wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “native apps”
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 “native apps”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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
Order Notifications in Messaging Apps for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 195 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #3 4 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #4 5 
PWA for WP – Progressive Web Apps Made Simple 10K+ · 4.6★ (230)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #7 8 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #11 ↑9 3 too low 9 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
AppMySite – WordPress & WooCommerce Mobile App Builder (No-Code Android & iOS App Maker) 7K+ · 4.3★ (138) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195)
wp.org #21 9 too low 13 
Bit integrations – Form Integration, Webhook, Spreadsheets, CRM, LMS & Email Automation 20K+ · 4.9★ (160)
wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 
WPMobile.App – Android and iOS App Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (162) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓4 9 too low 15 
Add to Home Screen & Progressive Web App 1K+ · 3.7★ (25)
wp.org #15 ↓3 16 
MStore API – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Cloud 2K+ · 3.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 
Hyper PWA – Bringing Modern Progressive Web App Experiences 400+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
App for Cloudflare® 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑7 1 too high 19 
App Builder – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Flight 500+ · 3.9★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 6 too high 20 
Hippoo Mobile App for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓3 21 
Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓15 3 too low 22 G GoodBarber 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 
Mobile Smart App Banner 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓3 4 too high 24 Order Notifications in Messaging Apps for WooCommerce 400+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑2 12 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.