wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “personal database”
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 “personal database”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Personal Dictionary – Vocabulary Games, Memory Games shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Database for Contact Form 7 7K+ · 4.2★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
GSheetConnector – CF7 Google Sheets Connector & Save CF7 Entries to Database 40K+ · 4.4★ (129)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms 60K+ · 4.8★ (124)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #9 ↑3 2 too low 8 
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ · 4.7★ (1187)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236)
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too low 12 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 too low 13 
Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275)
wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #20 ↓8 6 too low 15 
Flamingo 800K+ · 4.2★ (121)
wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #17 ↑3 1 too low 17 
Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226)
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Personal Dictionary – Vocabulary Games, Memory Games 60+ · 4.8★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #6 15 too high 22 
Page Visits Counter – Lite 5K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 
Database Anonymization Free Edition 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #13 10 too high 24 
Entry Manager for WPForms – Save Form Entries to Database & Export 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.