wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bug”
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 “bug”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 3 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
Bug Animation shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 10+ 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
Relevanssi – A Better Search places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 406 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↑2 7 
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming Soon and Landing Page Builder 400K+ · 4.3★ (874)
wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too low 8 
Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226)
wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too low 10 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too high 11 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #10 ↑14 1 too high 12 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too low 13 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too high 15 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too low 16 
Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer 90K+ · 4.5★ (142)
wp.org #16 ↑1 17 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 ↓10 4 too low 18 
Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓6 2 too high 21 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 
Document Gallery 8K+ · 4.8★ (112) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Bug Animation 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #11 12 too high 24 
BugHerd 3K+ · 3.5★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 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.