wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “installing”
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 “installing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Disable Comments shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 25 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 5925 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #1 2 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872)
wp.org #2 3 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 
Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
Database Addon for Contact Form 7 – CFDB7 600K+ · 5.0★ (1875)
wp.org #6 7 
Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 
WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925)
wp.org #22 ↑2 11 too low 12 S SSH SFTP Updater Support 10K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #12 13 
Fast Velocity Minify 30K+ · 4.6★ (195)
wp.org #13 ↑9 14 
Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525)
wp.org #17 ↑3 3 too low 15 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157)
wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #20 ↓7 4 too low 17 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #21 ↓2 4 too low 18 
Performance Lab 100K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too high 19 
Classic Editor + 30K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 Disable Comments 100K+ · 3.8★ (25)
wp.org #9 ↑5 12 too high 22 
Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236)
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Enable CORS 5K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓3 9 too high 24 
PayU India 7K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.