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

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 “individual”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 3 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

Individual Multisite Author shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

W3 Total Cache places #8 on merit, 4.4★ from 5420 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 2 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #2 3 Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104) wp.org #3 4 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Individual Multisite Author 30+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #21 ↓2 4 too low 18 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 U Unique Headers 10K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Meta Tag Manager 70K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too high 23 Min Max Quantities – Set Minimum/Maximum Quantity & Price Limits with Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (60) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Unnotifier — disable admin notices individually 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↑1 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.