wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “page update”
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 update”, we agree with wp.org 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
Page Visits Counter – Lite shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. 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 #2 3 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↑9 4 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #7 ↓4 1 too low 7 
WP Sitemap Page 200K+ · 4.8★ (205)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 
Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 
Go Live Update Urls 90K+ · 4.5★ (59)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
Companion Auto Update 40K+ · 4.8★ (105)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
Simple Page Ordering 100K+ · 4.7★ (131)
wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 
Landing Page Builder – Coming Soon page, Maintenance Mode, Lead Page, WordPress Landing Pages 8K+ · 4.6★ (202)
wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 
CMS Tree Page View – Reorder Pages with a Drag-and-Drop Tree 50K+ · 4.9★ (365)
wp.org #24 ↓16 7 too low 18 P Page Links To 100K+ · 4.9★ (157)
wp.org #20 ↓3 2 too low 19 U Update Control 4K+ · 4.4★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑2 7 too high 20 Page Visits Counter – Lite 5K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #6 14 too high 21 
Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Content Update Scheduler 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑7 6 too high 23 
Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 P Page Optimize 200K+ · 3.0★ (5) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 10 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.