wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “creation”
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 “creation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Qyrr – simply and modern QR-Code creation shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039)
wp.org #1 2 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #2 3 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #3 4 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #6 7 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #7 ↑6 1 too high 9 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 
Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too high 14 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 
Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #18 19 Qyrr – simply and modern QR-Code creation 2K+ · 3.8★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 too high 20 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Multiple Columns for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 4.5★ (30)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268)
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
Extendify 500K+ · 4.7★ (10) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #21 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.