wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “configure”
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 “configure”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 2 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 400K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1667 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #1 2 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #2 3 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #3 4 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #4 5 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #5 6 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Complianz – Terms and Conditions 300K+ · 4.9★ (187)
wp.org #7 8 
Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709)
wp.org #8 9 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #11 4 too high 16 
SMTP Mailer 70K+ · 4.6★ (67)
wp.org #12 4 too high 17 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 
Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
WP SMTP Mailer – SMTP7 8K+ · 5.0★ (115)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Configure SMTP 6K+ · 4.9★ (45) closure risk
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
WP Offload Media Lite for Amazon S3, DigitalOcean Spaces, and Google Cloud Storage 30K+ · 3.7★ (115)
wp.org #22 23 S Simple Membership After Login Redirection 10K+ · 4.8★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner 400K+ · 5.0★ (4) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #6 18 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.