wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “action hooks”
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 “action hooks”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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
WS Action Scheduler Cleaner shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Smart Custom 404 Error Page places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1197 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.
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #5 3 too low 3 
Simply Show Hooks 1K+ · 5.0★ (63)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Genesis Simple Hooks 20K+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 
Astra Hooks 20K+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 7 too high 10 Smart Custom 404 Error Page 100K+ · 4.9★ (1197)
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too low 12 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓3 2 too high 15 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
Safe SVG 1M+ · 4.9★ (79) host-installed base
wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 WS Action Scheduler Cleaner 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #6 11 too high 18 
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 
Easy Actions Scheduler Cleaner 900+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too high 20 
Disk Usage Sunburst 9K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too low 21 
WP Hooks Finder 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 
WPB Popup for Contact Form 7 – Showing Contact Form 7 Popup on Button Click 5K+ · 4.6★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Optimization Detective 60K+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 
WPeMatico Custom Hooks 50+ · 3.0★ (2) 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.