wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “extend comments”
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 “extend comments”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Comments Extra Fields For Post,Pages and CPT shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 708 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #3 4 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
Comments Like Dislike 4K+ · 4.6★ (38)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Kubio AI Page Builder 80K+ · 4.4★ (79)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑2 7 too high 12 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too low 13 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #13 14 
Postie 10K+ · 4.7★ (139)
wp.org #14 ↑2 15 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #15 ↑5 16 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Popups for Divi 100K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #19 ↑5 1 too low 19 
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252)
wp.org #21 ↓4 2 too low 20 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #20 ↑1 21 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #18 ↓4 3 too high 22 Comments Extra Fields For Post,Pages and CPT 500+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #9 13 too high 23 
AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓3 7 too high 24 
Webcam/Screen/Mic Recorder for Video Comments and Forms 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓5 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.