wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multisite compatible”
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 “multisite compatible”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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
No Category Base (WPML) shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 34 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #1 2 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #7 ↓3 3 too high 11 D Dropdown Multisite Selector 900+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 5 too high 12 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #13 ↓4 14 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489)
wp.org #19 ↓5 5 too low 15 
WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111)
wp.org #20 ↓7 5 too low 16 
MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147)
wp.org #17 ↓3 1 too low 17 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓8 3 too high 18 
NS Cloner – Site Cloner and Multisite Duplicator 6K+ · 4.7★ (279)
wp.org #18 ↓7 19 
404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321)
wp.org #23 ↓5 4 too low 20 
Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Favorites 10K+ · 4.6★ (133)
wp.org #22 ↓6 1 too low 22 
GN Publisher: Google News Compatible RSS Feeds 20K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #16 ↓8 6 too high 23 No Category Base (WPML) 100K+ · 4.5★ (34)
wp.org #15 ↓3 8 too high 24 
WPTerm 4K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓7 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.