wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “lost”

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 “lost”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Lost Search Result Tracker shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10+ 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 Automations – Email Marketing Automation and CRM for WordPress & WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 346 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) wp.org #1 2

hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #2 3

All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce | WooCommerce Waitlist Pro 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 5K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #6 1 too high 8

FunnelKit Automations – Email Marketing Automation and CRM for WordPress & WooCommerce 20K+ · 5.0★ (346) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #9 ↑1 10

Captcha Code 100K+ · 3.9★ (35) wp.org #5 5 too high 11

ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking 10K+ · 4.7★ (128) wp.org #11 12

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13

WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15

Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433) wp.org #23 ↑1 8 too low 16

SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #16 1 too high 18

Frontend Reset Password 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #19 1 too low 19

Abandoned Cart Lite for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.1★ (84) wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20

SEO Redirection Plugin – 301 Redirect Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (73) wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21

Lost Search Result Tracker 10+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22

mosparo Integration 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #20 2 too high 23

Hostinger Reach – AI-Powered Email Marketing for WordPress 1M+ · 5.0★ (8) host-installed base thin reviews wp.org #21 2 too high 24

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.