wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “personalize”
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 “personalize”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 6 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
LeadConnector shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 4755 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284)
wp.org #2 3 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (625) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑6 1 too low 5 
WP Maintenance 60K+ · 4.7★ (98) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Ocean Custom Sidebar 20K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #3 3 too high 7 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓3 3 too low 8 
PPOM – Product Addons & Custom Fields for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (283) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #8 ↑9 1 too high 10 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #21 ↓7 11 too low 11 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too high 13 
If-So Dynamic Content – Elementor & All Page Builders Personalization 7K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14 
Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend 40K+ · 4.9★ (169)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
Dashboard Welcome for Elementor 10K+ · 4.1★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too high 17 
GoHero Store Customizer for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.6★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 8 too high 18 
Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
Product Options and Price Calculation Formulas for WooCommerce – Uni CPO 1K+ · 4.6★ (79) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
AppMySite – WordPress & WooCommerce Mobile App Builder (No-Code Android & iOS App Maker) 7K+ · 4.3★ (138) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too high 22 
Custom Add to Cart Button Label and Link for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (27) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
WPC Estimated Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 LeadConnector 20K+ · 2.3★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 11 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.