FluentCRM
Self-hosted email marketing and CRM plugin by WPManageNinja: unlimited contacts, campaigns and automation funnels, sending through your own SMTP or ESP.
91
MailPoet
Newsletter and email automation plugin from Automattic with a drag-and-drop editor, WooCommerce emails and an optional built-in sending service.
Free installs500K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~44KLikely 22K–88K
Vendor claims500K+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.4/51,435 reviews
Price from$8/moFreemium
Last updated3 Nov 2026Version 5.45.0
Overview
MailPoet is an email marketing plugin, now owned by Automattic and maintained alongside WooCommerce, that lets you build newsletters, sign-up forms and automated emails without leaving the WordPress dashboard. Subscribers, lists and campaigns are stored in your own WordPress database, while sending can go through MailPoet’s own sending service or through your host or a third-party provider.
How it works
You design emails in a drag-and-drop editor that can pull in WordPress posts and WooCommerce products, choose from 70+ templates, and either send immediately, schedule a date or set up automatic new-post notifications. Forms can be placed below posts, in a fixed bar, as a popup or slide-in, or via shortcode and block. An automation editor handles welcome emails, abandoned carts, first-purchase and product-purchase follow-ups, with triggers for WooCommerce Subscriptions and Bookings on paid plans.
Free vs paid
The free Starter plan covers up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month through the MailPoet Sending Service, with MailPoet branding in emails and basic automations only. Paid plans (Creator, Business, Agency) are priced by list size and unlock multi-condition segments, editable automation workflows with if/else branches, detailed engagement and WooCommerce revenue statistics, Google Analytics tagging and priority support. Creator is the plan for people who want premium features but prefer to send through their own SMTP or service such as Amazon SES.
Strengths
- Very tight WooCommerce integration, including a customiser for the store’s transactional emails.
- Hosted sending with automatic bounce and complaint handling, so beginners do not need to configure SMTP.
- Polished editor and template library suited to non-technical users.
Limitations
Every subscriber counts towards your plan, including WordPress users and WooCommerce customers, so costs rise as the store grows. Automatic bounce handling only works with MailPoet’s own service; with your own SMTP you clear bounces manually. There is no A/B testing, and the free plan cannot add or remove automation steps.
MailPoet suits bloggers and WooCommerce shops that want a familiar, low-setup newsletter tool and are happy to pay by list size once they outgrow the free tier.
Best for: WooCommerce stores and blogs that want a polished newsletter tool with hosted sending and are fine paying by list size.
MailPoet is the most approachable WordPress-native newsletter tool, and its WooCommerce automations and hosted sending remove most of the setup pain. The trade-off is a low free cap and list-size pricing, so larger lists may find FluentCRM or a self-sending setup cheaper.
Pros
- Drag-and-drop editor with 70+ templates and WordPress post/product blocks
- Optional hosted sending with SPF/DKIM and automatic bounce and complaint handling
- Strong WooCommerce coverage: abandoned cart, first purchase, product/category emails and a transactional email customiser
- Popup, slide-in, fixed-bar and embedded sign-up forms included free
- Subscriber data stays in the WordPress database
Cons
- Free plan is capped at 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month
- Pricing scales by subscriber count, and WordPress users and Woo customers count towards it
- Automatic bounce handling only works with MailPoet's own sending service
- No A/B testing, and free users cannot edit automation steps
- Detailed revenue and engagement statistics require a paid plan
Key features
What MailPoet highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Drag-and-drop newsletter editor
- 70+ responsive email templates
- New post notification emails
- Automated welcome emails
- Popup, slide-in and fixed-bar forms
- Double opt-in confirmation emails
- Abandoned cart and first-purchase emails
- WooCommerce transactional email customiser
- Checkout opt-in for WooCommerce
- CSV and Mailchimp subscriber import
- Send via host, SMTP, SendGrid or SES
- Manage subscription page for subscribers
Pro / paid adds From $8/mo
- Remove MailPoet branding
- Unlimited emails on hosted sending
- Multi-condition dynamic segments
- Editable automations with if/else branches
- WooCommerce Subscriptions and Bookings triggers
- Customer win-back and birthday triggers
- Detailed engagement statistics
- WooCommerce revenue statistics
- Per-subscriber engagement stats
- Google Analytics link tracking
- Priority email support
- Agency licence for 50 sites
Feature checklist
22 of 25 features we track in Email Marketing & Newsletters, feature score 88/100
Campaigns 4/5
Drag & drop email builder Key
Design newsletters visually without code.
