wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mailerlite”
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 “mailerlite”, 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
Featured Image in RSS Feed by MailerLite shows at wp.org #3 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 21 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #2 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #6. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
MailerLite – Signup forms (official) 100K+ · 2.9★ (41) low rating, top placement
wp.org #1 2 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #6 ↓2 4 too low 3 
Connect Contact Form 7 to Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo, GetResponse, EmailOctopus, Campaign Monitor & Moosend 40K+ · 4.3★ (190)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
MailerLite – WooCommerce integration 30K+ · 2.8★ (64) low rating, top placement
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120)
wp.org #9 ↑10 10 
MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce | WooCommerce Waitlist Pro 20K+ · 4.7★ (122)
wp.org #11 ↓3 12 
Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend 40K+ · 4.9★ (169)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #17 ↑4 4 too low 14 
Website Pop-up Builder by BDOW! (formerly Sumo): Pop-ups + forms for email opt-ins and lead generation 10K+ · 4.2★ (519)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #22 ↓11 6 too low 17 
Optin Forms – Simple List Building Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.6★ (72)
wp.org #13 ↓3 4 too high 18 
Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 
MailOptin – Popup, Optin Forms & Email Newsletters for Mailchimp, HubSpot, AWeber Etc. 10K+ · 4.8★ (438)
wp.org #24 ↓7 5 too low 20 
Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82)
wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too high 21 
ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938)
wp.org #23 ↓8 2 too low 22 
FuseWP – WordPress User Sync to Email List & Marketing Automation (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign etc.) 2K+ · 4.9★ (25)
wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too high 23 
Landingi Landing Pages 2K+ · 5.0★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 Featured Image in RSS Feed by MailerLite 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #3 21 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.