WordPress plugin comparison

Contact Form 7 Email Validation vs WP Mail SMTP by WPForms

Contact Form 7 Email Validation

by Clarion Technologies

1K+ installs3.3

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms

by Syed Balkhi

4M+ installs4.8

At a glance

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms has more active installs: 4M+, against 1K+ for Contact Form 7 Email Validation.
On a typical day, WP Mail SMTP by WPForms is downloaded about 38,840 times, Contact Form 7 Email Validation about 12.
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms is rated higher: 4.8 out of 5 from 5,214 reviews, against 3.3 from 10 reviews.
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms was updated more recently: Oct 20, 2026, against Dec 18, 2020 for Contact Form 7 Email Validation.
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms is tested with a newer WordPress: 7.1.4, against 5.6.23 for Contact Form 7 Email Validation.
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms has been around longer: since 2007, against 2016 for Contact Form 7 Email Validation.

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms leads on 7 of 7 comparable lines.

Metric	Contact Form 7 Email Validation	WP Mail SMTP by WPForms
Popular rank	#6,309	#12
Active installs	1K+	4M+
Downloads, last 30 days	293	2.8M
Rating	3.3(10)	4.8(5.2K)
Support threads resolved	–	87%
Tested up to	5.6.23	7.1.4
Search multiplier	×0.00	×5.72
Last release	5 years ago	22 days ago
Requires PHP	–	7.4

From WordPress.org's public data, refreshed every night. Downloads are WordPress.org's official daily figures for the last 30 days.

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