wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “preferred source button”
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 “preferred source button”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Contact Button – The All-in-One Website Widget shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 1205 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. 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★ (8709)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775)
wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 
WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144)
wp.org #3 4 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
Add as Preferred Source on Google 900+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #1 4 too high 6 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496)
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 
Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 
Share Buttons & AI-powered Summaries 1K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205)
wp.org #22 11 too low 12 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #21 9 too low 13 
Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Floating Chat Buttons – Click to Call or Chat, Email 1K+ · 4.9★ (54)
wp.org #14 ↓1 15 
Chat Widget: Floating Customer Support Button for 30+ Channels, Supporting SMS, Calls, and Chat – Bit Assist 9K+ · 4.9★ (111)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216)
wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 
Social Snap — Social Share Buttons & Click to Tweet 10K+ · 4.2★ (58)
wp.org #18 19 
ShareThis Share Buttons 10K+ · 3.5★ (26)
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Contact Button – The All-in-One Website Widget 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↓1 15 too high 21 
AI Summarize Buttons & Google Preferred Source 10+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #10 11 too high 22 
OGEEAT 200+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 
SourceCue Button for Google Preferred Sources 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
KudoMetrics Google Preferred Sources Button – 40+ Custom Styles 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #16 8 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.