wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “automatic sitemap”
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 “automatic sitemap”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Hierarchical HTML Sitemap shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder places #10 on merit, 4.5★ from 7322 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.
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #1 2 
XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233)
wp.org #2 3 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
XML Sitemap & Google News 100K+ · 4.4★ (85)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72)
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 
Dynamic XML Sitemaps Generator for Google 20K+ · 4.7★ (47)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
Sitemap by BestWebSoft – WordPress XML Site Map Page Generator Plugin 20K+ · 4.3★ (115)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1268)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Companion Sitemap Generator – Simple, Smart, and SEO-Ready 6K+ · 4.7★ (55)
wp.org #16 17 Hierarchical HTML Sitemap 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Sitemap Generator 3K+ · 3.7★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
Simple XML Sitemap Generator 3K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Automatic Translator with Google Translate 2K+ · 4.4★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Custom Sitemap Generator 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 
Whitespace Fixer for XML Sitemap 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Lightweight Sitemap Generator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.