wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “lite”
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 “lite”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Bold Timeline Lite shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Fluid Checkout for WooCommerce – Lite places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 159 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #1 2 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #2 3 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 4 
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Divi Carousel Lite – Make Carousels for Divi 5 30K+ · 4.8★ (146)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
WP Import Export Lite 40K+ · 4.0★ (113)
wp.org #7 ↑11 1 too low 7 
Permalink Manager Lite 100K+ · 4.8★ (176)
wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 
WP Fusion Lite – Marketing Automation and CRM Integration for WordPress 4K+ · 5.0★ (69)
wp.org #10 ↓3 2 too low 9 
Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 Fluid Checkout for WooCommerce – Lite 20K+ · 4.9★ (159)
wp.org #24 14 too low 11 
GravityExport Lite for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 
WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 
Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy 30K+ · 4.6★ (769) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
Page Visits Counter – Lite 5K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↓1 9 too high 15 S Saphali Woocommerce Lite 10K+ · 4.2★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 6 too high 16 
Age Gate Lite 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #8 8 too high 17 
WP Offload SES Lite 10K+ · 4.3★ (36)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Wonder Slider Lite 8K+ · 4.2★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
Advanced Floating Content Lite 7K+ · 4.1★ (30) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 
Document Library Lite 4K+ · 4.1★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too high 21 
Swift Performance Lite 6K+ · 3.6★ (125) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↑2 22 
EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 
Helper Lite for PageSpeed 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 Bold Timeline Lite 10K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #13 11 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.