wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “danish”
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 “danish”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Donations via PayPal shows at wp.org #14 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 27 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Easy Social Feed – All In One Social Feed Plugin for WordPress places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 502 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #2 3 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑12 6 
Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator 200K+ · 4.9★ (802)
wp.org #6 7 Easy Social Feed – All In One Social Feed Plugin for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (502)
wp.org #11 ↑4 4 too low 8 
Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99)
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) heavy footprint
wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too high 10 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
External Links in New Window / New Tab 30K+ · 4.5★ (77)
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too high 12 
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓6 4 too low 13 
ICS Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (72)
wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
SportsPress – Sports Club & League Manager 10K+ · 4.7★ (369) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑1 6 too low 17 
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑2 18 Donations via PayPal 20K+ · 4.7★ (27)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 
WP Menu Cart 8K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 
PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑2 21 
Translate and boost SEO – Automatic AI translation – wpLingua 2K+ · 4.9★ (33)
wp.org #21 22 
Easy Social Like Box – Popup – Sidebar Widget 6K+ · 4.4★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓3 3 too high 23 
Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Pay with Vipps and MobilePay for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 1 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.