wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “proper case”
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 “proper case”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Text Case Converter shows at wp.org #2 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 779 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 
DoFollow Case by Case 1K+ · 4.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #1 4 too high 6 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #9 ↑1 10 
Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492)
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779)
wp.org #16 ↓7 4 too low 13 
FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205)
wp.org #15 ↑2 2 too low 14 
Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726)
wp.org #20 ↑2 6 too low 15 Text Case Converter 300+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #2 13 too high 16 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
Gallery by Visual Portfolio 50K+ · 4.8★ (340)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ · 4.6★ (132)
wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 
Art WooCommerce Order One Click 4K+ · 5.0★ (36)
wp.org #13 ↑2 6 too high 20 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #22 ↓8 1 too low 22 
Document Gallery 8K+ · 4.8★ (112)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
OnSale Page for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (26)
wp.org #17 ↑3 6 too high 24 
Security Header Generator 400+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #19 5 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.