wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “business api”
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 “business api”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
SteadFast API shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 27820 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #1 2 
Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52)
wp.org #2 ↑3 3 
Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698)
wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too low 7 
Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184)
wp.org #7 ↓4 8 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too low 9 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too low 10 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 
Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 
HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too low 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #24 ↓3 10 too low 15 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 
Business Hours Indicator 7K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 
Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings 1K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #22 ↑1 4 too low 19 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (584)
wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too high 20 SteadFast API 8K+ · 3.3★ (3) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 ↓1 17 too high 21 
MStore API – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Cloud 2K+ · 3.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 
Business Card Block – present your team and contact info in style 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
TikTok 200K+ · 1.8★ (39)
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 
Business Reviews – build trust with real customer feedback 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓2 15 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.