wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multisite list”
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 list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Ultimate Multisite – WordPress Multisite SaaS & WaaS Platform shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 11 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 #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 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.
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
Multisite Language Switcher 3K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #2 3 
Product Customer List for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.9★ (75)
wp.org #3 4 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
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 #7 1 too low 7 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #14 6 too low 9 D Dropdown Multisite Selector 900+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #19 9 too low 11 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
NS Cloner – Site Cloner and Multisite Duplicator 6K+ · 4.7★ (279)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #11 4 too high 16 
My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
WP Multisite Content Copier/Updater 700+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Ultimate Multisite – WordPress Multisite SaaS & WaaS Platform 90+ · 5.0★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 11 too high 21 
Show modified Date in admin lists 6K+ · 4.9★ (32)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Ditty – Responsive News Tickers, Sliders, and Lists 30K+ · 4.6★ (106) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
Multisite Site Index 100+ · 4.6★ (5) 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.