wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “gold”
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 “gold”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 plugins are 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
Gold Price Live – Gold & Silver Prices, Charts, Widgets, Melt Value Calculator shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #1 2 
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #8 5 too low 4 
Gold Price Based on Weight 300+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑5 6 
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) not PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓4 3 too low 7 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 
Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑4 3 too low 13 
Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 
Loyalty Points Rewards and Referral for WooCommerce – WPLoyalty 3K+ · 5.0★ (310) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑2 8 too low 15 
Importify – AI Dropshipping for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #18 ↓4 3 too low 16 
Jetpack Search 5K+ · 4.5★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑3 3 too low 18 
WCFM Membership – WooCommerce Memberships for Multivendor Marketplace 10K+ · 4.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too high 19 Gold Price Live – Gold & Silver Prices, Charts, Widgets, Melt Value Calculator 200+ · 2.5★ (8) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 16 too high 20 
ELEX WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing and Discounts 700+ · 4.3★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Raffle Ticket Generator – Woocommerce 100+ · 4.3★ (9) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 
PayPal Payment Buttons 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑4 5 too high 23 
MetalpriceAPI 500+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 9 too high 24 
UniConsent Cookie Consent CMP – Consent Manager 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.