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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “basic tools”

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 “basic tools”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 4 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

Laposta Signup Basic shows at wp.org #3 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 2K+ 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

Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection places #8 on merit, 4.6★ from 3992 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #19 11 too low 9 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Booster for WooCommerce – PDF Invoices, Abandoned Cart, Variation Swatches & 100+ Tools 30K+ · 4.6★ (535) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 Catch Web Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 WP DSGVO Tools (GDPR) 10K+ · 4.0★ (116) wp.org #16 17 Laposta Signup Basic 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 14 too high 18 WP Synchro – The Ultimate WordPress Migration Tool 2K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 RSVP and Event Management 3K+ · 4.4★ (58) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 GD bbPress Tools 1K+ · 3.8★ (24) wp.org #9 11 too high 21 WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 Developer Debug Tools 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 WP Basic Elements 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 T Tailored Tools 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 9 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.