Postie vs WP Mail SMTP
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
WP Mail SMTP leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #12, ahead of Postie at #1,602. Over the last 7 days WP Mail SMTP held its place and Postie slipped 4 places. WP Mail SMTP has the largest install base, roughly 400× the next: 4M+ active installs against 10K+ for Postie. Downloads this week: WP Mail SMTP 588,370 and Postie 8,585. Ratings: Postie 4.7★ from 139 and WP Mail SMTP 4.8★ from 5,209 reviews.
| Metric | Postie | WP Mail SMTP |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,602 ▼ 4 | #12 ▬ |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 4M+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 8,585 | 588,370 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (139) | 4.8★ (5,209) |
| Last updated | Oct 23, 2026 | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.9.88 | 4.10.3 |
| Best rank on record | #1,556 | #12 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 98 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2009 | Sep 2007 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 91 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Postie or WP Mail SMTP?
By active installs, WP Mail SMTP: 4M+ sites run it against 10K+ for Postie, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 30, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Postie or WP Mail SMTP?
WP Mail SMTP, at #12 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Postie at #1,602. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are Postie or WP Mail SMTP alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.