wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “parent page”
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 “parent page”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 Optimize shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. 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 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #2 3 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too low 6 
Simple Page Ordering 100K+ · 4.7★ (131)
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #13 ↓4 3 too low 11 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #12 ↑1 13 
Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑2 3 too high 14 
CC Child Pages 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #20 6 too low 15 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #23 ↓5 8 too low 16 
Bulk Page Generator and Mass Page Builder – Page Generator 3K+ · 4.6★ (70) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓2 17 
HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑2 4 too low 18 
No Category Parents 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑2 10 too high 19 
Page and Post Restriction 1K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓3 5 too low 20 
Print Page Block – make any page printable in one click 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 2 too low 21 
Export Single Post Page 3K+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
List Child Pages Shortcode 600+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 P Page Optimize 200K+ · 3.0★ (5) host-installed base thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #5 ↑1 18 too high 24 
BlockStrap Page Builder – Bootstrap Blocks 2K+ · 4.5★ (4) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #19 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.