wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “intent”
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 “intent”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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
Google for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 800K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.7★ average from 268 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Brave – Create Popup, Optins, Lead Generation, Survey, Sticky Elements & Interactive Content places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 209 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
FireBox – WooCommerce Popup Builder, Exit Intent Popup, Email Optin & Cart Abandonment 6K+ · 4.8★ (76)
wp.org #3 4 
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Popup Maker – Responsive popup, Exit Intent Pop up, Email Optins, Autoresponder & More 7K+ · 4.5★ (144)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 
Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Popup Builder by Claspo – Email Popup, Spin the Wheel, Exit Intent 1K+ · 5.0★ (40)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Brave – Create Popup, Optins, Lead Generation, Survey, Sticky Elements & Interactive Content 20K+ · 4.8★ (209)
wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 
Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑9 3 too low 13 
Customer Engagement System – Popup Builder, Forms, CRM & Email Marketing Automation 9K+ · 4.5★ (340)
wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 
AI Popup Builder & Popup Maker by OptiMonk 3K+ · 4.7★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
CartBounty – Save and recover abandoned carts for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (84) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too low 16 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Poptics – Popup Builder, Email Opt-ins, Exit-Intent & WooCommerce Popups Sales 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓1 8 too high 19 
Popup and Widget Builder: Lead Capture, Exit Intent, Forms, Quizzes, Gamification 200+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #13 6 too high 20 
Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 
Montonio for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 4 too high 22 
Advanced Popups 60K+ · 4.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Instant Popup Builder – Popup Maker for Videos, Forms, Offers, Announcements, Galleries & Exit Intent 100+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓3 3 too high 24 
WooCommerce Legacy REST API 400K+ · 1.5★ (29) host-installed base
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.