wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “flag post”
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 “flag post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Post Export Import with Media shows at wp.org #11 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 108 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #3 4 
Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004)
wp.org #4 5 
Contextual Related Posts 50K+ · 4.8★ (201)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #9 ↓4 2 too low 8 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too low 9 
Pay For Post with WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (53)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 N NS Featured Posts 4K+ · 4.8★ (29)
wp.org #10 11 
Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post 200+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑4 6 too high 12 Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (108)
wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 
Unlist Posts & Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #8 6 too high 15 
Wicked Folders – Folder Organizer for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types 20K+ · 4.9★ (56)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 
Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 D Display custom fields in the frontend – Post and User Profile Fields 500+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 
Post Status Notifier Lite 700+ · 3.9★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Post Kinds 100+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 
TableKit – WordPress Table Builder for Data Tables, WooCommerce Product Tables & Post Tables 3K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 24 
Dynamic Post – AI Content – White Paper – Peer Review – Tax & Accounting Sites 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.