wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “shared email”
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 “shared email”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Under Construction places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 1285 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94)
wp.org #1 2 
Shared Files – File Upload & Download Manager 3K+ · 4.4★ (34)
wp.org #2 3 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #7 4 too low 4 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #4 5 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Shared Albums for Google Photos 500+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #3 3 too high 7 
Mail Mint – Email Marketing, Automation & WooCommerce Emails with AI Assistance 4K+ · 4.7★ (125)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
SMTP2GO for WordPress – Email Made Easy 40K+ · 5.0★ (67)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
ShopMagic – email automation for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (78)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
Email Marketing Plugin – WP Email Capture 1K+ · 4.3★ (19) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #5 10 too high 16 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 WP-EMail 1K+ · 4.5★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 11 too high 18 
Send Emails with Mandrill 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Stop WP Emails Going to Spam 10K+ · 4.8★ (51) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Attribute Stock for WooCommerce – Shared Stock & Variable Quantities (Lite Version) 2K+ · 4.6★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 4 too high 21 
Email OTP Authenticator – Login, Register & 2FA 100+ · 5.0★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
Email Inquiry & Cart Options for WooCommerce 800+ · 3.2★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
One Email, Multiple Users 40+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 
Registration Email Blocker 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.