Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

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

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 “package”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

Premium Packages – Sell Digital Products Securely shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

All-in-One WP Migration and Backup places #8 on merit, 4.5★ from 7667 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 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5008) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Gift Cards (Gift Vouchers and Packages) (WooCommerce Supported) 1K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2642) wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too low 5 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2131) wp.org #13 8 too low 6 Schema Package – Structured Data & Rich Snippets Tool for SEO 200+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1870) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7667) wp.org #17 ↓3 9 too low 9 W WP Multibyte Patch 1M+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Packlink PRO for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.4★ (263) wp.org #10 ↑1 11 Prime Mover – Backup and Migration 10K+ · 5.0★ (140) wp.org #18 ↑2 7 too low 12 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2043) wp.org #21 ↑1 9 too low 13 Garden Gnome Package 4K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #3 ↓1 10 too high 14 Shipping Packages for WooCommerce – Dropship from multiple locations like AliExpress, eBay, Amazon, Etsy 900+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7303) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4937) wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too low 17 FastDup – Fastest WordPress Migration & Duplicator 5K+ · 4.6★ (27) wp.org #23 ↑1 6 too low 18 Premium Packages – Sell Digital Products Securely 2K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 Small Package Quotes – Worldwide Express Edition 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 Small Package Quotes – UPS Edition 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too high 22 Small Package Quotes – For Customers of FedEx 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 AI Provider for Anthropic 50K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 WooCommerce Shipping 70K+ · 2.0★ (18) wp.org #15 9 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.