wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “closing time”
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 “closing time”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 6 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
Store Hours for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.8★ average from 30 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1198 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Delivery & Pickup Date Time for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (282) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2136)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
WP Time Slots Booking Form 1K+ · 5.0★ (41) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #7 ↑3 3 too low 5 
Widget Visibility Time Scheduler 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
WPPizza – A Restaurant Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #14 ↑4 4 too low 11 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1198)
wp.org #22 ↑2 11 too low 12 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2045)
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 too low 13 
WPC Smart Wishlist for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (34) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 7 too high 14 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (392)
wp.org #23 ↓3 9 too low 15 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1900)
wp.org #24 ↓1 9 too low 16 
WP Popups – WordPress Popup builder 30K+ · 4.9★ (112)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 5 too high 18 
Business Hours Indicator 8K+ · 4.9★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 7 too high 19 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (550) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓2 20 
Minify HTML 10K+ · 4.7★ (33)
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 Store Hours for WooCommerce 2K+ · 2.8★ (30) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #5 16 too high 22 T Themify Popup 8K+ · 4.9★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 
Open Close Store for WooCommerce – Business Hours & Order Scheduling 600+ · 3.4★ (41)
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 
Footer Widget Bundle 100+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 8 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.