wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “function”
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 “function”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Friendly Functions for Welcart shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Reset places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1014 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.
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 ↑2 2 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #5 ↑3 2 too low 4 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #4 5 
Hide Cart Functions 3K+ · 4.6★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 too high 6 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too low 7 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #9 ↑6 2 too low 8 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #16 ↑3 3 too low 14 
Search Regex 100K+ · 4.7★ (101)
wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too low 15 
Code Engine – PHP Snippets, AI Functions & Automation for WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑1 9 too high 16 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓9 2 too high 17 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302)
wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too low 19 
SMTP Mailer 70K+ · 4.6★ (67)
wp.org #17 ↓3 2 too high 20 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
WP-PageNavi 400K+ · 4.7★ (149)
wp.org #21 ↓5 22 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #22 23 
Disable Generate Thumbnails 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too high 24 Friendly Functions for Welcart 900+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓2 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.