wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “content filtering”
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 “content filtering”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 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
Essential Content Types shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 565 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.
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #1 2 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #3 4 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #9 ↑9 2 too low 8 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565)
wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too low 10 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
Get Use APIs – JSON Content Importer 5K+ · 4.9★ (78)
wp.org #13 ↓4 2 too low 12 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #22 ↑1 9 too low 14 
Nelio Content – Editorial Calendar & Social Media Auto-Posting 3K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Content Egg – Affiliate Product Importer & Price Comparison 10K+ · 3.9★ (56) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↑1 20 
Interactive Content – H5P 40K+ · 4.8★ (61) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 
Content Update Scheduler 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Essential Content Types 20K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #8 14 too high 23 
Content Censor 600+ · 4.5★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 9 too high 24 
Stepped Content – Guide readers through content one step at a time 200+ · 5.0★ (1) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 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.