wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “jquery forms”
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 “jquery forms”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Signature field for Elementor Forms shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1472 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.
Jquery Validation For Contact Form 7 8K+ · 4.6★ (87)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Gutena Forms – Contact Form, Survey Form, Feedback Form, Booking Form, and Custom Form Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ · 4.3★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 7 WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam 400K+ · 5.0★ (1472)
wp.org #16 ↓1 9 too low 8 
NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.1★ (135)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 
Gravity Forms + Custom Post Types 10K+ · 4.4★ (46)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.8★ (166) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 
Optin Forms – Simple List Building Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.6★ (72)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 
Custom Contact Forms 6K+ · 3.5★ (171)
wp.org #12 ↓1 13 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94)
wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓1 8 too low 15 
jQuery Post Splitter 100+ · 4.6★ (37)
wp.org #15 16 
Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91)
wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 
HIPAA Forms 700+ · 4.3★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑7 10 too high 18 
Image CAPTCHA for Contact Form 7 and WPForms by HookAndHook (DSGVO/GDPR) 70K+ · 4.7★ (49)
wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 
Masks Form Fields 9K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 
Contact Forms by Cimatti 700+ · 4.4★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 
Mega Forms – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Multi-Step & Conditional Logic 200+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Signature field for Elementor Forms 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 14 too high 23 
MailerLite – Signup forms (official) 100K+ · 2.9★ (41) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 
Repeater Fields for Gravity Forms 1K+ · 3.4★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.