wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “group selection”
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 “group selection”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
FOXPOST – Packeta Group shows at wp.org #3 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 474 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236)
wp.org #1 2 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 P Private groups 1K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926)
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (108)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 
Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
WC – APG Weight Shipping 6K+ · 4.3★ (49)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793)
wp.org #17 ↑2 6 too low 12 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #19 ↓5 7 too low 13 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too low 14 
CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91)
wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 
FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78)
wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too high 16 
Cost Calculator Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (393)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #23 ↑1 6 too low 18 
BuddyPress Registration Groups 100+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #6 12 too high 19 
Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
WC – APG SMS Notifications 300+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 22 FOXPOST – Packeta Group 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #3 19 too high 23 
GLS Shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 
Bob Pay 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 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.