wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “measure plugins”
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 “measure plugins”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
HT Easy GA4 – Google Analytics WordPress Plugin shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1072 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.
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #1 2 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 U Unit Of Measure (UOM) for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #7 ↑1 8 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #10 ↑5 2 too low 9 
Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (439)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1072)
wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too low 11 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612)
wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 
Plugin Load Filter 7K+ · 4.8★ (52)
wp.org #9 4 too high 14 
MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559)
wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 
SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289)
wp.org #18 ↑4 3 too low 16 
Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ · 4.4★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 8 too high 17 
Feeds for YouTube (YouTube video, channel, and gallery plugin) 100K+ · 4.8★ (205)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
HTML Forms – Simple WordPress Forms Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (57)
wp.org #19 ↓1 20 
LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98)
wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 HT Easy GA4 – Google Analytics WordPress Plugin 6K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too high 22 
Membership Plugin – Kadence Memberships 8K+ · 3.1★ (100)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
atec Profiler 90+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too high 24 
Plugin Memory Usage 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.