wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “objects”
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 “objects”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
eHive Objects Image Grid shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 50+ 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
Firelight Lightbox places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 361 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179)
wp.org #1 2 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 
Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ · 4.9★ (50)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
SQLite Object Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (51)
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #7 ↓3 8 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #8 ↑1 9 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #20 ↑1 9 too low 12 
Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135)
wp.org #13 ↑2 1 too low 13 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #23 ↓6 10 too low 14 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Integration for HubSpot and Contact Form 7, WPForms, Elementor, Ninja Forms 5K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑7 18 
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Object Cache 4 everyone 5K+ · 4.2★ (30) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 9 too high 20 
SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) host-installed base
wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 
APCu Manager 10K+ · 4.6★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 C Culture Object 40+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 eHive Objects Image Grid 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #11 12 too high 24 
eHive Object Details 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.