wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “extract title”
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 “extract title”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 2 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
BBH Custom Schema – Add Custom JSON-LD to Your Website shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 683 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Export Media URLs 7K+ · 5.0★ (29)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94)
wp.org #4 5 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #9 ↓6 1 too low 9 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) not PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #11 ↑8 12 GEO Plugin by Squirrly SEO 30K+ · 4.6★ (683)
wp.org #20 ↓5 8 too low 13 
Sitemap by BestWebSoft – WordPress XML Site Map Page Generator Plugin 20K+ · 4.3★ (115)
wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too low 14 
SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131)
wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16 
Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too high 17 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #23 ↓9 6 too low 18 
Go Fetch Jobs (for WP Job Manager) 600+ · 4.5★ (28)
wp.org #18 ↓1 19 
Auto Affiliate Links 2K+ · 4.1★ (39)
wp.org #19 ↓3 20 T Title Toggle for Storefront Theme 3K+ · 4.5★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-currentclosure risk thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 8 too high 21 
Quick and Easy FAQs 10K+ · 4.6★ (36) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓3 22 
Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 BBH Custom Schema – Add Custom JSON-LD to Your Website 900+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 
Advanced Ads for WPBakery Page Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 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.