wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “lead magnet”

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 “lead magnet”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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 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

Leadpages shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #1 2

Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3

Beacon Lead Magnets and Lead Capture 500+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4

Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Zoho CRM Lead Magnet 3K+ · 3.1★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #2 3 too high 6

Icegram Engage – Popups, Welcome Bars, Optins, Slide-Ins & Lead Generation for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (370) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓3 4 too low 7

FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout 30K+ · 5.0★ (1028) wp.org #22 ↓8 15 too low 8

Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 ↑1 9

Cozy Blocks – Website Builder & Business Growth Toolkit | Popups, Lead Forms & Inbox 6K+ · 4.6★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #7 2 too high 10

Icegram Collect – Easy Contact Form, Subscription Form & Lead Collection Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #9 1 too high 11

Email Subscribers & Newsletters by Icegram Express – Email Marketing, Post Notifications & WooCommerce Marekting Automation for WordPress 50K+ · 4.6★ (1170) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 5 too low 12

Document Embedder – let visitors read files without downloading 9K+ · 4.9★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↑8 13

Mail Mint – Email Marketing, Automation & WooCommerce Emails with AI Assistance 4K+ · 4.7★ (125) wp.org #18 5 too low 14

Customer Engagement System – Popup Builder, Forms, CRM & Email Marketing Automation 9K+ · 4.5★ (340) wp.org #23 ↓13 9 too low 15

MPL-Publisher — Ebook & Audiobook Creator 700+ · 4.9★ (46) wp.org #15 ↓1 16

DK PDF – WordPress PDF Generator 3K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17

Funnelforms Free – Multi Step Form, Contact Form & Lead Funnel Builder 1K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #17 18

Leadpages 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #6 12 too high 19

Convertful – Your Ultimate On-Site Conversion Tool 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓5 5 too low 20

eBook Crafter – Convert Posts to PDF eBooks, Ready to Print 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↑3 1 too high 21

Download Magnet 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22

Email Gated Downloads 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #11 11 too high 23

Subscribe to Download Lite – Email Before Download Plugin 400+ · 3.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓6 2 too high 24

Lead Magnet Locker 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #20 4 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.