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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “cc email”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “cc email”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Email Deliverability – SMTP Replacement, Email API Deliverability & Email Log shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.5★ average from 17 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292) wp.org #1 2 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Email Log 80K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410) wp.org #4 5 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (625) wp.org #6 7 WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 SMTP Mailer 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 WC Multiple Email Recipients 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 Brevo – Email, SMS, Web Push, Chat, and more. 100K+ · 4.1★ (284) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Log Emails 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Gmail SMTP 10K+ · 4.1★ (103) wp.org #20 ↓2 6 too low 15 SpeakOut! Email Petitions 2K+ · 4.8★ (43) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Send Emails with Mandrill 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 Email Deliverability – SMTP Replacement, Email API Deliverability & Email Log 200K+ · 2.5★ (17) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Email Inquiry & Cart Options for WooCommerce 800+ · 3.2★ (20) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 WP Email Log – PostBox 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 P PostmarkApp Email Integrator 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 CC Visual PDF Builder 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22 Magic API Email 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 24 Email Orders Digest 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 3 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.