wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “exclusive”
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 “exclusive”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 80K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.1★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #1 2 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2052)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Exclusive Addons for Elementor 50K+ · 4.7★ (47)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #4 5 
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Advanced Product Labels for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (252)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Packlink PRO for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.4★ (263)
wp.org #8 9 
Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Price Based on Country for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (262)
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 
Blocksy Companion 300K+ · 4.7★ (93)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188)
wp.org #14 ↑3 2 too low 13 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (743)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
Groups – Memberships and Access Control 10K+ · 4.8★ (382)
wp.org #20 ↑1 6 too low 15 
EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too high 17 
Templately – Elementor & Gutenberg Template Library: 6500+ Free & Pro Ready Templates And Cloud! 300K+ · 5.0★ (383)
wp.org #22 ↑2 5 too low 18 
Subscriptions for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (180)
wp.org #18 19 
Tax Switch for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #12 ↑2 7 too high 20 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
MoreConvert Wishlist for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (120)
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 
Advanced Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (123)
wp.org #23 ↓4 1 too low 23 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓4 6 too high 24 Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme 80K+ · 2.1★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 9 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.