wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “passwords manager”
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 “passwords manager”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Passwords Manager shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 838 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.
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #1 2 
Download Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249)
wp.org #8 9 Product Feed Manager for WooCommerce – CTX Feed – Support 220+ Shopping, AI & Social Channels 90K+ · 4.6★ (838)
wp.org #16 7 too low 10 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
Password Policy Manager 6K+ · 4.4★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #4 7 too high 12 
Stock Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (130)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 400K+ · 4.9★ (1056)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78)
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Checkout Field Editor for WooCommerce – Checkout Manager 20K+ · 4.9★ (165)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
Smart Manager – Bulk Edit for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (288)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Affiliates Manager 8K+ · 4.1★ (61)
wp.org #13 7 too high 21 Passwords Manager 70+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #5 16 too high 22 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60)
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 B BSK PDF Manager 7K+ · 4.5★ (46)
wp.org #21 3 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.