Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “packages”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

Garden Gnome Package shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 793 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. 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★ (5039) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) wp.org #1 ↑4 1 too high 3 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 Gift Cards (Gift Vouchers and Packages) (WooCommerce Supported) 1K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too low 6 Shipping Packages for WooCommerce – Dropship from multiple locations like AliExpress, eBay, Amazon, Etsy 900+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #13 ↑3 6 too low 8 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #10 ↑5 2 too low 9 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #11 ↑3 1 too low 11 Prime Mover – Backup and Migration 10K+ · 5.0★ (141) wp.org #15 ↑2 4 too low 12 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 W WP Multibyte Patch 1M+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #5 ↓1 8 too high 14 Premium Packages – Sell Digital Products Securely 2K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #3 ↓1 11 too high 15 WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Schema Package – Structured Data & Rich Snippets Tool for SEO 200+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #17 ↑2 1 too low 17 FastDup – Fastest WordPress Migration & Duplicator 5K+ · 4.6★ (27) wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too low 18 MyParcel 8K+ · 3.9★ (48) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 Garden Gnome Package 4K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too high 21 Pricing Table – Responsive & Easy 3K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 AI Provider for Anthropic 70K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too high 23 WooCommerce Shipping 70K+ · 2.0★ (18) wp.org #20 ↓8 3 too high 24 Small Package Quotes – Worldwide Express Edition 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.