Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “microsoft 365”

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 “microsoft 365”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

All-in-One Microsoft 365 & Entra ID / Azure AD SSO Login shows at wp.org #6 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 402 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 WPO365 | MICROSOFT 365 GRAPH MAILER 10K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 ICS Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (72) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327) wp.org #18 ↓3 10 too low 9 Meow Mailer – Free SMTP, Everything Included 900+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #9 10 SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login 10K+ · 4.9★ (402) wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11 miniOrange Embed Files for SharePoint/OneDrive 700+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 YaySMTP – WP Mail SMTP with Email Logs, Tracking & Reports 10K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 All-in-One Microsoft 365 & Entra ID / Azure AD SSO Login 600+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 Add to Calendar Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Dynamics 365 Integration 500+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Integrate Dynamics 365 CRM 80+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Xagio SEO & AEO – AI SEO for Google Rankings & AI Visibility 10K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 Eventward 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑3 4 too high 20 DixonSMTP for Outlook & Microsoft 365 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 Pinny’s Simple SMTP – Lightweight SMTP Mailer 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Web357 Mail Connect for Microsoft Outlook 365 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑4 2 too high 23 miniOrange Embed Outlook Teams Calendar Events 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Mesh SMTP – Easy WordPress SMTP & Email Delivery 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.