wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “collection of plugins”

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 “collection of plugins”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 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

Section Collection – Add Ready-made Sections to Design Modern Websites shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #1 2

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #2 3

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

Starter Sites & Templates by Neve 100K+ · 4.7★ (77) heavy footprint wp.org #6 3 too high 10

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #13 2 too low 12

WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #14 2 too low 13

HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (221) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

WPCore Plugin Manager 9K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #9 5 too high 15

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #20 5 too low 16

MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #23 7 too low 17

GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #19 2 too low 18

LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 3 too high 19

reSmush.it : The original free image compressor and optimizer plugin 100K+ · 4.3★ (166) wp.org #22 3 too low 20

Cost of Goods: Product Cost & Profit Calculator for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (41) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 4 too high 21

Icegram Collect – Easy Contact Form, Subscription Form & Lead Collection Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #24 3 too low 22

Table Of Content Block – Auto-Generate Clickable Table of Contents 3K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Section Collection – Add Ready-made Sections to Design Modern Websites 400+ · 5.0★ (1) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #8 15 too high 24

MultiSafepay plugin for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 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.