wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “fix another update”
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 “fix another update”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
WP Updates Notifier shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 35 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 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.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #3 4 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #4 ↑16 3 too high 8 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #8 ↓2 9 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301)
wp.org #10 ↑2 11 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133)
wp.org #12 ↓3 1 too high 14 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5210)
wp.org #21 ↑2 4 too low 18 
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #24 ↓5 6 too low 19 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #19 ↓5 20 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 
Atarim – AI Agency for WordPress: Edit Pages, Fix Code, Update Plugins, SEO & Client Feedback 1K+ · 4.9★ (126)
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605)
wp.org #16 ↓5 7 too high 24 WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35)
wp.org #14 10 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.