wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “apply”
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 “apply”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Sitewide Discount for WooCommerce: Apply Discount to All Products shows at wp.org #4 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4514 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.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 
Conditional Fields for Elementor Form – Apply Conditional Logic 10K+ · 4.7★ (32) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 4 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
ApplyOnline – Application Form Builder and Manager 2K+ · 4.1★ (40) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 3 too high 7 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #12 ↑5 5 too low 8 
Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298)
wp.org #8 ↑3 9 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #20 ↓7 10 too low 11 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #23 ↓5 12 too low 12 
Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334)
wp.org #19 ↑2 7 too low 13 
Side Cart Woocommerce | Woocommerce Cart 70K+ · 4.9★ (453)
wp.org #21 ↑3 8 too low 14 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #16 ↓9 2 too low 15 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #15 ↓1 16 Sitewide Discount for WooCommerce: Apply Discount to All Products 600+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #4 12 too high 17 
Smart Coupons For WooCommerce Coupons 30K+ · 4.7★ (133) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 11 too high 19 
Discount Rules and Dynamic Pricing for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (248) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Auto Coupons for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓2 10 too high 22 
Power Coupons for WooCommerce 30K+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑5 12 too high 23 
Coupon URLs – Apply a Coupon from a Custom Link – for WooCommerce 100+ · 4.3★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑9 10 too high 24 
OTYS Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current 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.