wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “critical javascript”
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 “critical javascript”, 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
Page Optimize shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1564 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.
Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612)
wp.org #1 2 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #2 3 
Hummingbird Performance – Cache & Page Speed Optimization for Core Web Vitals | Critical CSS | Minify CSS | Defer CSS Javascript | CDN 70K+ · 4.7★ (1488)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Flying Scripts: Delay JavaScript to Improve Site Speed & Performance 30K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428)
wp.org #6 7 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #7 8 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #8 9 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster 100K+ · 4.9★ (1564)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 100K+ · 4.6★ (572)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 
CSS JS Manager, Async JavaScript, Defer Render Blocking CSS 1K+ · 4.8★ (90)
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
BerqWP – All-In-One Optimization for Core Web Vitals, Cache, CDN, Images, CSS & JavaScript 4K+ · 4.3★ (54)
wp.org #13 7 too high 21 
JCH Optimize 4K+ · 4.4★ (69)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 P Page Optimize 200K+ · 3.0★ (5) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #9 15 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.