wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “latest”
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 “latest”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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
Latest Posts Block – Dynamic Posts Grid, Posts List, Posts Tile with Stunning Layouts for WordPress Blogs & Pages shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 2051 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.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 
Latest Post Shortcode 4K+ · 4.8★ (46)
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 4 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #11 ↑3 5 too low 7 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (742)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too low 9 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #14 ↑2 5 too low 10 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #4 ↑2 8 too high 13 
Latest Posts 4K+ · 4.6★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #3 10 too high 14 
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #24 ↓5 10 too low 15 
WP Downgrade | Specific Core Version 100K+ · 4.8★ (169)
wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too high 17 
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓12 6 too low 18 
Social Feed Gallery 80K+ · 4.5★ (303)
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 J jQuery Updater 20K+ · 4.5★ (64)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 E ETH Redirect to Latest Post 100+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 10 too high 21 
Gutenberg 400K+ · 2.1★ (3888)
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Latest Posts Block – Dynamic Posts Grid, Posts List, Posts Tile with Stunning Layouts for WordPress Blogs & Pages 6K+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 
Feeds for TikTok – Keep Your Site Fresh with Your Latest Videos 1K+ · 3.7★ (3) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 11 too high 24 
Latest Posts by Author with content 30+ · 3.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #22 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.