wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “current location”
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 location”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.
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
Simple Location shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 7520 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ · 4.6★ (132)
wp.org #1 2 
Location Weather – WordPress Weather Forecast, Air Quality & Weather Widget 10K+ · 4.5★ (103)
wp.org #2 3 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #14 7 too low 8 
Kikote – Location Picker at Checkout & Google Address AutoFill Plugin for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (65)
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #16 7 too low 10 
GEO my WP 3K+ · 4.6★ (139)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↑1 10 too high 14 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #22 ↓2 8 too low 15 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 
Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Simple Location 300+ · 4.6★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 13 too high 20 
Agile Store Locator 10K+ · 4.9★ (59)
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Checkout Location Picker for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 
Breadcrumbs Divi Module 10K+ · 4.5★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 
Multi Location Product & Inventory Management for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #13 11 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.