Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sendmail”

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 “sendmail”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Emerge Mail shows at wp.org #4 but places #8 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Contact Form by Supsystic places #4 on merit, 4.7★ from 92 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 H Hotfix 4K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #1 2 SAR Friendly SMTP 2K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #2 3 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1321) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too low 4 Contact Form by Supsystic 6K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too low 5 SendForce Mail SMTP Relay – SMTP and Email API 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 WP2LEADS | WordPress und KlickTipp einfach verbinden – WooCommerce und KlickTipp einfach verbinden 80+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #16 ↓1 10 too low 7 VR SMTP Mailer 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Emerge Mail 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 SMTPify — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Jooosi Mail – Email delivery with routing, queues, and failover, built for WordPress — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Gnaritas Amazon SES 20+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #22 ↓1 11 too low 12 Staging Shield — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Postkeep – One Click SMTP Setup and Email Log — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Kinetix Messaging by Ppros — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Titanium Mail SMTP – Smart Routing & Email Delivery — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Bentostudio Mail 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Dashi 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 Daytime Notes 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 IntelliPOS E-commerce Fiscalization — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 WP Mail SMTP SendGrid Edition 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 TechWizard Mail SMTP — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 W WP SendGrid 200+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Mailing Manager – PN 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 SendCloud 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.