wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “app”
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 “app”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 8 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
App for Cloudflare® shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 2143 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #2 ↑4 3 
WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #3 4 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too low 7 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too low 8 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too high 9 
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↓2 5 too high 10 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓4 1 too low 12 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
PWA for WP – Progressive Web Apps Made Simple 10K+ · 4.6★ (230)
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 
Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
WPMobile.App – Android and iOS App Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (162) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
Ads.txt & App-ads.txt Manager for WordPress 2K+ · 4.8★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑2 5 too high 17 
Login for Google Apps by WPAuth 10K+ · 4.6★ (64)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
AppMySite – WordPress & WooCommerce Mobile App Builder (No-Code Android & iOS App Maker) 7K+ · 4.3★ (138) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 App for Cloudflare® 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑2 11 too high 20 
WappPress – Convert Site to App Fast – WordPress to Mobile App Builder 1K+ · 3.6★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 
App Builder – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Flight 500+ · 3.9★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Hippoo Mobile App for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Mobile Smart App Banner 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑1 11 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.