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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “guessing”

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 “guessing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

EasyTest – Simplify A/B Testing shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ 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

Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 640 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #1 2 WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #5 ↑5 1 too low 5 Safe SVG 1M+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1139) wp.org #18 ↑1 9 too low 10 Slim SEO – AI SEO Plugin, Lightweight, Fast & Automated 70K+ · 4.7★ (136) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization 200K+ · 4.7★ (640) wp.org #22 ↑2 10 too low 13 Search Insights – Privacy-Friendly Search Analytics 3K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too high 14 Microsoft Clarity 200K+ · 4.5★ (14) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 Free Shipping Label and Progress Bar for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (43) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 WSB HUB3 1K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 My Agile Privacy® – CMP, Cookie Consent & Privacy Tools 7K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 SysBasics Customize My Account for WooCommerce – Live My Account Customizer 7K+ · 4.2★ (33) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 Affiliate Sales in Google Analytics and other tools 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Gmap Block 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 Protect Login 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Usermaven 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too high 23 REPORTiT – Advanced Reporting for WooCommerce 600+ · 3.0★ (6) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 EasyTest – Simplify A/B Testing 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 11 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.