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

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 “identifier”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 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

WP Global Site Tag shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Related Posts Thumbnails places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 234 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #1 2

SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – RexFeed – Sell on 200+ Shopping Channels 10K+ · 4.8★ (256) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↑3 3 too low 7

Code Embed 10K+ · 4.4★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8

WDesignKit – AI Templates, Widget Builder & MCP Workflow 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9

Product Code for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (30) wp.org #11 2 too low 10

WPGraphQL 30K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #15 5 too low 11

DTX – Dynamic Text Extension for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.7★ (99) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 ↓6 2 too low 12

Highlight Search Terms 6K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #17 ↓4 4 too low 14

Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓6 7 too low 15

Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #22 ↓12 7 too low 16

Invisible reCaptcha 70K+ · 4.3★ (133) wp.org #24 ↓3 8 too low 17

WPOrLogin – Custom Login, Social Login, CAPTCHA & Security 2K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #19 2 too low 18

WCMultiShipping — Mondial Relay, Inpost & Chronopost for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (33) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 4 too high 19

Advanced Query Loop 6K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #20 ↓6 1 too low 20

Zoho Flow – No-Code Workflow Automation 5K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #16 4 too high 21

WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #8 13 too high 22

ClickCease Click Fraud Protection 10K+ · 3.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #12 10 too high 23

Block for Apple Maps 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓1 13 too high 24

Ubersuggest SEO Tools 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓7 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.