wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multiple choice”
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 “multiple choice”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Crowdsignal Forms shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1282 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #1 2 
Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too low 6 
Democracy Poll 6K+ · 4.6★ (86)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker 40K+ · 4.7★ (1282)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 
Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer 2K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too high 11 
YOP Poll 10K+ · 4.4★ (452)
wp.org #15 ↓6 4 too low 12 
HD Quiz 6K+ · 4.9★ (145)
wp.org #13 ↑2 1 too low 13 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #18 ↑4 5 too low 14 
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #22 ↑1 8 too low 15 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (742)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
ManageWP Worker 1M+ · 4.6★ (679)
wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 
SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz 500K+ · 4.8★ (102)
wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↑3 3 too low 19 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓3 4 too low 20 
Interactive Content – H5P 40K+ · 4.8★ (61) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too high 21 
Form Maker by 10Web – Mobile-Friendly Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder 30K+ · 4.5★ (778) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Image Picker For Gravity Forms 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑2 12 too high 23 
MKL Product Configurator for WooCommerce – 2D & 3D Live Preview 2K+ · 4.8★ (42) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Crowdsignal Forms 200K+ · 5.0★ (3) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #11 13 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.