Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “module”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 5 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

Infinity TNC Divi Modules shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 900+ 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

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 2143 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 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #1 2 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 Breadcrumbs Divi Module 10K+ · 4.5★ (14) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Supreme Modules Lite – Divi Theme, Extra Theme and Divi Builder 200K+ · 4.8★ (109) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Flip Cards Module For Divi 3K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too low 8 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #15 ↓4 7 too low 9 Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394) wp.org #18 ↑1 9 too low 10 Timeline Module for Divi 3K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #4 ↓1 6 too high 11 Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859) wp.org #19 ↓1 8 too low 12 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #22 ↑2 10 too low 13 Overlay Image Divi Module 2K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 Module Control for Jetpack 1K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 Squad Modules Lite – Free Divi 5 & Divi 4 Modules for Divi Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 Timeline Module for Beaver Builder 2K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20 Divi Carousel Lite – Responsive Carousel & Slider Modules for Divi Builder 6K+ · 4.0★ (20) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Events Calendar Modules for Divi 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑1 10 too high 22 PageSpeed Module 200+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Modules Kit – Beaver Builder Modules 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Infinity TNC Divi Modules 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 11 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.