wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “material wordpress”

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 “material wordpress”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 3 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

AR for WordPress shows at wp.org #4 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution places #9 on merit, 4.4★ from 590 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3026) wp.org #1 2

MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147) wp.org #2 ↑1 3

LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #3 ↑3 4

PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ · 4.7★ (529) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6

Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #6 ↓2 7

MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487) heavy footprint wp.org #10 ↑4 3 too low 8

Optimus – WordPress Image Optimizer 30K+ · 4.2★ (69) wp.org #8 ↑2 9

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) heavy footprint wp.org #14 ↓5 5 too low 10

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11

Print My Blog – Print, PDF, & eBook Converter WordPress Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (115) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too high 12

Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #11 ↑4 1 too high 13

Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #19 ↑2 6 too low 14

AR for WordPress 300+ · 4.6★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #4 ↑3 10 too high 15

DK PDF – WordPress PDF Generator 3K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #13 ↑3 2 too high 16

WP OAuth Server ( Login with WordPress ) 1K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #15 ↑3 1 too high 17

NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.1★ (135) wp.org #17 ↑2 18

OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #24 6 too low 19

Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20

Copy Anything to Clipboard for WordPress – Copy Button, Copy Text & Copy Code 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #20 21

Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 22

Safelayout Elegant Icons – WordPress icons 700+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too high 23

Aimogen – AI Content Writer, Chatbot, Editor and AI Automation for WordPress 400+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #23 ↑1 24

Material Dashboard 40+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↑1 8 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.