wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “email widget”
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 widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Email Log shows at wp.org #8 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 80K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 43 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #2 3 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292)
wp.org #5 6 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #6 7 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205)
wp.org #7 8 
Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Email Subscribers & Newsletters by Icegram Express – Email Marketing, Post Notifications & WooCommerce Marekting Automation for WordPress 50K+ · 4.6★ (1170)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Email Address Encoder 100K+ · 4.2★ (160)
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 
FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250)
wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too high 15 Email Log 80K+ · 4.2★ (43)
wp.org #8 ↑1 7 too high 16 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #18 19 
Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend 40K+ · 4.9★ (169)
wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 
GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Hostinger Reach – AI-Powered Email Marketing for WordPress 1M+ · 5.0★ (8) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓4 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.