wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “google cache”
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 “google cache”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 2 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
Breeze Cache shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 300K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.6★ average from 133 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 399 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.
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #2 3 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #3 4 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
Translate WordPress – Google Language Translator 100K+ · 4.7★ (620)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #10 ↑3 11 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
GA Google Analytics – Connect Google Analytics to WordPress 400K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) not PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓6 4 too low 14 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #14 ↑4 15 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133)
wp.org #8 8 too high 17 
Powered Cache – Caching and Optimization for WordPress – Easily Improve PageSpeed & Web Vitals Score 3K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #13 ↑3 4 too high 18 
Local Google Fonts 100K+ · 4.6★ (83)
wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 
Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin 50K+ · 3.8★ (397) heavy footprint
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Dynamic XML Sitemaps Generator for Google 20K+ · 4.7★ (47)
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 
Insights from Google PageSpeed 10K+ · 4.8★ (28) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 
SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) host-installed base
wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.