wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “load more”
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 more”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 4 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
Query Loop Load More shows at wp.org #4 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 800+ 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
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load 30K+ · 4.8★ (287)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too low 4 
Load More Products for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 
Load More Anything 5K+ · 4.5★ (73)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
a3 Lazy Load 80K+ · 4.3★ (148)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ · 4.2★ (139)
wp.org #9 ↑11 1 too low 9 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #21 12 too low 10 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓2 12 
Read More Without Refresh 20K+ · 4.2★ (55)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #14 ↓2 15 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Lazy Load for Videos 9K+ · 4.4★ (105) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too high 17 
Plugin Load Filter 7K+ · 4.8★ (52)
wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 
Disqus Conditional Load 3K+ · 4.5★ (64)
wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too high 19 
Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #23 ↑1 4 too low 20 Query Loop Load More 800+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #4 16 too high 21 
Flying Images: Optimize and Lazy Load Images for Faster Page Speed 2K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 
Disable Lazy Load 9K+ · 4.5★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 
Lazy Load Control For Elementor – Remove the Lazy Load attribute from specific images in Elementor 3K+ · 4.9★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
Ajax Load More for Advanced Custom Fields 2K+ · 4.6★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 12 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.