wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “grades”
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 “grades”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Media Library Downloader shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WCFM Marketplace – Multivendor Marketplace for WooCommerce places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 449 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #1 2 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #2 3 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #3 4 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #4 5 
Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394)
wp.org #5 ↑2 6 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 WCFM Marketplace – Multivendor Marketplace for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (449)
wp.org #13 ↑1 6 too low 8 
MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487)
wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too low 9 
LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ · 4.2★ (139)
wp.org #9 10 
Watu Quiz 3K+ · 4.7★ (137)
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑6 4 too high 12 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #6 8 too high 15 
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
SecuPress with Simple SSL – Simple and Performant Security 40K+ · 4.1★ (106)
wp.org #16 17 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓7 5 too high 18 
WP GPX Maps 4K+ · 4.1★ (59)
wp.org #15 ↓5 3 too high 19 
Twenty20 Image Before-After 20K+ · 4.0★ (54)
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
Powered Cache – Caching and Optimization for WordPress – Easily Improve PageSpeed & Web Vitals Score 3K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 Media Library Downloader 5K+ · 4.8★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 too high 22 
WP Search with Algolia 7K+ · 4.5★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
School Management System – WPSchoolPress 1K+ · 4.0★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
CMS ADMINS Security Check Report 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #22 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.