wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “project updates”
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 “project updates”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
LazyTasks – Project & Task Management with Collaboration, Kanban and Gantt Chart shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
W3 Total Cache places #12 on merit, 4.4★ from 5420 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.
Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187)
wp.org #1 2 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Zephyr Project Manager 1K+ · 4.8★ (98)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #14 ↑9 6 too low 9 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #16 ↓3 7 too low 10 
FluentBoards – Project Management, Task Management, Goal Tracking, Kanban Board, and, Team Collaboration 6K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #20 ↑2 9 too low 12 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
UpStream: a Project Management Plugin for WordPress 500+ · 4.2★ (74)
wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 
WC – APG Weight Shipping 6K+ · 4.3★ (49)
wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435)
wp.org #23 ↓7 8 too low 16 LazyTasks – Project & Task Management with Collaboration, Kanban and Gantt Chart 90+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 11 too high 17 
WC – APG NIF/CIF/NIE Field 10K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
Projectopia – Project Management Tool 200+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑7 8 too high 21 
Taskbuilder – Project Management & Task Management Tool With Kanban Board 700+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
WP-CRM System – Manage Clients and Projects 700+ · 3.9★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
Project Pages – Portfolio Template, Portfolio Maker, Work Context Explorer! 30+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too high 24 
Portfolio Block – The Ultimate Project & Portfolio Builder 800+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 9 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.