wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “colour code”
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 “colour code”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Custom Code shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Fonts Plugin | Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts & Upload Fonts places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #1 2 
FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78)
wp.org #2 3 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (576)
wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 
Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #5 ↑3 6 
WP-PageNavi 400K+ · 4.7★ (149)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Fonts Plugin | Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts & Upload Fonts 200K+ · 5.0★ (1221)
wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 
Contact Form by Supsystic – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Templates & Form Statistics 6K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Product Filter for WooCommerce by WBW 50K+ · 4.8★ (325)
wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too low 10 
WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 
HTML Editor Syntax Highlighter 60K+ · 4.4★ (110)
wp.org #12 ↑3 1 too low 12 
Atarim – AI Agency for WordPress: Edit Pages, Fix Code, Update Plugins, SEO & Client Feedback 1K+ · 4.9★ (126)
wp.org #14 ↑3 2 too low 13 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 
Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Divi Carousel Lite – Make Carousels for Divi 5 30K+ · 4.8★ (146)
wp.org #20 ↑2 5 too low 16 
Pricing Table by Supsystic – Responsive Pricing Plans & Comparison Tables 10K+ · 4.1★ (288)
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 
UiChemy – Convert Figma, Prompts and AI Builds to Elementor, Gutenberg and Bricks 8K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 8 too high 18 
WP Server Health Stats 9K+ · 4.8★ (110)
wp.org #18 ↑1 19 
Logo Carousel – Responsive Logo Slider, Logo Showcase, and Clients Logo Gallery 20K+ · 4.7★ (162)
wp.org #23 ↑1 4 too low 20 Custom Code 100+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↑1 17 too high 21 
Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57)
wp.org #21 22 
Colorlib 404 Customizer 5K+ · 4.7★ (51)
wp.org #22 ↑1 23 
Donation Thermometer 2K+ · 4.4★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 
Card Elements for WPBakery 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.