wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “optional”
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 “optional”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 45 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 1322 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Domain Mapping System | Create Microsites with Multiple Alias Domains (multisite optional) 2K+ · 4.5★ (56)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #5 ↑5 6 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #6 7 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓2 8 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #14 ↓5 6 too low 9 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 
Shortcode Redirect 10K+ · 4.3★ (31)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 
Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ · 4.3★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87)
wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too low 16 
Companion Auto Update 40K+ · 4.8★ (105)
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too low 18 
Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298)
wp.org #21 ↑4 3 too low 19 Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑3 7 too high 20 
Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #20 ↑2 21 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72)
wp.org #22 23 
Ultimate Product Catalog 4K+ · 4.5★ (233) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↑2 1 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.