wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “activation”
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 “activation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Automatic Cache Flusher for W3 Total Cache shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 4K+ 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
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 591 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #3 ↑13 1 too low 3 
Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #5 ↓3 2 too low 4 
Flamingo 800K+ · 4.2★ (121) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↓1 2 too high 5 
WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #9 ↓3 3 too low 7 
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Performance Lab 100K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #6 ↑6 2 too high 9 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #17 ↑3 8 too low 10 
Side Cart Woocommerce | Woocommerce Cart 70K+ · 4.9★ (453)
wp.org #18 ↓7 8 too low 11 
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94)
wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too low 12 
WP REST Cache 10K+ · 4.9★ (42) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑6 5 too high 13 
Minimal Coming Soon – Coming Soon Page 100K+ · 4.3★ (282)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
Under Construction, Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode 10K+ · 4.6★ (46)
wp.org #11 3 too high 15 
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑2 16 
License Manager for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (147)
wp.org #24 ↓3 8 too low 17 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.8★ (47)
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Website LLMs.txt 50K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓15 2 too high 22 
License For Envato 9K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓4 10 too high 23 
Piwik PRO 2K+ · 3.3★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑4 9 too high 24 A Automatic Cache Flusher for W3 Total Cache 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 16 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.