wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multiple subscribe button”
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 subscribe button”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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
Razorpay Payment Button Plugin shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 4514 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #5 4 too low 2 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #7 5 too low 3 
Podcast Subscribe Buttons 4K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #12 8 too low 5 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #19 13 too low 7 
CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326)
wp.org #14 7 too low 8 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
Payment Button for PayPal 4K+ · 4.5★ (40)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (108)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #21 10 too low 12 
Download After Email – Subscribe & Download Form Plugin 7K+ · 4.4★ (30)
wp.org #9 3 too high 13 
Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
Subscribe to Unlock Lite – Opt In Content Locker Plugin for WordPress 500+ · 3.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #4 10 too high 15 
Mailchimp List Subscribe Form 60K+ · 2.6★ (77)
wp.org #6 9 too high 16 
Easy Subscribe 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #1 15 too high 17 
Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Contact Form by Supsystic – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Templates & Form Statistics 6K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Razorpay Payment Button Plugin 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #3 16 too high 20 
Superb Social Media Share Buttons and Follow Buttons 6K+ · 4.4★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #20 21 
WebSub (FKA. PubSubHubbub) 100K+ · 5.0★ (6) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Podlove Subscribe button 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 6 too high 23 
Button Group 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 13 too high 24 
SocialFeeds 40K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 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.