wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pre”
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 “pre”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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
YITH Pre-Order for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 16 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Click to Chat – HoliThemes places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 131 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.5★ (66) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #8 5 too low 4 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too low 5 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too low 6 
Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
PRENA – Product Pre-Orders for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #3 5 too high 9 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too low 10 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #14 ↑4 4 too low 11 Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131)
wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too low 12 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 6 too high 13 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 
Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑6 1 too low 15 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
PublishPress Checklists: Pre-Publishing Approval Checklist – Validate Post Requirements 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 17 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 YITH Pre-Order for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.1★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 14 too high 19 
Pre-Publish Checklist 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓3 1 too high 20 
Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 
Product Labels, Quick View, Buy Now, Pre-Orders, Frequently Bought Together & More for WooCommerce – Merchant 9K+ · 4.2★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too high 22 
Thim Kit for Elementor – Pre-built Templates & Widgets for Elementor 20K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #12 10 too high 23 
Spotrebiteľské práva pre WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓4 10 too high 24 
PAY by square pre WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (3) 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.