Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “bloggers”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Feed Importer for Blogger shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Temporary Login Without Password places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 1549 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 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 Blogger Importer Extended 4K+ · 4.7★ (131) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #12 ↑2 6 too low 7 WP Delicious – Recipe Plugin for Food Bloggers (formerly Delicious Recipes) 4K+ · 4.9★ (71) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor 50K+ · 4.9★ (729) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 Block Patterns for Food Bloggers 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 10 too high 12 Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549) wp.org #19 ↑3 7 too low 13 Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298) wp.org #20 ↑3 6 too low 15 Blogger To WordPress 3K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too high 16 Recipe Card Blocks Lite 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 No Category Base (WPML) 100K+ · 4.5★ (34) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster 20K+ · 3.3★ (617) wp.org #22 ↓2 4 too low 19 My WordPress Login Logo 10K+ · 4.9★ (12) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 BtW Importer – Free Blogger/Blogspot Migration 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 ↓2 10 too high 21 Vision – Interactive Image Map with Hotspots Builder 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Blogger Import Wizard – Blogger to WordPress Importer 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓2 8 too high 23 Feed Importer for Blogger 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑5 15 too high 24 ForthFocus Atom XML Converter for Blogger™ 100+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.