wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “main”
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 “main”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Premmerce Permalink Manager for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #13 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 40K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 53 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 2354 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #1 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode 600K+ · 4.9★ (4699)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71)
wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342)
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #8 9 
CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326)
wp.org #9 ↑1 10 
Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Page & Under Construction 10K+ · 4.8★ (317)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) low rating, top placement
wp.org #5 ↓1 7 too high 13 
Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763)
wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 
Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too low 15 
Under Construction, Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode 10K+ · 4.6★ (46)
wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131)
wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19 
InfiniteWP Client 200K+ · 4.4★ (177)
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 
Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.8★ (166)
wp.org #24 ↓6 4 too low 21 Premmerce Permalink Manager for WooCommerce 40K+ · 3.9★ (53)
wp.org #13 8 too high 22 
SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too high 23 
Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too high 24 
MainWP Child Reports 100K+ · 4.3★ (6) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #23 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.