WP Mailto Links – Protect Email Addresses
by Online Optimisation · Security
Also makes 2 other plugins · 97K+ installs across the portfolio →
Protect & encode email addresses safely from spambots & spamming. Easy to use - encodes emails out-of-the-box.
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
D 52/100
Stale · Likely abandoned · Open vulnerability
Active installs
7K+
≈7.8K estimated
Momentum
+29%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “antispam”, “email” and “email address” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
52 health vs 66 average across 1,776 Security plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →3.7%
of downloads still active
At least 7K of 189K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Security plugin keeps 1.4%, across 1,061 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Security plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Removal-risk signals
45/100Maintenance and integrity signals that tend to precede a WordPress.org removal. Not an official status, a heads-up to act.
- Long abandoned. No update in 3+ years — the top precursor to removal once a vulnerability is found.
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.
Room to improve
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 1136 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.2.15; the current branch is 6.8
4.6★ over 33 reviews, smoothed to 4.30★
5 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 1136 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
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.
32
Momentum
Losing ground
-0.2
Velocity
places per keyword, 22d
0%
Breadth
of keywords climbing, 22d
-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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| mailto your tag | #21 | #16 | down 2 |
| antispam your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| email your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| email address your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| hide your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
6 searches this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days, 1 listed. 5 left out as unrelated or noise (years, numbers, stray words). 4 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “antispam”, “email” and “email address” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,489 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 6.9K · 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
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
3.1y ago
latest release · v3.1.4 · 22 Sep 2023
50
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 “7K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 58 days ago and a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, so the real count is still just under 8K.
Install history since 21 Feb 2017
Recent reviews
All reviews on wp.org ↗- ★★★★★ franculyon5.8y ago
Fonctionne bien et simplement. J’ai testé d’autres plugin mais celui-ci est le plus optimisé (on peut cliquer sur le lien mail, le copier aussi, cela fonctionne et il est bien caché en code source…). Rempli très bien sa fonction. Merci mas une petite mise à jour serait nécessaire pour assurer la compatibilité avec les évolutions de wordpress. This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by franculyon.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ chventures7.1y ago
This is a must have plugin and the support is phenomenal – 7 hours from report of bug to a fix being available! Great job.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ NightL7.1y ago
Effective and easy to implement very prompt response and resolve for support question
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ hendrik_r7.4y ago
I have been using another encoder plugin for many years, until the developer decided to create a premium version and make the free version totally useless over night. Luckily I found this plugin that does the job flawlessly. I only had to click one setting (“Turn plain email into mailto”), and my whole page was protected. Thank you for this plugin. And if you one day decide to make money, please do it with additional features. I will be happy to consider those.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Paddy Landau7.8y ago
This plugin works flawlessly without any problem in the background. There are a few nice options to choose from, although the defaults work well.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ Dom Martigne8.0y ago
Thank-you !
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ ac16438.5y ago
I’ve changed my review. This was 5 stars because although it seems to work as it claims, but the new dev has decided to include intrusive advertising on the dashboard, not just on the plugin page (which would be fine). You can delete the advert for the session but it always reappears every time you log in. I’ve checked in the settings and I can’t see a way to hide the plugin ads (as many other plugins allow you to do). Alternatively set the ad so that when you delete it, it disappears for say 52 weeks (this is how metaslider do their adverts). This topic was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by ac1643.
Read on wp.org ↗ - ★★★★★ faoi8.8y ago
Works perfectly – clear documentation. Thanks!
Read on wp.org ↗
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 3.1.4 Security Patch for XSS vulnerability within the create_protected_mailto() function (Thanks to Wordfence) 3.1.4
- — Version 3.1.3 Security Patch for XSS vulnerability within the [eeb_mailto] shortcode when using the “email” tag (Thanks to Wordfence) 3.1.3
- — Version 3.1.2 Feature: We fully removed all external marketing advertisements! Enjoy our plugin without distractions! 🙂 Feature: Full support for Oxygen builder Tweak: Optimize PHPDocs and comments 3.1.2
- — Version 3.1.1 Feature: Soft-Encode all HTML tags + new settings item (This will prevent complex plugins from breaking) Dev: New filter for randomization of javascript escaping methods 3.1.1
- — Version 3.1.0 Feature: Exclude script tags from being encoded Fix: Revalidate and strip escape sequences for encode_escape function 3.1.0
- — Version 3.0.9 Feature: Optimize Jetpack integration to also filter against image attribute description tags Feature: Soft-filter html placeholder tags Feature: Allow template tags to work as well with the plugin settings se tto “Do no 3.0.9
Security history
via Wordfence Intelligence1 open vulnerability affects the current version (3.1.4). 1 of 2 disclosed are patched.
- Open Medium · 4.4 WP Mailto Links <= 3.1.4 - Authenticated (Administrator+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting ↗2025-09-22 CVE-2025-53464 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.1.4 No patch available
- Patched Medium · 6.4 WP Mailto Links – Protect Email Addresses <= 3.1.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting via Shortcode ↗2023-09-22 CVE-2023-5109 Improper Neutralization of Input During Web Page Generation Affects <= 3.1.3 Patched in 3.1.4
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 4 languages, 2 at 90% or more
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 30 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ✓ Says what it does "Protect & encode email addresses safely from spambots & spamming. Easy to use - encodes emails out-of-the-box."
- ✓ Has a FAQ 4 questions in the FAQ.
- ✓ FAQ asks real questions 4 of 4 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 WPML.
- ✓ Headings and lists 8 headings and 1 list.
- ✓ Enough to quote 2,730 characters of description.
- ✓ Tags match the text 3 of 5 tags appear in the text; "antispam", "hide" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-09-04 8K+ → 7K+ down after 158 days in tier
- 2026-03-30 9K+ → 8K+ down after 240 days in tier
- 2025-08-02 10K+ → 9K+ down after 3149 days in tier
- 2016-12-18 9K+ → 10K+ up after 116 days in tier
- 2016-08-24 8K+ → 9K+ up after 255 days in tier
- 2015-12-13 7K+ → 8K+ up after 173 days in tier
- 2015-06-23 6K+ → 7K+ up
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).
-
Pixeline’s Email Protector 900+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags A -
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ installs · 4.7★ · 1 shared tag A -
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Antispam Bee 700K+ installs · 4.8★ · 1 shared tag A -
Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ installs · 4.6★ · 1 shared tag A
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for WP Mailto Links – Protect Email Addresses into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/wp-mailto-links" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="WP Mailto Links – Protect Email Addresses — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> WP Mailto Links – Protect Email Addresses: 7K+ active installs, 4.6★ (33 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-11-01. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/wp-mailto-links
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