wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “no saving”
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 “no saving”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
AC’s Savings Calculator shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200+ 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
EWWW Image Optimizer places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 1842 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ · 4.7★ (1187)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Duplicate Page 3M+ · 4.8★ (466)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
No Gutenberg? – Choose Where to Use the Block Editor or the Classic Editor 9K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 
Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Quick Featured Images 50K+ · 4.7★ (235)
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #20 6 too low 15 
Fonts Plugin | Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts & Upload Fonts 200K+ · 5.0★ (1221) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Htaccess File Editor – Safely Edit Htaccess File 40K+ · 5.0★ (102)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Print Invoice & Delivery Notes for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (140) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓5 4 too low 19 
GDPR Tools: comment ip removement 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #12 7 too high 20 AC’s Savings Calculator 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #5 15 too high 21 
No Category Parents 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
No Nonsense 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 
ShopMagic Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too high 24 
AC’s Retirement Savings Calculator 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 14 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.