wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “preloading page”
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 “preloading page”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Image Preloading shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Fonts Plugin | Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts & Upload Fonts places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #1 2 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #2 3 
Loading Page with Loading Screen 10K+ · 4.6★ (124)
wp.org #3 4 
Flying Pages: Preload Pages for Faster Navigation & Improved User Experience 20K+ · 4.9★ (79)
wp.org #4 5 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #5 6 
10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Hummingbird Performance – Cache & Page Speed Optimization for Core Web Vitals | Critical CSS | Minify CSS | Defer CSS Javascript | CDN 70K+ · 4.7★ (1488)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Fonts Plugin | Google Fonts, Adobe Fonts & Upload Fonts 200K+ · 5.0★ (1221)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #10 11 
Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
Powered Cache – Caching and Optimization for WordPress – Easily Improve PageSpeed & Web Vitals Score 3K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #12 13 
FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Speculative Loading 70K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #11 3 too high 15 
Custom Block Builder – Lazy Blocks 20K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
WPSpeed – WordPress Speed, Cache & Performance Optimization (Core Web Vitals, PageSpeed 100) 2K+ · 4.9★ (40)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
RapidLoad AI – Optimize Web Vitals Automatically 600+ · 4.2★ (70)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Scrollsequence – Cinematic Scroll Image Animation Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) host-installed base
wp.org #20 21 
LWS Optimize – All-in-One Speed Booster & Cache Tools 20K+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 
Oxyplug Preload 500+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Image Preloading 50+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #6 17 too high 24 
ezCache 10K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #18 6 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.