wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “install”
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 “install”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 800K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.4★ average from 177 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 6053 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Auto-Install Free SSL – Generate & Install Free SSL Certificates 8K+ · 4.9★ (405)
wp.org #1 2 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 
WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568)
wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects 9K+ · 4.9★ (665)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #17 8 too low 10 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too low 11 
Migrate Guru – Site Migration & Cloning 200K+ · 4.9★ (1645)
wp.org #19 ↓6 8 too low 12 
Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87)
wp.org #11 ↓5 1 too high 13 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #14 ↑5 1 too low 14 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 
Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator 200K+ · 4.9★ (802)
wp.org #20 ↓5 5 too low 16 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #4 12 too high 17 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #16 2 too high 19 
Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135)
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Cloudflare 200K+ · 3.5★ (181)
wp.org #13 ↑5 7 too high 21 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #22 ↓11 1 too low 22 
InfiniteWP Client 200K+ · 4.4★ (177)
wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑2 13 too high 24 B Bulk Plugin Installation 300+ · 3.6★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.