wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “facebook api”
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 “facebook api”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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
WP Consent API shows at wp.org #2 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 20 places. Its 200K+ 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
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #4 3 too low 2 
Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511)
wp.org #7 5 too low 3 
Easy Social Feed – All In One Social Feed Plugin for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (502)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Meta for WooCommerce 400K+ · 2.1★ (481) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #1 3 too high 5 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #5 6 
Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too low 9 
Meta pixel for WordPress 400K+ · 2.7★ (164) low rating, top placement
wp.org #3 6 too high 10 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #12 ↑3 2 too low 11 
WP Review Slider 6K+ · 4.8★ (181) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122)
wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too low 15 
WP2Social Auto Publish 9K+ · 4.8★ (640)
wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 
Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓2 17 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74)
wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 
Pixel Cat – Conversion Pixel Manager 40K+ · 4.0★ (41)
wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 
Mongoose Page Plugin 10K+ · 4.6★ (64)
wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 
Import Social Events 3K+ · 4.8★ (116)
wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #2 20 too high 23 
Social LikeBox & Feed 10K+ · 3.3★ (47)
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 
JSON API User 1K+ · 3.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.