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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “validate 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 “validate email”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Reoon Email Verifier shows at wp.org #6 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 600+ 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

Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 296 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94) wp.org #1 2 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend 40K+ · 4.9★ (169) wp.org #4 5 Contact Form Email 8K+ · 4.3★ (102) wp.org #5 6 Kit (formerly ConvertKit) – Email Newsletter, Email Marketing, Membership, Subscribers and Landing Pages 40K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Solid Mail – SMTP email and logging made by SolidWP 60K+ · 4.2★ (52) wp.org #7 8 Mail Mint – Email Marketing, Automation & WooCommerce Emails with AI Assistance 4K+ · 4.7★ (125) wp.org #13 ↑6 5 too low 9 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #17 ↑5 8 too low 10 Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager 80K+ · 4.7★ (296) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 SMTP2GO for WordPress – Email Made Easy 40K+ · 5.0★ (67) wp.org #19 ↓1 8 too low 12 Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.8★ (47) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 WP Email Template 2K+ · 3.1★ (35) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Clearout Email Validator – Real-Time Email Verification on WordPress Forms 500+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #8 ↑7 6 too high 15 Reoon Email Verifier 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 9 too high 16 Newsletters, Email Marketing, SMS and Popups by Omnisend 100K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #16 ↓2 17 Antideo Email Validator 700+ · 3.5★ (14) wp.org #11 ↓3 6 too high 18 DeBounce Email Validator 300+ · 3.9★ (16) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 MailerPress – Email Marketing, Newsletter, Email Automation & WooCommerce Emails 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 ZeroBounce Email Verification & Validation 900+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too high 21 Email Deliverability – SMTP Replacement, Email API Deliverability & Email Log 200K+ · 2.5★ (17) wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 Email Auth – DKIM, SPF, DMARC, Bounce Address, From Address 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Email Validator for Contact Form 7 400+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #14 ↓2 9 too high 24 Duplicate Title Validator 300+ · 5.0★ (4) 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.