wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin licensing”
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 licensing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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
Image Licensing Schema – Structured Data for Google Images shows at wp.org #7 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1596 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 4 
StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
WP Plugin Info Card – Showcase Beautiful Plugin, Theme, and GitHub Cards Anywhere 400+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too low 9 
Clearfy Cache – WordPress optimization plugin, Minify HTML, CSS & JS, Defer 40K+ · 4.7★ (339)
wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 
Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 
Serial Numbers – Ultimate License Manager for Selling, Licensing & Securely Delivering Digital Content with WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (78) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1596)
wp.org #24 ↓6 12 too low 13 
Style Kits for Elementor 10K+ · 4.7★ (44)
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
SiteOrigin CSS 100K+ · 4.9★ (153)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Vimeography: Vimeo Video Gallery WordPress Plugin 5K+ · 4.5★ (122) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #23 ↓2 7 too low 17 
Save as PDF Plugin by PDFCrowd 1K+ · 4.1★ (27)
wp.org #9 8 too high 18 
AI Puffer – AI Chatbot & MCP Server for Claude and ChatGPT 10K+ · 4.6★ (166)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
WP Webhooks – Automate repetitive tasks by creating powerful automation workflows directly within WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (55)
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 
FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler 9K+ · 4.5★ (46)
wp.org #20 ↑3 21 
Core Framework 10K+ · 5.0★ (41) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 
Simba Plugin Updates Manager 30+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #10 12 too high 23 
WP Top News — Build a Complete News Portal in WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Image Licensing Schema – Structured Data for Google Images 30+ · 2.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #7 17 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.