wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “feature me”
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 “feature me”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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
Buy Me a Coffee – Membership, Paywall & Fundraiser with Stripe & PayPal shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 491 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Include Me 4K+ · 4.8★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 
Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189)
wp.org #2 3 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380)
wp.org #12 6 too low 7 
Buy Me a Coffee – Button and Widget Plugin 6K+ · 3.8★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #21 ↓1 12 too low 10 
Login Me Now – Passwordless, Magic Link, OTP & Social Login for WordPress 600+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #6 4 too high 11 
Popups for Divi 100K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #23 12 too low 12 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94)
wp.org #18 ↑3 5 too low 14 
Show Me The Cookies 400+ · 4.8★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #4 10 too high 15 
GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
Manage Notification E-mails 100K+ · 4.8★ (56)
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 C Childify Me 8K+ · 4.6★ (32)
wp.org #14 3 too high 18 
Match Me for BuddyPress & BuddyBoss 200+ · 4.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Blocksy Companion 300K+ · 4.7★ (93)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 W WP Meta and Date Remover 80K+ · 4.2★ (71)
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Multicollab: Content Team Collaboration and Editorial Workflow 300+ · 3.7★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #9 12 too high 22 
involve.me – Create Surveys, Quizzes, Calculators & Forms as Embedded Widgets or Pop-ups 400+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #13 9 too high 23 
Vanquish Attach Me – Order & Product Attachments for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 Buy Me a Coffee – Membership, Paywall & Fundraiser with Stripe & PayPal 90+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #11 13 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.