wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin download count”
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 download count”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Simple Download Counter shows at wp.org #6 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 19 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1268 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525)
wp.org #1 2 
Download Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #3 4 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (592)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too low 8 
Download Attachments 8K+ · 4.5★ (46)
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1268)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #11 12 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #12 ↑2 13 Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #6 7 too high 14 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too low 15 
Page View Count 10K+ · 4.0★ (55)
wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too high 16 
Free Downloads WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.7★ (85)
wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Sitemap by BestWebSoft – WordPress XML Site Map Page Generator Plugin 20K+ · 4.3★ (115)
wp.org #18 ↓1 19 
AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301)
wp.org #23 ↑1 4 too low 20 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #20 21 
Gallery by BestWebSoft – Customizable Image and Photo Galleries for WordPress 10K+ · 4.0★ (158)
wp.org #24 ↓4 3 too low 22 
Quick Download Button 1K+ · 4.6★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 
Count Characters, Words and Paragraphs while typing 300+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 
Bulk Download for Gravity Forms 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.