89
Genesis eNews Extended
A simple signup tool that occasionally lets the bots in.
HealthyGrowing
89/100
This lightweight widget simplifies newsletter signups but suffers from bot spam and styling issues.
Active installs
~45,000
our estimate · wp.org shows 40k+
Rating
4.7★
28 ratings
Trend · vs a year ago
+719%
Growing fast
29 → 238 installs/day
Downloads over time
real new installs per day · release spikes shown separately from the trend2025-04-302025-08-082025-11-162026-02-232026-06-03
organicrelease spikerelease tailorganic trend · 14d rolling median
Growing fast · +719% in the last year
29/day a year ago→238/day today
Reviews
what people actually sayGenesis eNews Extended is a lightweight, well-regarded email subscription widget for Genesis themes, appreciated for its simplicity and no-API approach, but it has notable drawbacks around bot vulnerability, styling inconsistencies, and limited opt-in configuration.
What people like
- +Works without an API by passing data directly via form action, which avoids common API-related limitations such as re-subscription blocks for deleted users
- +Described as simple, lightweight, and free of bloat×2
- +Easy to set up and configure with MailChimp×2
- +UI is considered easy to use×2
Common complaints
- −Appears to be targeted by bots, resulting in large volumes of spam/fake subscribers being added to mailing lists
- −No way to disable or control double opt-in when using MailChimp, which can frustrate subscribers
- −Styling can be problematic, particularly in sidebars, and the appearance has changed significantly from older versions
- −Can trigger duplicate confirmation emails when used with some providers such as MailPoet
Review trustReviews look organic
- 4.65★Verified rating — holds steady vs the raw 4.70★
- 7%One-shot reviewers — most reviewers are active community members
Reviews per month · 5★ vs lower
Not enough review history.
All-time ratings · 28 total
Latest reviews · 28 analyzed
- 2019-08-31★★★★★It works Marvelouslyjscmal
- 2019-01-17★★★★★Seems to be a target for bots :(cindybidar
- 2018-03-21★★★★★DisappointedLadyHype
- 2016-10-12★★★★★Very simple wrapper for adding in your form action for various servicesChristina
- 2016-06-27★★★★★Simple Always WinsEric Dye
- 2016-05-05★★★★★Multiple lists not showing on front end widgetvrobertswp
- 2015-12-06★★★★★The bestcmarkis
- 2015-11-10★★★★★Awesome!!!macsgv
- 2015-02-06★★★★★Great Plugin. Blends well with child themes.Animagus13
- 2015-02-04★★★★★Very usefulPizdin Dim
Releases
recent versions from WordPress.org SVNFor developers & the curious
the raw signals behind the grade — none of this is on the friendly summary aboveDownload signals
Baselines are computed on organic days only — release spikes and their tails are excluded, so they're not inflated by the auto-update wave.
250
Baseline · median of last 7 organic days
276
Prior 7-day baseline
230
Floor · 25th percentile over 14 days
1,480
Mean release-day peak (30d)
235
Latest day · 2026-06-03(organic)
-9.4%
Week-over-week organic trend
Review signals
Concentration and drive-by metrics drive the review-burst and fake-review flags. 30–40% solo reviewers is normal; we only flag the extremes.
—
Max month share · biggest single 30-day window
—
Distribution CV · <0.6 even, >1.5 bursty
89%
5★ share in analyzed sample
7%
Solo reviewers · only this one wp.org activity
—
Volume velocity · last 6mo vs prior 6mo
4.68 → 4.65★
Sample avg · raw → solo-filtered