wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin api”

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 “plugin api”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

WP Consent API shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #2 ↓1 3

Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #6 ↓3 2 too low 5

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6

FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410) wp.org #8 ↓2 2 too low 7

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229) wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too low 9

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #14 ↓5 4 too low 11

Disable WP REST API 30K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #7 ↑3 4 too high 12

GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #15 ↓4 3 too low 13

PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #11 ↑9 2 too high 14

Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) wp.org #18 ↑6 4 too low 15

API KEY for Google Maps 30K+ · 4.9★ (55) wp.org #16 ↓4 1 too low 16

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #20 ↓3 4 too low 17

JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74) wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too low 18

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 too low 19

WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews wp.org #3 ↓1 16 too high 20

SteadFast API 8K+ · 3.3★ (3) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #4 16 too high 21

WP Plugin Manager – Deactivate plugins per page 3K+ · 4.4★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22

Datafeedr API 4K+ · 4.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23

WP API SwaggerUI 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24

WooCommerce Legacy REST API 400K+ · 1.5★ (29) host-installed base wp.org #24 ↓1

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.