wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “data api”
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 “data api”, we and wp.org disagree 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
WP Consent API shows at wp.org #1 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 13 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
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 7519 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too low 3 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Disable WP REST API 30K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #4 5 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 
Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497)
wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too low 7 
API KEY for Google Maps 30K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Datafeedr API 4K+ · 4.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #3 5 too high 9 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #15 ↑3 6 too low 10 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Head Meta Data 10K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #1 13 too high 15 
WPGet API – Connect to any external REST API 10K+ · 5.0★ (32)
wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Get Use APIs – JSON Content Importer 5K+ · 4.9★ (78)
wp.org #24 ↓4 7 too low 18 
Contact Form to Any API 8K+ · 5.0★ (28) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 
Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43)
wp.org #19 20 
WP API SwaggerUI 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 
Custom API for WP 1K+ · 4.8★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 
JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑1 23 R REST API Log 5K+ · 3.6★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 
WooCommerce Legacy REST API 400K+ · 1.5★ (29) host-installed base
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.