — Version 1.1.24 WordPress 6.9 compatibility update. 1.1.24
- — Version 1.1.23 Added options to force from name and from email. 1.1.23
- — Version 1.1.22 Added minimum WordPress requirements to main file. 1.1.22
- — Version 1.1.21 Added an option to delete saved options. 1.1.21
Security history
via Wordfence IntelligenceThe 1 disclosed vulnerability is patched in the current version (1.1.28). Sites still on an older version should update.
- 2026-03-20 CVE-2026-32538 Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor Affects <= 1.1.24 Patched in 1.1.25
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 131 languages, 3 at 90% or more · development strings
Plus 107 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
5 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 "Configure a SMTP server to send email from your WordPress site. Configure the wp_mail() function to use SMT..."
- ! Has a FAQ No FAQ section.
- ! FAQ asks real questions No FAQ to judge.
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions Contact Form 7, Jetpack.
- ✓ Headings and lists 4 headings and 4 lists.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,090 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 4 tags appear in the text; "phpmailer" does not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2025-02-05 60K+ → 70K+ up after 83 days in tier
- 2024-11-14 70K+ → 60K+ down after 16 days in tier
- 2024-10-29 60K+ → 70K+ up after 954 days in tier
- 2022-03-20 50K+ → 60K+ up after 409 days in tier
- 2021-02-04 40K+ → 50K+ up after 447 days in tier
- 2019-11-15 30K+ → 40K+ up after 652 days in tier
- 2018-02-01 20K+ → 30K+ up after 212 days in tier
- 2017-07-04 10K+ → 20K+ up after 199 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).
-
Zoho Mail for WordPress 20K+ installs · 3.8★ · 3 shared tags B -
WPO365 | MICROSOFT 365 GRAPH MAILER 10K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags A -
Gmail SMTP 10K+ installs · 4.1★ · 3 shared tags A -
Configure SMTP 6K+ installs · 4.7★ · 3 shared tags C -
Simple SMTP 2K+ installs · 4.4★ · 3 shared tags C -
MailerSend – Official SMTP Integration 2K+ installs · 3.4★ · 3 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for SMTP Mailer into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/smtp-mailer" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="SMTP Mailer — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> SMTP Mailer: 70K+ active installs, 4.6★ (67 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/smtp-mailer
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