wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “a/b testing”

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 “a/b testing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 2 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

EasyTest – Simplify A/B Testing shows at wp.org #2 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 20 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #1 2

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Insert Headers And Footers 200K+ · 5.0★ (135) wp.org #7 4 too low 4

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #16 12 too low 5

Instapage Plugin 4K+ · 4.8★ (218) wp.org #13 8 too low 6

Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #17 11 too low 7

If-So Dynamic Content – Elementor & All Page Builders Personalization 7K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #11 4 too low 8

Personizely — A/B Testing, Personalization, Popups & CRO 300+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #8 9

Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 10

Website Pop-up Builder by BDOW! (formerly Sumo): Pop-ups + forms for email opt-ins and lead generation 10K+ · 4.2★ (519) wp.org #21 11 too low 11

CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 8 too low 12

Contact Form by Supsystic – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Templates & Form Statistics 6K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #23 11 too low 13

Dynamic Visibility for Elementor 50K+ · 4.6★ (89) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 2 too low 14

Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #10 4 too high 15

OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 7 too low 16

My WP A/B Testing 200+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #5 11 too high 17

HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #18 1 too low 18

Opti-Behavior – Self-Hosted Heatmaps, Funnels, A/B Testing & Smart Insights 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #12 7 too high 20

Unbounce Landing Pages 10K+ · 3.2★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #6 14 too high 21

Sigmize: A/B Testing, Session Recordings, Heatmaps & Revenue Tracking for WooCommerce, SureCart & EDD 5K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #4 17 too high 22

EasyTest – Simplify A/B Testing 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #2 20 too high 23

Wingify 4K+ · 3.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #14 9 too high 24

Amplitude – Analytics, Session Replay, A/B testing and CDP for your website 700+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #20 4 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.