wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “email template”
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 “email template”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 5 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
WP Email Template shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 35 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 701 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Email Templates Customizer and Designer for WordPress and WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (133)
wp.org #1 2 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
Mailonix – Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (105) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer 90K+ · 4.5★ (142)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #6 ↑3 1 too low 6 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↓5 2 too low 7 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too low 8 
Email Template Designer – WP HTML Mail 20K+ · 4.8★ (87)
wp.org #9 ↓3 1 too low 9 
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291)
wp.org #14 ↑3 4 too low 11 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #15 ↓3 4 too low 12 Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
Email Customizer for WooCommerce | Drag and Drop Email Templates Builder 9K+ · 4.3★ (44) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑2 8 too high 14 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #21 ↑2 5 too low 17 
Email Subscribers & Newsletters by Icegram Express – Email Marketing, Post Notifications & WooCommerce Marekting Automation for WordPress 50K+ · 4.6★ (1170) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓6 1 too high 18 WP Email Template 2K+ · 3.1★ (35)
wp.org #7 ↑1 11 too high 19 
WebToffee eCommerce Marketing Automation – Email marketing, Popups, Email customizer 10K+ · 4.8★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too high 20 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓4 2 too low 21 
EmailKit – Email Customizer for WooCommerce & WP 70K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓4 2 too low 22 
YeeMail — Email Template Builder & Customizer 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑2 10 too high 23 
9MAIL – WordPress Email Templates Designer 200+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓4 1 too low 24 
Custom New User Email Template 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓3 5 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.