wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “forum”

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 “forum”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

reCAPTCHA for Asgaros Forum shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

wpForo Forum 20K+ · 4.7★ (390) not PHP-current wp.org #1 2

Asgaros Forum 10K+ · 4.7★ (210) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 3

Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186) wp.org #4 ↑3 1 too low 4

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too low 5

bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #5 ↓1 6

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #13 5 too low 9

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #12 3 too low 10

Discussion Board – WordPress Forum Plugin 1K+ · 4.6★ (43) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too high 11

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #18 7 too low 12

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #23 ↓4 10 too low 14

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓9 1 too low 15

reCAPTCHA for Asgaros Forum 4K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #3 12 too high 16

Simple:Press Forum 300+ · 4.2★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑1 7 too high 17

Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869) wp.org #21 4 too low 18

Forumax – AI Powered Advanced Community Forum Plugin 500+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑2 7 too high 19

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #20 1 too low 20

CM Answers – Discussion Forum Plugin for WordPress Q&A 300+ · 3.8★ (86) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21

forumAttachments for bbPress 6K+ · 4.3★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 3 too low 22

ForumWP – Forum & Discussion Board 800+ · 3.6★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓5 3 too high 23

ZenCommunity – Community, Forum, Social Network, Chat & Support Tickets 20+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #16 7 too high 24

Forum Permissions bbPress 60+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓5 2 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.