wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin options”
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 options”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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
Product Option Kit – Product Options & Addons for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 1516 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #1 2 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #2 3 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too low 4 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 
Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273)
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #10 ↑8 1 too low 10 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #12 ↑10 2 too low 11 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #13 ↑10 2 too low 12 
Extra Product Options For WooCommerce | Custom Product Addons and Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (219) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too high 13 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too high 14 
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 #17 ↓5 3 too low 15 
Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64)
wp.org #15 ↓5 16 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑4 17 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57)
wp.org #18 ↓4 19 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #20 ↓5 1 too low 20 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↓6 1 too high 21 
Plugin Organizer 10K+ · 4.7★ (227) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 
ACF Options For Polylang 20K+ · 4.4★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓5 23 Product Option Kit – Product Options & Addons for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #14 9 too high 24 
WPC Product Options for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.1★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current 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.