wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hook”
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 “hook”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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
Astra Theme Visual Hooks shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #7 ↑2 4 too low 4 
Astra Hooks 20K+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #1 3 too high 5 
Simply Show Hooks 1K+ · 5.0★ (63)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 
Genesis Simple Hooks 20K+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 8 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #10 ↑6 2 too low 9 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #13 ↑8 4 too low 10 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #18 ↓3 8 too low 11 
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267)
wp.org #19 ↑3 8 too low 12 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #21 ↓3 9 too low 13 W WC-AC Hook 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 too high 14 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 3 too high 15 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #15 ↓2 16 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #22 ↓8 6 too low 17 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #16 ↑3 1 too high 18 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #24 ↓4 6 too low 19 
Safe SVG 1M+ · 4.9★ (79) host-installed base
wp.org #12 ↓2 7 too high 20 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #20 21 
wp-Typography 10K+ · 4.6★ (71)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Astra Theme Visual Hooks 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 15 too high 24 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓2 10 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.