wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “android plugin”

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 “android plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 9 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

WappPress – Convert Site to App Fast – WordPress to Mobile App Builder shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.6★ average from 39 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 2

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #2 3

Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #3 4

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5

WPMobile.App – Android and iOS App Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (162) not PHP-current wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #7 ↑3 1 too low 7

LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #15 ↑6 7 too low 9

Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #20 ↓9 11 too low 10

Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator 200K+ · 4.9★ (802) wp.org #19 ↓1 9 too low 11

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #23 ↓1 12 too low 12

Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13

FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) not PHP-current wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too low 14

AppMySite – WordPress & WooCommerce Mobile App Builder (No-Code Android & iOS App Maker) 7K+ · 4.3★ (138) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too high 15

No Right Click Images 20K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #13 2 too high 16

Five Star Restaurant Reservations – WordPress Booking Plugin 10K+ · 4.7★ (211) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 2 too high 17

LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 ↓1 10 too high 19

WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↑2 9 too high 20

WCPOS – Point of Sale (POS) plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 3.7★ (84) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↑2 8 too high 21

Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android 700+ · 4.2★ (90) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 4 too high 22

WappPress – Convert Site to App Fast – WordPress to Mobile App Builder 1K+ · 3.6★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 ↓2 11 too high 23

Conditional Display for Mobile – Mobile Detect Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Android 5.0 Lollipop Status Bar Customiser 70+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓3 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.