Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “open”

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 “open”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

WP Open Street Map shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 27819 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122) wp.org #1 2 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #2 3 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4825) wp.org #3 4 SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (46) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – The Most Popular SMTP and Email Log Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (5203) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 We’re Open! 5K+ · 5.0★ (45) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27819) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3047) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2179) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5218) wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too low 11 Open Graph 10K+ · 4.3★ (13) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Product Open Pricing (Name Your Price) for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.1★ (19) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 External Links in New Window / New Tab 30K+ · 4.5★ (77) wp.org #20 ↑1 7 too low 14 Always Use Open Graph with Jetpack 500+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too high 15 Open Graph Protocol Framework 3K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Open Close Store for WooCommerce – Business Hours & Order Scheduling 600+ · 3.4★ (41) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 WP Open Street Map 3K+ · 3.9★ (10) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 Open Search Document 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 Open Accessibility 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 Open Graphite 3K+ · 3.3★ (8) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Open Source Event Calendar 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Codeideal Open Fields 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Linked Open Profiles 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Website Open/Closed Toggle 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.