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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “log mail”

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 “log mail”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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

Mail Queue shows at wp.org #8 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more places #10 on merit, 4.6★ from 709 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 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 WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375) wp.org #2 3 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410) wp.org #3 4 WP Mail Log 10K+ · 4.9★ (66) wp.org #4 5 Mail logging & Catcher 20K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #10 ↑2 2 too low 9 Mail Mint – Email Marketing, Automation & WooCommerce Emails with AI Assistance 4K+ · 4.7★ (125) wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too low 10 Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Email Template Designer – WP HTML Mail 20K+ · 4.8★ (87) wp.org #12 ↓3 1 too low 12 YaySMTP – WP Mail SMTP with Email Logs, Tracking & Reports 10K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too low 13 Log Emails 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #9 ↑2 4 too high 14 Mail Queue 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Solid Mail – SMTP email and logging made by SolidWP 60K+ · 4.2★ (52) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 Activity Log Pro – User Activity Log, Audit Log & Security Monitor 400+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 SureMail – SMTP and Email Logs Plugin with Amazon SES, Postmark, and Other Providers 200K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 Ultimate WP Mail 700+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too high 20 Zoho ZeptoMail 5K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 Magic Login Mail or QR Code 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 Pro Mail SMTP 300+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #22 ↑1 23 Shipping Live Rates for Royal Mail for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 atec SMTP Mail 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24

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.