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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “extensions”

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 “extensions”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Extensions For CF7 (Contact form 7 Database, Conditional Fields and Redirection) shows at wp.org #5 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 8708 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #1 2 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #7 ↑4 3 too low 5 Extensions for Leaflet Map 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #14 ↑7 5 too low 10 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too high 13 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #13 14 Extensions For CF7 (Contact form 7 Database, Conditional Fields and Redirection) 5K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #24 ↓12 9 too low 16 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #9 ↓2 7 too high 17 Cool FormKit Lite – Advanced Form Builder for Elementor 20K+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too high 18 DTX – Dynamic Text Extension for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.7★ (99) wp.org #23 ↓8 5 too low 19 Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Store Toolkit – WooCommerce Extensions, Quick Enhancements & Handy Tools 8K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Add Any Extension to Pages 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #21 ↓13 1 too high 23 Rife Extensions & Templates for Elementor 20K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too high 24 Apollo13 Framework Extensions 20K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.