Drag-and-drop email designer with blocks for posts, pages and WooCommerce products.
Included
Email templates
Ready-made newsletter and email templates.
70+ pre-built, mobile-friendly templates on every plan, including the free Starter plan.
Included
New post notifications Key
Automatically email subscribers when you publish (RSS to email).
Automatic new post emails, with categories or tags to include or exclude.
Included
Scheduled campaigns
Schedule newsletters for a set date and time.
Newsletters can be sent immediately or scheduled for later.
Included
A/B testing
Test subject lines or content variations.
No A/B testing in MailPoet; it remains an open request on the vendor's feature board.
Not included
Automation 4/4
Automation workflows Key
Welcome series, drip sequences and trigger-based emails.
Welcome emails, abandoned cart and purchase follow-ups free; free users can't add or remove steps.
Included
WooCommerce marketing emails Key
Abandoned cart, purchase follow-ups and customer segments from WooCommerce.
Abandoned cart, first purchase, product/category emails and Woo transactional email customiser.
Included
Visual automation builder
Build workflows on a visual canvas with conditions and delays.
Step-by-step workflow editor with delays and if/else branches needs a paid plan to edit freely.
Paid version Creator
Membership & LMS triggers
Automations triggered by membership, course or form events.
Paid triggers for WooCommerce Subscriptions and Bookings; no LMS or form-plugin triggers listed.
Partial
Subscribers & lists 7/7
Sign-up forms Key
Embedded, popup or slide-in subscription forms.
Forms below posts, fixed bar, popup, slide-in, exit intent, shortcode and block.
Included
Double opt-in
Confirmation emails before subscribers are added.
Sign-up confirmation (double opt-in) email can be enabled and customised in settings.
Included
Lists, tags & segments Key
Organise subscribers with lists, tags and dynamic segments.
Lists, tags and engagement/purchase-based segments; multi-condition segments need a paid plan.
Included
Custom subscriber fields
Store extra data such as birthday or company.
Custom fields such as text, date or checkbox can be added to subscribers and forms.
Included
CRM contact profiles
Full contact timeline with emails, purchases and activity.
Subscriber records with lists and tags; per-subscriber engagement stats on paid plans, no CRM timeline.
Partial
Import & export subscribers
CSV import/export or migration from other services.
CSV import/export plus direct import from a Mailchimp list.
Included
Unsubscribe & preference centre
Subscribers manage lists or unsubscribe themselves.
Built-in Manage Subscription page lets subscribers edit details and lists or unsubscribe.
Included
Sending & deliverability 4/5
Subscribers stored in WordPress Key
Contacts and campaigns live in your own WordPress database.
Subscribers, lists and campaigns are stored in the WordPress database.
Included
Send through your own SMTP or ESP
Use Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun or your own SMTP to send.
Send with your host, SendGrid, Amazon SES, Mailgun or most SMTP providers.
Included
Built-in sending service
Vendor-run sending service included or available.
MailPoet Sending Service included free for up to 500 subscribers / 5,000 emails a month.
Included
Bounce handling
Detects bounced emails and cleans the list.
Automatic bounce and complaint handling only with MailPoet Sending Service; manual with other methods.
Partial
No subscriber cap in the free version
Free plan has no low limit on subscribers or emails.
Free Starter plan is capped at 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails per month.
Not included
Reports & integrations 3/4
Open & click reports Key
Track opens, clicks and unsubscribes per campaign.
Summarised open/click stats free; detailed engagement statistics on paid plans.
