wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “breeze wordpress”
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 “breeze wordpress”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
PixelParade Smart Purge for Breeze Cache shows at wp.org #7 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 50+ 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
Advanced WordPress Reset – Debug, Recover & Reset WP places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 1233 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.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133)
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 4 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #4 5 
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #5 6 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #6 7 
Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3026)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Advanced WordPress Reset – Debug, Recover & Reset WP 10K+ · 4.9★ (1233)
wp.org #17 ↑1 9 too low 9 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #15 ↓3 6 too low 10 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too low 11 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #19 ↓5 8 too low 12 
Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 
Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
Sliced Invoices – WordPress Invoice Plugin 4K+ · 4.6★ (117) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.4★ (212) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑2 1 too high 16 
Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) heavy footprint
wp.org #24 ↓4 8 too low 17 
WPCasa – Real Estate for WordPress 1K+ · 4.2★ (36) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too high 18 
Surfer – WordPress Plugin 6K+ · 4.7★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Auto Listings – Car Listings & Car Dealership Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.3★ (31)
wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too high 20 
Pixel Cat – Conversion Pixel Manager 40K+ · 4.0★ (41)
wp.org #20 ↑1 21 
Genesis Simple Share 10K+ · 4.4★ (33)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Reduce Unused CSS Solution with Critical CSS For WP 1K+ · 3.8★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 
X-Currency – The Ultimate WooCommerce currency switcher for a smoother shopping experience 1K+ · 4.6★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 PixelParade Smart Purge for Breeze Cache 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 17 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.