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← Rankings

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

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 “basics”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 of the top 20. 5 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 #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 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

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 2528 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #1 2 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #2 3 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too low 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #8 ↑7 3 too low 6 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #12 ↑2 6 too low 7 SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #10 ↑6 3 too low 8 W WPJAM Basic 4K+ · 3.8★ (32) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too low 10 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #17 ↑5 7 too low 11 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #19 ↑1 6 too low 14 WP Basic Authentication 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #4 10 too high 15 MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 Basic Google Maps Placemarks 2K+ · 4.4★ (51) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 B Basic URL ShortCodes 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 ELEX WooCommerce Bulk Edit Products, Prices & Attributes (Basic) 4K+ · 3.7★ (25) wp.org #15 ↑3 3 too high 19 Laposta Signup Basic 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #14 ↓4 6 too high 21 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too high 22 Easy Basic Authentication – Add basic auth to site or admin area 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner 400K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Basic Banner 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.