wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “api design”
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 “api design”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Fluid Design System for Elementor shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 300+ 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
Polylang places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 3004 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.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Custom API for WP 1K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #4 5 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 
SteadFast API 8K+ · 3.3★ (3) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #1 8 too high 10 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #19 7 too low 13 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86)
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
MStore API – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Cloud 2K+ · 3.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #7 11 too high 19 
Display Eventbrite Events 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
ZoloBlocks – Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, Website Builder & Page Design Toolkit 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
WPRaiz Content API Tool 70+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
Email Deliverability – SMTP Replacement, Email API Deliverability & Email Log 200K+ · 2.5★ (17) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Fluid Design System for Elementor 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 15 too high 24 
Magic API Email 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #16 8 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.