wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “google plus 1”
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 plus 1”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Embedder for Google Reviews shows at wp.org #16 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 8709 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #1 2 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #2 3 
Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 100K+ · 4.6★ (572)
wp.org #3 ↑2 4 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #7 8 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911)
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 
reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391)
wp.org #11 3 too high 15 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #15 ↑1 16 
Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184)
wp.org #17 ↓4 1 too low 17 
WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122)
wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too high 18 
Media Library Folders 10K+ · 4.3★ (465)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
Product Feed for Google Shopping, Microsoft Advertising and 40+ Channels for WooCommerce Merchant 2K+ · 4.8★ (87)
wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 
Autocomplete Google Address 2K+ · 4.0★ (25)
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Embedder for Google Reviews 6K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 
HT Easy GA4 – Google Analytics WordPress Plugin 6K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 2 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.