wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “favorite plugins”
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 “favorite plugins”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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
HivePress Favorites shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 4514 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.
Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104)
wp.org #1 2 
Favorites 10K+ · 4.6★ (133)
wp.org #2 3 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #10 ↑7 4 too low 7 
CBX Bookmark & Favorite 1K+ · 4.6★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑2 4 too high 8 
CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too high 9 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too low 10 
GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (221)
wp.org #13 ↑9 2 too low 12 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too low 13 
Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244)
wp.org #24 11 too low 14 
Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18 
My Favorites 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too high 19 
NP Quote Request for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.6★ (87)
wp.org #21 ↓10 2 too low 20 HivePress Favorites 7K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 15 too high 21 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51)
wp.org #20 ↓6 1 too high 22 
BuddyPress Favorite Notification 80+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 
Eazy Plugin Manager 80+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 
WSP MCP – Free MCP Plugin for WordPress: Connect Claude, ChatGPT & AI Agents 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 6 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.