wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin dependencies”
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 dependencies”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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
IndexNow Plugin shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.2★ average from 47 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 4358 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
Plugin Check (PCP) 10K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too low 7 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 
Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↓2 3 too high 9 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too low 11 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Plugin Groups 1K+ · 4.3★ (31) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 7 too high 14 
Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104)
wp.org #14 ↓1 15 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 
LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ · 4.2★ (139)
wp.org #16 17 
Access Governance for WordPress (aka AAM) 100K+ · 4.2★ (420)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Payment Plugins Braintree For WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.8★ (149)
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 
HTML Forms – Simple WordPress Forms Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (57)
wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 
WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
PowerPress Podcasting plugin by Blubrry 20K+ · 4.6★ (231) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 22 
Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin – FooBox 100K+ · 3.9★ (95)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 IndexNow Plugin 100K+ · 3.2★ (47)
wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 
Stock Dependencies for WooCommerce 100+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.