wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “40”
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 “40”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 9K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #3 ↑3 4 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Addon Elements for Elementor (formerly Elementor Addon Elements) 80K+ · 4.8★ (172)
wp.org #6 ↑5 7 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 
GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates 70K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Product Feed for Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising and 40+ Channels for WooCommerce Merchant 2K+ · 4.8★ (87)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11 
Getwid – Gutenberg Blocks 50K+ · 4.7★ (115)
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too high 12 
Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83)
wp.org #12 ↑1 13 
Cookiebot – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 100K+ · 4.4★ (440)
wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too low 14 
CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236)
wp.org #19 ↑3 5 too low 15 
ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212)
wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too low 16 
Animation Addons – Elementor Addons, GSAP Animations, Elementor V4 Atomic Widgets & Elementor Templates 10K+ · 4.6★ (66)
wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too high 17 
Pricing Table by Supsystic – Responsive Pricing Plans & Comparison Tables 10K+ · 4.1★ (288)
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356)
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 
Show only lowest prices in variable products for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (28)
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 
WidgetKit for Elementor – Lightweight Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 7K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 
Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Export Products, Orders & Customers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email 9K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 
Hash Elements 5K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 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.