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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “metric”

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 “metric”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 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

SEO Metrics shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 500+ 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

Post Views Counter places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1236 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #1 2 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #2 3 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #3 4 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 Metricool – Social media and site statistics 90K+ · 4.4★ (23) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #10 ↑13 2 too low 9 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too high 10 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #13 ↑3 2 too low 12 Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (625) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 ManageWP Worker 1M+ · 4.6★ (679) wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ · 4.2★ (139) wp.org #16 ↓2 17 Metorik – Reports & Email Automation for WooCommerce 9K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #24 ↓4 6 too low 19 APCu Manager 10K+ · 4.6★ (20) wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 SEO Metrics 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 Optimization Detective 60K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 Block Metrics – Animated State Counter 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 Image Prioritizer 40K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Help Metric Article Helpful Feedback 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑4 6 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.