Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “inclusion”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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

g-FFL Cockpit shows at wp.org #13 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 500+ 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

Post Grid places #7 on merit, 4.3★ from 163 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Redirection 100K+ · 5.0★ (419) wp.org #1 2 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #2 3 Mail logging & Catcher 20K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Advanced Query Loop 6K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 XML Sitemap & Google News 100K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Include Me 4K+ · 4.8★ (21) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8 Subscribe2 – Form, Email Subscribers & Newsletters 10K+ · 3.5★ (116) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Split Test For Elementor 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #9 10 T Testimonial Slider 3K+ · 4.2★ (69) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Lord of the Files: Enhanced Upload Security 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #12 13 Insights from Google PageSpeed 10K+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 RSFirewall! 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 S SFN Easy FAQ Manager 2K+ · 4.4★ (12) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 Atomic Edge Security – Firewall, Malware Scan and Login Security 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #18 19 M-Pesa(Kenya) Checkout for Woocommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 Bisteinoff SEO Robots.txt 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too low 21 g-FFL Cockpit 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22 AI Content Signals 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 C Custom Post Display 60+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 CDI – Collect and Deliver Interface for Woocommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.