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

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 “instructions”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Reddit for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 90K+ 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

Popups for Divi places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 442 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #1 ↑1 2

Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current wp.org #2 ↓1 3

Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #3 4

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #4 5

WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356) heavy footprint wp.org #5 ↑2 6

WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #6 ↑12 7

Complianz – Terms and Conditions 300K+ · 4.9★ (187) wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9

Popups for Divi 100K+ · 4.8★ (442) wp.org #17 8 too low 10

Really Simple CAPTCHA 300K+ · 4.2★ (131) wp.org #12 ↑2 2 too low 11

Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209) wp.org #19 8 too low 12

WordPress Importer 2M+ · 3.1★ (327) wp.org #9 3 too high 13

Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #20 ↑2 7 too low 14

Accept Stripe Payments 20K+ · 4.1★ (114) wp.org #22 ↓12 8 too low 15

Map Block for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓2 16

Button visually impaired 10K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #23 7 too low 17

Admin Help Docs 600+ · 5.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #8 9 too high 18

Gutenberg 400K+ · 2.1★ (3888) wp.org #18 19 D Dashboard Notes 500+ · 4.7★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20

Ultimate Client Dash 2K+ · 4.8★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 A Action Scheduler 20K+ · 3.5★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↑8 8 too high 22

WPS Notice Center 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too high 23

AI Scrape Protect 400+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Reddit for WooCommerce 90K+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑1 13 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.