wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “downloads”
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 “downloads”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Email Gated Downloads shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery places #11 on merit, 4.3★ from 4342 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #1 2 
Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525)
wp.org #2 3 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #3 4 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 
Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #7 ↓3 1 too low 7 
SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments 80K+ · 4.8★ (288) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↑4 3 too low 8 
Download Attachments 8K+ · 4.5★ (46)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Free Downloads WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.7★ (85) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑5 5 too low 11 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↓3 8 too low 12 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓3 7 too low 14 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Lana Downloads Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 
Easy Digital Downloads Free Link 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #6 10 too high 17 
Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #16 ↑3 1 too high 18 
Easy Media Download 8K+ · 4.0★ (28)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 
Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 
Shared Files – File Upload & Download Manager 4K+ · 4.4★ (34)
wp.org #23 ↓11 3 too low 21 
Sell Downloads 100+ · 4.0★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 
Secure Downloads 600+ · 4.1★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 
Music Player for Easy Digital Downloads 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 Email Gated Downloads 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #11 13 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.