Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “google play”

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 play”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

EmbedPress places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 307 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #1 2 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #9 ↑7 4 too low 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #10 ↑3 4 too low 7 Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 WPMR Google Feed Manager for WooCommerce – Sell on Google Merchant Center & Shopping 10K+ · 4.5★ (127) wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too high 9 Shared Albums for Google Photos 500+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #5 ↑2 4 too high 10 Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006) wp.org #17 ↑1 7 too low 11 WP-Appbox 2K+ · 4.5★ (63) wp.org #11 12 EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) wp.org #20 ↓14 8 too low 13 WPMobile.App – Android and iOS App Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (162) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 Reviews Widgets for Google & 45+ platforms by Repuso 1K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #14 ↑1 15 Video Player Block – play videos beautifully on any device 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 Dinosaur Game 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 AppMySite – WordPress & WooCommerce Mobile App Builder (No-Code Android & iOS App Maker) 7K+ · 4.3★ (138) wp.org #21 ↑2 2 too low 20 Radio Station by netmix® – Manage and play your Show Schedule in WordPress! 1K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 ELEX WooCommerce Google Shopping (Google Product Feed) 1K+ · 3.8★ (14) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Analytify – Dashboard Widget for Google Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓4 6 too high 23 Sheet to Table Live Sync for Google Sheet 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 Gallery for Google Photos – share your albums right on your site 1K+ · 2.7★ (6) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 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.