wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “html sitemap plugin”
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 “html sitemap plugin”, 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
Display HTML Sitemap shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 1268 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #1 2 
XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72)
wp.org #3 4 
WP Sitemap Page 200K+ · 4.8★ (205)
wp.org #8 4 too low 5 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #12 ↑2 7 too low 6 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1268)
wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too low 7 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 
HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
WP Simple HTML Sitemap 3K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #4 5 too high 10 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 
XML Sitemap & Google News 100K+ · 4.4★ (85)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Kwayy HTML Sitemap 6K+ · 4.7★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #6 6 too high 13 
Dynamic XML Sitemaps Generator for Google 20K+ · 4.7★ (47)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 
Hierarchical HTML Sitemap 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #7 7 too high 15 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #15 ↓2 16 
Slim SEO – AI SEO Plugin, Lightweight, Fast & Automated 70K+ · 4.7★ (136)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Companion Sitemap Generator – Simple, Smart, and SEO-Ready 6K+ · 4.7★ (55)
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 
Sitemap Generator 3K+ · 3.7★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 
Dynamic HTML Sitemap 60+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 20 D Display HTML Sitemap 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #9 11 too high 21 
HTML Page Publisher 500+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
WP Sitemap Pages and Posts 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Rapls Sitemap – HTML Sitemap & Post List 70+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 
NaviTree HTML Sitemap 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.