wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “iphone app builder”
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 “iphone app builder”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
AppPresser – Mobile App Framework shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 53 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
All-in-one Sticky Floating Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, and 50+ Social Icon Tabs – My Sticky Elements places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 542 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Anti-Spam by CleanTalk – Spam Protection Without CAPTCHA 200K+ · 4.8★ (3217)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
AppMySite – WordPress & WooCommerce Mobile App Builder (No-Code Android & iOS App Maker) 7K+ · 4.3★ (138) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Brave – Create Popup, Optins, Lead Generation, Survey, Sticky Elements & Interactive Content 20K+ · 4.8★ (209)
wp.org #3 4 
AI Engine – The Chatbot, AI Framework & MCP for WordPress 90K+ · 4.9★ (869)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4126) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 
Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 
WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (134)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 
Photo Engine (Media Organizer & Lightroom) 2K+ · 4.9★ (210)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 All-in-one Sticky Floating Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, and 50+ Social Icon Tabs – My Sticky Elements 40K+ · 4.9★ (542)
wp.org #19 ↓2 8 too low 12 
Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 13 
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (470)
wp.org #21 ↓2 8 too low 14 
Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 
FunnelKit Payment Gateway for Stripe WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.9★ (52)
wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 AppPresser – Mobile App Framework 1K+ · 3.7★ (53) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 9 too high 17 
Hyper PWA – Bringing Modern Progressive Web App Experiences 300+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18 
Fluent Booking – The Ultimate Appointments Scheduling, Events Booking, Events Calendar Solution 20K+ · 4.7★ (46)
wp.org #24 ↓4 6 too low 19 
Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (30) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
UnoDock – Mobile Bottom Navigation 600+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 
PWA – Progressive Web App Builder by WPCodeQuill 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
Appza builder 10+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 7 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.