wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pop”
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 “pop”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 5 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
CM Pop-Up – Create engaging popups to capture attention and boost interaction shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.4★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 775 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701)
wp.org #1 2 
Pop-up 10K+ · 4.7★ (86)
wp.org #2 3 
Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Coupon X – Discount Popups, Promo Codes Pop Ups for WooCommerce & Announcement Popups 1K+ · 4.9★ (52)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #7 8 
Website Pop-up Builder by BDOW! (formerly Sumo): Pop-ups + forms for email opt-ins and lead generation 10K+ · 4.2★ (519)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #16 7 too low 10 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775)
wp.org #20 9 too low 12 
Popup Maker – Responsive popup, Exit Intent Pop up, Email Optins, Autoresponder & More 7K+ · 4.5★ (144)
wp.org #12 13 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend 40K+ · 4.9★ (169)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82)
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
Newsletters, Email Marketing, SMS and Popups by Omnisend 100K+ · 4.8★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 7 too high 19 
Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 CM Pop-Up – Create engaging popups to capture attention and boost interaction 8K+ · 3.4★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 12 too high 21 
POP – e-invoicing for WooCommerce: SdI, PEPPOL, KSeF (ex-WooPop) 80+ · 4.9★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
MailChimp Subscribe Form, Optin Builder, PopUp Builder, Form Builder 2K+ · 4.0★ (65) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
MakeITeasy Popup 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 
involve.me – Create Surveys, Quizzes, Calculators & Forms as Embedded Widgets or Pop-ups 400+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 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.