wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “interact”
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 “interact”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 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
Hostinger Tools shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 3M+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 40 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 
Interact Quiz & Form Embed 3K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195)
wp.org #6 ↑3 2 too low 5 
Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #5 ↑3 6 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171)
wp.org #7 8 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #16 ↑2 8 too low 9 
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #21 ↓4 12 too low 10 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #23 13 too low 11 
Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #18 ↑6 6 too low 13 
ActivityPub 6K+ · 4.9★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓2 5 too high 14 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273)
wp.org #15 ↓3 16 
CAPTCHA 4WP – Antispam CAPTCHA solution for WordPress 100K+ · 3.2★ (269)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 
WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #17 ↓2 18 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) host-installed base
wp.org #4 14 too high 19 
3D Viewer – Turn Product Pages into Interactive 3D Experiences 9K+ · 4.7★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓3 5 too high 20 
Image CAPTCHA for Contact Form 7 and WPForms by HookAndHook (DSGVO/GDPR) 70K+ · 4.7★ (49)
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Microsoft Clarity 200K+ · 4.5★ (14) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 12 too high 22 
Meta pixel for WordPress 400K+ · 2.7★ (164)
wp.org #11 ↑3 11 too high 23 
Custom API for WP 1K+ · 4.8★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 
GoSMTP – SMTP for WordPress 500K+ · 4.3★ (10) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 2 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.