wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “page specific”
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 “page specific”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
WP Duplicate Page shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 60K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 16 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 #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #10 ↑6 5 too low 6 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #16 ↑4 7 too low 10 
Specific Content For Mobile – Customize the mobile version without redirections 4K+ · 4.8★ (31)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Loading Page with Loading Screen 10K+ · 4.6★ (124)
wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 
WP Downgrade | Specific Core Version 100K+ · 4.8★ (169)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #17 ↓3 4 too low 14 
LightStart – Maintenance Mode, Coming Soon and Landing Page Builder 400K+ · 4.3★ (874)
wp.org #18 ↑4 4 too low 15 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #24 ↓3 9 too low 16 WP Duplicate Page 60K+ · 4.2★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #6 10 too high 17 
Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #23 ↓8 4 too low 20 
Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54)
wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 
Bulk Page Generator and Mass Page Builder – Page Generator 3K+ · 4.6★ (70) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too high 22 
Block Plugin Update 5K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 
Shop Page WP 2K+ · 5.0★ (22) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 
Print Page Block – make any page printable in one click 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 5 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.