wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “gmail actions”
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 “gmail actions”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
SMTP Mail Control for MailPoet shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Email Subscribers & Newsletters by Icegram Express – Email Marketing, Post Notifications & WooCommerce Marekting Automation for WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 1170 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
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 #1 2 
Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709)
wp.org #2 3 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #3 4 
Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292)
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 #5 6 
WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375)
wp.org #6 7 
CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #7 8 
FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
OttoKit: All-in-One Automation Platform 90K+ · 4.9★ (125)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Meow Mailer – Free SMTP, Everything Included 900+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Email Subscribers & Newsletters by Icegram Express – Email Marketing, Post Notifications & WooCommerce Marekting Automation for WordPress 50K+ · 4.6★ (1170)
wp.org #22 11 too low 12 
HubSpot All-In-One Marketing – Forms, Popups, Live Chat 200K+ · 4.3★ (207)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Bit Flows: AI Agent Automation & Integrations for Forms, CRM, eCommerce, Google Sheets, and More 1K+ · 4.9★ (64)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
Payment Button for PayPal 4K+ · 4.5★ (40)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
MailerPress – Email Marketing, Newsletter, Email Automation & WooCommerce Emails 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
My Private Site – Make Your Whole Site Private, Force Login & Block Registration Spam 10K+ · 4.5★ (82)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
PeproDev Ultimate Invoice 5K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
SureContact – Newsletters, Email Marketing, Automation, Revenue Tracking & CRM 10K+ · 4.8★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
Bit SMTP – Easy SMTP Solution with Email Logs 2K+ · 3.9★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #12 8 too high 21 SMTP Mail Control for MailPoet 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 12 too high 22 
WP Email Template 2K+ · 3.1★ (35)
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Bit CRM: Sales CRM Manage Lead, Contact, Deal, Invoice, Client Portal & Collect Payment 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
SMTP for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 4.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #13 11 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.