wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “coding”
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 “coding”, 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
Coding Chicken – JetEngine Importer shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186)
wp.org #1 2 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too low 6 
Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652)
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 
EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307)
wp.org #8 ↑4 1 too low 8 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #11 ↑3 3 too low 9 
Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1597)
wp.org #14 ↓5 5 too low 10 
Smart Custom 404 Error Page 100K+ · 4.9★ (1197)
wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #10 ↑3 1 too high 12 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #19 ↑1 7 too low 13 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #15 ↑3 2 too low 14 
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925)
wp.org #22 ↓11 8 too low 15 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #12 3 too high 16 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #17 ↑6 1 too low 17 
Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 
Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135)
wp.org #13 ↓3 7 too high 21 
Discount Rules and Dynamic Pricing for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (248)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Coding Chicken – JetEngine Importer 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #4 18 too high 23 
CodingBunny Image Optimizer 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓2 16 too high 24 
CodingBunny LLMs.txt Generator 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓5 3 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.