wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin list”
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 list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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
List categories shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 7 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 
Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 
Plugins List 700+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 7 too high 12 
VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82)
wp.org #12 ↓1 13 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 15 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #15 ↓2 16 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 
Product Customer List for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.9★ (75)
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 9 too high 20 
Plugin Organizer 10K+ · 4.7★ (227) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
List Custom Taxonomy Widget 8K+ · 4.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 
Plugin Check (PCP) 10K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 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.