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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “creators”

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 “creators”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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

QR Code Creator shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ 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

My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 159 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #1 2 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #5 ↑3 3 too low 3 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #3 ↑10 1 too high 5 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #4 ↑3 1 too high 6 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #7 ↑8 8 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #8 ↓2 9 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) wp.org #16 ↓6 6 too low 11 Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #20 ↓2 8 too low 13 Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #19 ↑1 6 too low 14 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #23 ↓6 9 too low 15 Coupon Creator 1K+ · 4.3★ (37) wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 Creator LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Coaches, Cohorts & Course Creators 100+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #13 ↓9 3 too high 17 Link in Bio Creator – Social 2K+ · 4.3★ (21) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too high 18 Mass Pages/Posts Creator 1K+ · 4.2★ (17) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #18 ↑4 1 too high 20 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 Kadence Starter Templates — Predesigned Website Templates 200K+ · 4.3★ (19) wp.org #21 ↑3 22 Hostinger Reach – AI-Powered Email Marketing for WordPress 1M+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #17 ↑4 5 too high 23 Amazing Affiliates – Toolkit for Amazon Associates with Amazon Product Blocks and Amazon PAAPI5 / Creators API integration 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓5 1 too low 24 QR Code Creator 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑2 12 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.