wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “lower case”
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 “lower case”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.
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
Sticky Block for Gutenberg Editor shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 4755 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #1 2 
Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #8 4 too low 5 
Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Discount Rules and Dynamic Pricing for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (248)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 
Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Packlink PRO for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.4★ (263)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #13 ↓3 3 too low 11 
Override String Translations 1K+ · 3.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↑1 9 too high 12 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Robin Image Optimizer – Unlimited Image Optimization, WebP & AVIF 100K+ · 4.4★ (131)
wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too high 14 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Min Max Quantities – Set Minimum/Maximum Quantity & Price Limits with Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (60)
wp.org #16 17 
Payment Gateway Based Fees and Discounts for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (58)
wp.org #15 ↑9 2 too high 18 
Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104)
wp.org #18 ↓4 19 Sticky Block for Gutenberg Editor 7K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #7 12 too high 20 
FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50)
wp.org #22 ↓4 2 too low 21 U Use Administrator Password 800+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 D Disable Payment Methods based on cart conditions for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 
WPC Price by Quantity for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
PhonePe Payment Solutions 10K+ · 2.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.