wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “contributor”
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 “contributor”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 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
Contributor Résumé and Insights shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 10+ 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
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4228 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #2 3 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #3 4 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375)
wp.org #6 7 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
Imsanity 200K+ · 4.9★ (291)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236)
wp.org #20 10 too low 11 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too low 12 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #24 12 too low 13 
پارسی دیت – Parsi Date 100K+ · 4.6★ (130)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 
Gutenberg 400K+ · 2.1★ (3888)
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Simple Local Avatars 100K+ · 4.6★ (89)
wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16 
Editorial Calendar 20K+ · 4.9★ (79)
wp.org #22 ↑1 6 too low 17 E Enable Contributor Uploads 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↓1 12 too high 18 
Flying Scripts: Delay JavaScript to Improve Site Speed & Performance 30K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Sentry for WordPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 
Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) heavy footprint
wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 
Molongui Post Contributors: Multi-Role Contributor Attribution 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓4 6 too high 23 Contributor Résumé and Insights 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓2 13 too high 24 
Contributor Notifications 80+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 11 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.