wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “apps”

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 “apps”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20.

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

Enable Mastodon Apps shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225) wp.org #1 ↑1 2

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too low 3

CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 4

WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #5 6

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #6 ↓2 7

WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #7 ↑1 8

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #12 ↑12 3 too low 10

WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too high 11

PWA for WP – Progressive Web Apps Made Simple 10K+ · 4.6★ (230) wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too high 12

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too low 13

Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) wp.org #14 1 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 #19 ↓2 5 too low 15

WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #21 6 too low 16

Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

AppMySite – WordPress & WooCommerce Mobile App Builder (No-Code Android & iOS App Maker) 7K+ · 4.3★ (138) wp.org #23 ↓6 5 too low 19

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #15 ↑5 4 too high 20

Assistant – Every Day Productivity Apps 4K+ · 4.9★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too high 21

Smartarget – Chat Buttons & Engagement Apps 900+ · 4.6★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22

Contact Form to Chat Apps | Click to Chat to Order – FormyChat 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #20 2 too high 23

Enable Mastodon Apps 500+ · 4.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24

Order Notifications in Messaging Apps for WooCommerce 400+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.