wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “current”
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 “current”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 4 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
WP Consent API shows at wp.org #7 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Reset places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1014 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Show Current Template 100K+ · 5.0★ (71)
wp.org #1 2 
Shortcode for Current Date 10K+ · 5.0★ (116)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too low 5 
Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ · 4.6★ (132)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Current Year, Symbols and IP Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #13 ↑2 6 too low 8 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #14 6 too low 9 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too low 11 
Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #22 ↓1 10 too low 13 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #17 ↓4 4 too low 14 
Better Font Awesome 60K+ · 4.5★ (88) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
Current Year Shortcode VICT 800+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #4 11 too high 16 
Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302)
wp.org #21 ↓11 5 too low 17 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #19 ↑4 20 
Safe SVG 1M+ · 4.9★ (79) host-installed base
wp.org #20 21 
One Click Demo Import 1M+ · 4.3★ (79) host-installed base
wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too high 22 C Current Age Plugin 60+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 
Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) host-installed base
wp.org #9 ↓1 14 too high 24 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 17 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.