wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “align”
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 “align”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
EasyMega shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 4755 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #1 2 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Align Woo Buttons 2K+ · 5.0★ (30)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83)
wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too low 7 
Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too low 9 
Simple Social Icons 100K+ · 4.3★ (92)
wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too high 10 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too low 11 
WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283)
wp.org #16 ↓8 5 too low 12 
AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #9 ↓3 3 too high 13 
Twenty20 Image Before-After 20K+ · 4.0★ (54)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248)
wp.org #22 ↑2 7 too low 16 
Advanced Woo Labels – Product Labels & Badges for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (64) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑2 5 too high 17 
Options for Twenty Twenty 3K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too high 18 
QuadMenu – Mega Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (270)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Page Builder: Pagelayer – Drag and Drop website builder 400K+ · 3.9★ (104)
wp.org #19 ↑2 20 
Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21 
Justify for Paragraph Block 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 
Signature field for Elementor Forms 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 
PRyC WP: TinyMCE more buttons 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 EasyMega 5K+ · 3.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑2 9 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.