Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “packs”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

AL Pack shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1720 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 SEO SIMPLE PACK 100K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428) wp.org #4 ↑3 1 too low 4 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too low 5 TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too low 6 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 Starter Templates & Sites Pack by ThemeGrill 70K+ · 4.7★ (197) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too high 11 Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #11 12 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14 Speed Booster Pack ⚡ PageSpeed Optimization Suite 8K+ · 4.3★ (186) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ · 4.6★ (132) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 Cryptocurrency Widgets Pack 600+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #18 ↓3 1 too low 18 AL Pack 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 15 too high 19 Icon Element – Icon Pack for Elementor Page Builder (6718 icons) 40K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #8 ↓2 11 too high 20 Location Pack for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Mergado Pack 700+ · 3.6★ (17) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 The Pack Elementor addon 2K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 Gift Pack for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #23 24 Topper Pack 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑1 11 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.