wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “futures”
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 “futures”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
The Future Is Now shows at wp.org #5 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
W3 Total Cache places #10 on merit, 4.4★ from 5420 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.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Far Future Expiry Header 6K+ · 3.2★ (31) low rating, top placement
wp.org #3 5 too high 9 
Quick Featured Images 50K+ · 4.7★ (235)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #15 ↑6 5 too low 11 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #11 ↑1 12 
Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106)
wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13 The Future Is Now 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↓1 8 too high 14 
WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66)
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #22 ↑2 5 too low 18 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #13 5 too high 19 R Really Simple CSV Importer 40K+ · 4.9★ (107)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #20 ↓5 21 
Timeline Module for Divi 3K+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 
Nexi XPay 7K+ · 3.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 
BOX NOW Delivery Croatia + Slovenia 900+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
BOX NOW Delivery 6K+ · 2.4★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 3 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.