wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “letter”
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 “letter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
AlphaListing shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Easy Auto SKU Generator for WooCommerce places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 272 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Leira Letter Avatar 6K+ · 4.9★ (28)
wp.org #1 2 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Fonts Plugin | Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts & Upload Fonts 200K+ · 5.0★ (1221) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 5 too low 6 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 
Barcode Generator: Print Product Labels & Order Barcode Label (A4, Thermal/Roll, Letter) 900+ · 4.5★ (74)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 
Captcha Code 100K+ · 3.9★ (35)
wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 Easy Auto SKU Generator for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (272)
wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too low 12 
CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓5 2 too high 14 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #20 ↑1 6 too low 15 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
Orphans 50K+ · 5.0★ (164)
wp.org #24 ↓2 8 too low 17 
WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 
Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 9 too high 19 
Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar 60K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #21 ↓4 2 too low 20 
Auto Image Attributes From Filename With Bulk Updater (Add Alt Text, Image Title For Image SEO) 100K+ · 4.8★ (93)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
Zalomení 6K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 AlphaListing 600+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 10 too high 23 B Bulglish Permalinks 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓5 5 too high 24 
Royal Mail Shipping Calculator for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 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.