wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “activated”
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 “activated”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
MainWP Child Reports shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #1 ↑2 2 
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ · 4.7★ (1187)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 C Classic Widgets 2M+ · 4.9★ (272)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Popups for Divi 100K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 
Customize WordPress Emails and Alerts – Better Notifications for WP 30K+ · 4.8★ (184)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #20 ↓1 8 too low 13 
Hide Categories and Products for Woocommerce 10K+ · 4.1★ (29)
wp.org #6 7 too high 14 
SSL Insecure Content Fixer 100K+ · 4.8★ (221)
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95)
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
Change Admin Email 40K+ · 4.8★ (141)
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 
SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Hello Dolly 500K+ · 4.4★ (177)
wp.org #17 ↓5 1 too high 19 
Secondary Title 7K+ · 4.9★ (72)
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 
Analytics Insights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (34)
wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 MainWP Child Reports 100K+ · 4.3★ (6) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #9 12 too high 22 
Import / Export Customizer Settings 50K+ · 4.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 10 too high 23 D Disable Author Archives 10K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
TutorMate 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.