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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “global values”

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 “global values”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

WP Global Site Tag shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Custom Global Variables 5K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 morkva UA Shipping – Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Rozetka, Nova Global 1K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too low 10 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #11 ↑2 12 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #23 ↓2 11 too low 13 Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks 100K+ · 4.9★ (522) wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #24 ↓5 9 too low 16 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Min Max Control – Min Max Quantity & Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too low 18 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ · 4.6★ (132) wp.org #18 ↓3 1 too high 20 Safe SVG 1M+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too high 21 WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 17 too high 22 Sitewide Discount for WooCommerce: Apply Discount to All Products 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 ↓2 8 too high 23 Abdiel Global Variables 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓2 10 too high 24 GlobalPayments Gateway Provider for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓4 12 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.