wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “easiest”
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 “easiest”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Cloudways WordPress Migrator shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 36 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Mailmunch Forms for Mailchimp places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 372 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #1 2 
FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1657)
wp.org #4 5 
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055)
wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too low 6 
MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 
SiteGround Migrator 80K+ · 4.3★ (403)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 
Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 
MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147)
wp.org #9 ↑1 10 
Download Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 Mailmunch Forms for Mailchimp 10K+ · 4.6★ (372)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 S SSH SFTP Updater Support 10K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13 
Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54)
wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too high 14 
Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488)
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 
Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ · 4.9★ (2003)
wp.org #23 ↑1 8 too low 16 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194)
wp.org #21 ↑1 4 too low 18 
Htaccess File Editor – Safely Edit Htaccess File 40K+ · 5.0★ (102)
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19 Cloudways WordPress Migrator 10K+ · 4.2★ (36)
wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20 
Heroic Table of Contents 5K+ · 4.7★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too high 21 
Quick 301 Redirects 7K+ · 4.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too high 22 
Constant Contact Forms 20K+ · 2.6★ (107)
wp.org #24 ↓13 2 too low 23 
Stape Conversion Tracking 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 
Raptive Ads 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
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.