wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “happy”
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 “happy”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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
Happy Coders Multi Address for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1056 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #2 3 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 6 
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 
Happy FAQs – FAQ, Product FAQ & Help Center 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 
Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 400K+ · 4.9★ (1056)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394)
wp.org #16 ↑3 4 too low 13 
Kadence WooCommerce Email Designer 90K+ · 4.5★ (142)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization 200K+ · 4.7★ (640)
wp.org #21 ↑1 7 too low 15 
Happy Coders OTP Login for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #6 9 too high 16 
Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273)
wp.org #18 ↓2 2 too low 17 T Testimonial Slider 3K+ · 4.2★ (69) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too high 18 
Multi Step for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Table Sorter 5K+ · 4.8★ (29)
wp.org #20 ↑4 21 Happy Coders Multi Address for WooCommerce 80+ · 5.0★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑1 13 too high 22 
Comments Like Dislike 4K+ · 4.6★ (38)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Happy Texting 100+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 13 too high 24 
Happy Ads 30+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
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.