wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “n8n”
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 “n8n”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
n8n Chat Widget shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 300+ 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
Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 259 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #5 3 too low 3 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑8 3 too low 5 
Chatics – AI Chatbot Widget for WordPress (n8n Powered) 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259)
wp.org #24 18 too low 7 
Custom Contact Forms 6K+ · 3.5★ (171)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
WP Optin Wheel – Gamified Optin Email Marketing Tool for WordPress and WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (81)
wp.org #21 ↓2 13 too low 9 
Bit Flows: AI Agent Automation & Integrations for Forms, CRM, eCommerce, Google Sheets, and More 1K+ · 4.9★ (64)
wp.org #20 ↓2 11 too low 10 
Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #6 4 too high 11 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too low 12 
CF7 Mate – Contact Form 7 Styler, Multi-Step Forms & Conditional Logic 20K+ · 3.9★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #18 ↓7 5 too low 14 
Code Engine – PHP Snippets, AI Functions & Automation for WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 15 
Autocomplete Address for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.8★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓9 4 too low 16 
UseStrict’s Calendly Embedder 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 7 too high 17 
Koalendar – Easy Appointment Scheduling & Booking Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 
Opt-Out for Google Analytics (DSGVO / GDPR) 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 n8n Chat Widget 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 15 too high 20 
Meow Workflow – AI Agents & No-Code Automation for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21 W W2MEDIA – n8n Webhook on Publish/Update (+ACF) 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 13 too high 22 
Email Gated Downloads 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 12 too high 23 
ChatUI Widget for n8n 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too high 24 
Forerunner® AI Live Chat 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 1 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.