wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “path based”
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 “path based”, 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
MaxtDesign Role-Based Pricing for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Koko Analytics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 245 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #1 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #3 4 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too low 7 
Payment Gateway Based Fees and Discounts for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Koko Analytics – Privacy-Friendly WordPress Analytics 70K+ · 5.0★ (245)
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #13 4 too low 10 
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Ads.txt Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #5 6 too high 12 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #20 ↓4 6 too low 15 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #15 ↑3 16 
User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Cyr-To-Lat 300K+ · 4.7★ (98)
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
Squeeze – Browser-Based Image Compression & WebP Converter (No API, No Limits) 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 10 too high 22 
SCSS WP Editor 800+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Security.txt Manager 700+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 MaxtDesign Role-Based Pricing for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 14 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.