MailPoet vs Newsletter (September 2026)
Updated September 7, 2026 · Data from WordPress.org, refreshed daily · How this works
Both rank in the WordPress.org Newsletter Plugins top 10: MailPoet at #1 and Newsletter at #2. MailPoet leads on 4 of the 5 measures we track. Every number below comes straight from WordPress.org and is refreshed every day.
MailPoet
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation
Send beautiful newsletters from WordPress. Collect subscribers with signup forms, automate your emails for WooCommerce, blog post notifications & more
Newsletter
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress
An email marketing tool for your blog: subscription forms to create your lists with unlimited subscribers and newsletters.
Who leads on what
MailPoet leads on 4 of the 5 measures we track.
MailPoet ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #2 in Newsletter Plugins.
MailPoet has more users: 500,000+ active installs against 200,000+.
Newsletter is rated higher: 4.6 out of 5 from 1,204 reviews, against 4.4 from 1,432 reviews.
MailPoet has more reviews behind its score: 1,432 against 1,204.
MailPoet was updated more recently, on September 1, 2026; Newsletter on August 19, 2026.
Which one to pick
Each plugin is the better answer for the measure it actually leads on. Nothing here is a recommendation we invented.
MailPoet
Pick MailPoet if you go by where WordPress.org itself puts them, you want the plugin more sites already run, you want the score backed by more reviews or you want the one shipping releases most recently.
Newsletter
Pick Newsletter if the review score matters most to you.
MailPoet vs Newsletter side by side
| MailPoet | Newsletter | |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter Plugins ranking | #1 | #2 |
| Rating | 4.4 | 4.6 |
| Reviews | 1,432 | 1,204 |
| Active installs | 500,000+ | 200,000+ |
| Total downloads | 69,108,843 | 35,236,089 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | – | – |
| Last updated | Sep 1, 2026 | Aug 19, 2026 |
| First published | Oct 28, 2016 | May 23, 2009 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.1 | 7.0.4 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.0 |
| Pricing | Free + paid version | Free + paid version |
30-day download figures appear after both plugins have 30 days of tracking.
MailPoet ratings
Newsletter ratings
How we compare these two
Every figure here is pulled from the WordPress.org plugin API every day at 03:00 UTC, for both plugins in the same run, so the two are always read on the same day. We compare only what the directory reports: active installs, the rating and how many reviews stand behind it, the last release date and, once we have a month of history, downloads over the last 30 days. Ratings are only called a win above 50 reviews each, because a handful of five-star reviews is not evidence. Nothing is weighted into an overall score, no measure is worth more than another, and neither MailPoet nor Newsletter can pay to appear here: the pair exists only because both plugins reached the Newsletter Plugins top 10. Full methodology.
MailPoet vs Newsletter: common questions
Is MailPoet better than Newsletter?
MailPoet leads on 4 of the 5 measures we track. Neither is better at everything, and the answer depends on which measure you weigh. MailPoet ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #2 in Newsletter Plugins.
Which has more users, MailPoet or Newsletter?
MailPoet ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #2 in Newsletter Plugins.
Which is rated higher, MailPoet or Newsletter?
MailPoet has more users: 500,000+ active installs against 200,000+.
Are MailPoet and Newsletter free?
Both are free to install from WordPress.org. MailPoet is listed as commercial, so a paid version or add-ons exist. Newsletter is listed as commercial, so a paid version or add-ons exist.
Alternatives to MailPoet and Newsletter
Plugins that score close to both in the same WordPress.org rankings and tags.
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