wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “control wpautop”
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 “control wpautop”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Manage WPAutoP shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Frontend Dashboard places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 136 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.
Enlighter – Customizable Syntax Highlighter 10K+ · 4.8★ (65)
wp.org #1 2 
Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Boxzilla – WordPress Popup Builder 20K+ · 4.8★ (133)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Easy Accordion – AI-Powered FAQ & Accordion Blocks, Product FAQ 70K+ · 4.9★ (358)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
Tabby Responsive Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (144)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Timed Content 5K+ · 4.6★ (41)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 S SFN Easy FAQ Manager 2K+ · 4.4★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #3 6 too high 10 
Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Frontend Dashboard 500+ · 4.9★ (136)
wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too low 12 
Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
bbPress Notify (No-Spam) 2K+ · 4.8★ (40)
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 
Easy Form Builder by WhiteStudio – Drag & Drop Form Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
MapGeo – Interactive Geo Maps 30K+ · 4.4★ (65)
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 
Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 
Whols – Wholesale Prices and B2B Store Solution for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Zeno Report Comments 200+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #11 7 too high 19 
Discussion Board – WordPress Forum Plugin 1K+ · 4.6★ (43)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
rtMedia for WordPress, BuddyPress and bbPress 7K+ · 3.7★ (152) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 21 
Go Fetch Jobs (for WP Job Manager) 600+ · 4.5★ (28)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Vision – Interactive Image Map with Hotspots Builder 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 M Manage WPAutoP 70+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewslow rating, top placementstale but ranked
wp.org #4 19 too high 24 
Photo Gallery Slideshow & Masonry Tiled Gallery 1K+ · 3.9★ (8) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.