wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “define”
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 “define”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 6 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
Min Max Step Quantity Limits Manager for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #13 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 51 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 5333 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.
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 4 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #11 ↓5 4 too low 8 
ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #7 ↑9 2 too high 10 
Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Price Based on Country for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (262) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #15 ↑2 3 too low 13 
Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
WPVulnerability 10K+ · 5.0★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 
One Click Demo Import 1M+ · 4.3★ (79) host-installed base
wp.org #8 7 too high 16 
Theme Check 20K+ · 4.8★ (195)
wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 
Permalink Manager Lite 100K+ · 4.8★ (176)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (74)
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 Min Max Step Quantity Limits Manager for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (51) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 8 too high 22 
Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
PublishPress Checklists: Pre-Publishing Approval Checklist – Validate Post Requirements 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 
WP Debugging 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.