wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “load average”
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 “load average”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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
Ressources shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy places #6 on merit, 4.7★ from 591 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #3 4 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #8 ↓3 3 too low 6 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #10 ↑3 4 too low 7 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 8 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑3 3 too high 9 
Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #4 5 too high 10 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #14 ↓4 4 too low 11 
Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 
Hummingbird Performance – Cache & Page Speed Optimization for Core Web Vitals | Critical CSS | Minify CSS | Defer CSS Javascript | CDN 70K+ · 4.7★ (1488)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #18 ↑4 1 too low 18 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑2 6 too high 19 
Music Player for Elementor – Audio Player & Podcast Player 10K+ · 4.7★ (123)
wp.org #23 ↑1 4 too low 20 
FireBox – WooCommerce Popup Builder, Exit Intent Popup, Email Optin & Cart Abandonment 6K+ · 4.8★ (76)
wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 
Modern Cart – WooCommerce Side Cart & Popup Cart 60K+ · 4.9★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 
Clicky Analytics 10K+ · 4.5★ (25) not PHP-current
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
HTTP Requests Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 Ressources 60+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #9 15 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.