wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “compatible”
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 “compatible”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Storage for Woo via S3-Compatible shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 100+ 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
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 27820 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #1 2 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #2 3 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
GN Publisher: Google News Compatible RSS Feeds 20K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Accordion FAQ – Compatible With All Page Builder (Elementor, Gutenberg) 30K+ · 4.6★ (676)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1644)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (743)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453)
wp.org #13 14 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #20 6 too low 15 
Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67)
wp.org #11 4 too high 16 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1843)
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262)
wp.org #17 18 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Brute Force Protection, 2FA, Firewall & Login Security 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ · 4.6★ (132)
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
YITH WooCommerce Wishlist 400K+ · 3.9★ (262)
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Storage for Woo via S3-Compatible 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #4 18 too high 23 
No Category Base (WPML) 100K+ · 4.5★ (34)
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
Caching Compatible Cookie Opt-In and JavaScript 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.