wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “app store”
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 store”, 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
Mobile Smart App Banner shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 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 #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 2143 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.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #9 ↑14 4 too low 6 
Ads.txt & App-ads.txt Manager for WordPress 2K+ · 4.8★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too low 8 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #19 ↓7 11 too low 9 
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #14 ↓4 5 too low 10 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #23 ↓5 13 too low 11 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
Ebook Store 700+ · 4.4★ (60)
wp.org #11 ↓3 1 too high 13 
WPMobile.App – Android and iOS App Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (162) not PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓3 4 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 #13 ↓4 1 too high 15 
App for Cloudflare® 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #7 8 too high 16 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too high 17 
App Builder – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Flight 500+ · 3.9★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑14 9 too high 18 
WappPress – Convert Site to App Fast – WordPress to Mobile App Builder 1K+ · 3.6★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓2 19 Mobile Smart App Banner 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #6 13 too high 20 
WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Hippoo Mobile App for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 
Mobile App Canvas – Convert your Website Into an App for iOS and Android 200+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 23 
Management App for WooCommerce – Order notifications, Order management, Lead management, Uptime Monitoring 800+ · 4.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 
Checkout with Cash App on WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓3 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.