wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bugs”
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 “bugs”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Hotfix shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 7676 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.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
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★ (1072)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #3 ↑6 2 too high 6 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #6 ↑10 7 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538)
wp.org #7 ↓3 8 
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming Soon and Landing Page Builder 400K+ · 4.3★ (874)
wp.org #9 ↑3 1 too low 9 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #8 ↑12 2 too high 11 
Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226)
wp.org #10 ↓5 1 too high 12 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252)
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #13 ↑6 1 too high 15 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #14 ↓3 1 too high 16 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435)
wp.org #20 ↓5 4 too low 17 
Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer 90K+ · 4.5★ (142)
wp.org #16 ↓6 1 too high 18 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114)
wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too low 19 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #24 ↓7 5 too low 20 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #18 ↓10 4 too high 23 H Hotfix 4K+ · 4.7★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓5 12 too high 24 
Document Gallery 8K+ · 4.8★ (112)
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.