wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “online test”
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 “online test”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Worldline Online Checkout shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 1K+ 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
Quiz Maker by AYS places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 601 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #1 2 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Split Test For Elementor 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 
Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586)
wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too low 7 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #13 ↓6 6 too low 8 
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94)
wp.org #9 ↑2 1 too low 9 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #16 ↑8 7 too low 10 
LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393)
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 
MasterStudy LMS WordPress Plugin – for Online Courses and Education 10K+ · 4.5★ (487)
wp.org #19 7 too low 13 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #14 ↓3 1 too low 14 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #21 ↑1 7 too low 15 
OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327)
wp.org #23 ↓6 8 too low 16 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 
Food Online for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.1★ (26)
wp.org #10 ↑4 7 too high 18 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (584)
wp.org #12 ↑10 6 too high 19 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #24 ↓3 5 too low 20 
ApplyOnline – Application Form Builder and Manager 2K+ · 4.1★ (40)
wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too high 21 
Colete-Online 600+ · 3.8★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #6 15 too high 22 
Online Payments with iK Pay Gateway 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Worldline Online Checkout 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #5 18 too high 24 
Airwallex Online Payments Gateway 10K+ · 2.1★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑2 13 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.