wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “inputs”
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 “inputs”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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
Input Masks for Elementor Forms shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #2 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #1 2 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #9 7 too low 3 
MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509)
wp.org #7 4 too low 4 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) low rating, top placement
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
Product Input Fields for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
Input Mask For Elementor Form Fields 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 8 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 
Database Addon for Contact Form 7 – CFDB7 600K+ · 5.0★ (1875)
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too low 11 
Form Input Masks For Elementor Forms 10K+ · 4.1★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #5 6 too high 12 
Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #20 ↑3 7 too low 14 
PPOM – Product Addons & Custom Fields for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (283)
wp.org #18 ↑4 4 too low 15 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Quantity Plus Minus Button for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (30)
wp.org #11 5 too high 17 
Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Age Gate 40K+ · 4.6★ (64)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
URL Params 8K+ · 5.0★ (37)
wp.org #22 ↓2 3 too low 20 
International Telephone Input With Flags And Dial Codes 1K+ · 4.1★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #6 14 too high 21 
Co-Authors Plus 20K+ · 3.5★ (77)
wp.org #21 ↓3 22 Z zipaddr-jp 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 
SilkyPress Input Field Block 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24 Input Masks for Elementor Forms 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 16 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.