wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “development”
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 “development”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Local Development shows at wp.org #3 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. 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 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Theme Switcha – Easily Switch Themes for Development and Testing 7K+ · 4.4★ (63)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #6 ↑5 1 too low 6 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #10 ↓4 4 too low 7 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #7 ↑2 8 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470)
wp.org #13 ↓5 4 too low 10 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↑1 12 
Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ · 4.9★ (50)
wp.org #9 ↑13 3 too high 13 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 L Local Development 90+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #3 11 too high 15 
Change Admin Email 40K+ · 4.8★ (141)
wp.org #15 ↑3 16 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
Theme Check 20K+ · 4.8★ (195)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 
One Click Demo Import 1M+ · 4.3★ (79) host-installed base
wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too high 21 
Yoast Test Helper 50K+ · 4.9★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too high 22 
WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 
Gutenberg 400K+ · 2.1★ (3888)
wp.org #23 24 
Development Assistant 10+ · 3.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓2 6 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.