wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “projects listing”

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 “projects listing”, 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

Dynamic Fields Engine – Custom post types, Custom fields, Meta fields, Taxonomies, Listing builder, Query builder and Relations shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 612 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

HireZoot – Job Listings, Career Page & Recruitment Tool 30K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #1 2

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #2 3

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4

WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187) wp.org #5 ↓1 6

Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings 1K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #6 7

WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612) wp.org #15 7 too low 9

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too low 10

MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #16 6 too low 11

GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #18 ↓2 7 too low 12

Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #17 ↑4 5 too low 13

Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (808) wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14

UpStream: a Project Management Plugin for WordPress 500+ · 4.2★ (74) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #21 ↓3 6 too low 16

RSS Aggregator by Feedzy – Feed to Post, Autoblogging, News & YouTube Video Feeds Aggregator 40K+ · 4.6★ (361) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17

Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #20 3 too low 18

Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) wp.org #10 ↓1 8 too high 19

Projectopia – Project Management Tool 200+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #12 7 too high 20

WP-CRM System – Manage Clients and Projects 700+ · 3.9★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21

aDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Ads Listings Directory 300+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22

BeyondSEO – AI SEO to Improve Rankings, Listings & Online Visibility 20K+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #7 15 too high 23

Domain For Sale – Landing Page Per Domain, Domain Mapping, Offers & Listings 200+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Dynamic Fields Engine – Custom post types, Custom fields, Meta fields, Taxonomies, Listing builder, Query builder and Relations 3K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #8 16 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.