Included
Revenue tracking
Attributes WooCommerce or other sales to emails.
Detailed WooCommerce purchase statistics per email require a paid plan.
Paid version Creator
Form plugin integrations
Add subscribers from WPForms, Gravity Forms, Fluent Forms and similar.
Gravity Forms, CF7, Fluent Forms and others connect via third-party connector plugins.
Third-party
GDPR consent tools
Consent checkboxes, consent records and data export/erase.
Double opt-in, consent records (IP, date, source) and WordPress personal data export/erase.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Starter
Freeper month1 site
Free: up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails/month via MailPoet Sending Service; MailPoet branding; basic automations.
Creator
$8per month1 site
From $8/month at 500 subscribers, scaling with list size; premium features but you send via your own host/SMTP/ESP. Yearly billing saves up to 15%.
Business
$10per month1 site
From $10/month at 500 subscribers, scaling to 200K+; includes MailPoet Sending Service with unlimited emails, no branding, priority support.
Agency
$30per month50 sites
From $30/month; Business features on up to 50 sites, subscriber tier applies per site. Non-profits can ask for 20% off.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use MailPoet?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
500K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
500K+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~44K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: The vendor figure (500K+) is within WordPress.org's rounding of the free installs, so it says nothing about paid sites. About 550K free installs x 8% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when some key features are paid) gives 44K. Likely range: 22K to 88K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
218,530 downloads last week, 70.7M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 5.45.0 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 3 Nov 2026 (0 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 7.0+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 30 of 38 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 28 Oct 2016 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 30-day refund or credit (annual plans) (source, 11 Oct 2026) Annual plans can be refunded or credited within 30 days of purchase or renewal; monthly plans should be cancelled before renewal. |
|---|
MailPoet compared
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FAQ
Is MailPoet free?
Yes. MailPoet has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $8/mo.
How many sites use MailPoet?
WordPress.org reports 500K+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 500K+ sites in total. We estimate around 44K sites run the paid version.
Does MailPoet have drag & drop email builder?
Yes: included. Drag-and-drop email designer with blocks for posts, pages and WooCommerce products.
Does MailPoet have new post notifications?
Yes: included. Automatic new post emails, with categories or tags to include or exclude.
Does MailPoet have automation workflows?
Yes: included. Welcome emails, abandoned cart and purchase follow-ups free; free users can't add or remove steps.
Does MailPoet have woocommerce marketing emails?
Yes: included. Abandoned cart, first purchase, product/category emails and Woo transactional email customiser.
Does MailPoet have sign-up forms?
Yes: included. Forms below posts, fixed bar, popup, slide-in, exit intent, shortcode and block.
Does MailPoet have lists, tags & segments?
Yes: included. Lists, tags and engagement/purchase-based segments; multi-condition segments need a paid plan.
Does MailPoet have subscribers stored in wordpress?
Yes: included. Subscribers, lists and campaigns are stored in the WordPress database.
Does MailPoet have open & click reports?
Yes: included. Summarised open/click stats free; detailed engagement statistics on paid plans.
Is MailPoet free?
Yes, the Starter plan is free for up to 500 subscribers and 5,000 emails a month sent through MailPoet's service, with MailPoet branding. Paid plans start at around $8–10 a month and scale with list size.
Can I use my own SMTP or Amazon SES with MailPoet?
Yes. You can send through your host, SMTP providers or services such as SendGrid and Amazon SES. The paid Creator plan is aimed at people who want premium features while keeping their own sending method.
Who counts as a subscriber?
Subscribed, inactive and unconfirmed contacts count, as do WordPress users and WooCommerce customers synced into MailPoet. Unsubscribed and bounced addresses do not.
Does MailPoet handle bounces?
Automatically only when you use the MailPoet Sending Service. With your own host or SMTP you need to mark bounced addresses manually.
Can I migrate from Mailchimp?
Yes, subscribers can be imported from a CSV file or directly from a Mailchimp list.
Last updated 11 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.