wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “continue”
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 “continue”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Init Reading Position – Remember, Return, Continue shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 80+ 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
Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1244 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.
Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186)
wp.org #1 2 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872)
wp.org #2 3 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342)
wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too low 4 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #5 6 
Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam 400K+ · 5.0★ (1472)
wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too low 9 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (108)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
Continue Shopping for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 7 too high 11 
Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005)
wp.org #14 ↑5 3 too low 12 D Disable Emojis (GDPR friendly) 60K+ · 5.0★ (108)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 
Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 
Disable Gutenberg 500K+ · 5.0★ (735)
wp.org #20 ↓2 6 too low 15 
WPC Fly Cart for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (61)
wp.org #15 ↓2 16 
User Profile Picture 40K+ · 4.6★ (59)
wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
WPC Smart Wishlist for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too high 19 
Simple Social Icons 100K+ · 4.3★ (92)
wp.org #22 ↓3 3 too low 20 
CF7 Mate – Contact Form 7 Styler, Multi-Step Forms & Conditional Logic 20K+ · 3.9★ (46)
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
View Transitions 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 2 too low 22 
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 Init Reading Position – Remember, Return, Continue 80+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 15 too high 24 
Save & Continue for Elementor Forms 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓6 5 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.