wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “3rd party”
wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →
For “3rd party”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.
wp.org search ranks on
Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.
We add
A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
GDPRess | Eliminate external requests to increase GDPR compliance shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Sticky Menu & Sticky Header places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 763 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #3 4 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #5 ↑10 1 too low 5 
Flying Scripts: Delay JavaScript to Improve Site Speed & Performance 30K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Advanced Google reCAPTCHA 200K+ · 4.8★ (430)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑12 1 too high 8 
Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #13 ↓7 5 too low 9 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763)
wp.org #15 ↓6 6 too low 10 
Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 
Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓3 3 too high 12 
WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525)
wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too low 14 
Beautiful Cookie Consent Banner 40K+ · 4.5★ (95)
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↑2 5 too high 16 
OoohBoi Steroids for Elementor 40K+ · 4.8★ (118)
wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 
Htaccess File Editor – Safely Edit Htaccess File 40K+ · 5.0★ (102)
wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 
Minimal Coming Soon – Coming Soon Page 100K+ · 4.3★ (282)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 GDPRess | Eliminate external requests to increase GDPR compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 too high 20 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #20 21 
تقویم فارسی – Persian Calendar 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 10 too high 22 
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓6 23 
Mollie Forms 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Live Rates for ShipStation 400+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too high Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.