wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “example”
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 “example”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Interactive Content – H5P shows at wp.org #6 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 40K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 61 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #1 2 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #2 3 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #3 ↑3 4 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #4 ↓2 5 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
WP Simple Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.8★ (227) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 
GDPR Cookie Compliance – Cookie Banner, Cookie Consent, Cookie Notice for CCPA, EU Cookie Law 300K+ · 4.6★ (205)
wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 
Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101)
wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too high 10 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #11 ↓7 1 too high 13 Interactive Content – H5P 40K+ · 4.8★ (61) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 too high 14 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #12 ↓5 2 too high 15 
Discount Rules for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1395) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 
Really Simple CAPTCHA 300K+ · 4.2★ (131)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 R Really Simple CSV Importer 40K+ · 4.9★ (107)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 
Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.8★ (166) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓4 3 too high 21 
AddQuicktag 100K+ · 4.7★ (44)
wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #22 ↑2 23 
DTX – Dynamic Text Extension for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.7★ (99) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 24 
WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #19 5 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.