wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “join”
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 “join”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Kadence Starter Templates — Predesigned Website Templates shows at wp.org #17 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 19 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 418 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.
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #1 2 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #2 3 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
WP Telegram Widget and Join Link 4K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #8 ↑4 2 too low 7 
Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71)
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 
WP Table Builder – Drag & Drop Table Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (681)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114)
wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (108)
wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too high 17 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #15 ↑9 2 too high 18 
Presto Player 100K+ · 4.8★ (346)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Simple Page Ordering 100K+ · 4.7★ (131)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
PublishPress Planner – Editorial Calendar, Marketing Content, Kanban Board 6K+ · 4.9★ (178)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386)
wp.org #22 23 
Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 Kadence Starter Templates — Predesigned Website Templates 200K+ · 4.3★ (19) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #17 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.