wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pull requests”
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 “pull requests”, 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 it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
GDPR Data Request Form shows at wp.org #8 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Imsanity places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 291 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #1 2 
Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226)
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
Complianz – Terms and Conditions 300K+ · 4.9★ (187)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #6 ↑11 2 too high 9 Imsanity 200K+ · 4.9★ (291)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 
Widget Importer & Exporter 200K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #10 11 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↓3 1 too low 12 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #14 ↑7 2 too low 13 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too low 14 GDPR Data Request Form 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓2 6 too high 15 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
Embed PDF Viewer 20K+ · 4.7★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #11 6 too high 18 
Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273)
wp.org #22 ↓10 4 too low 19 
Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #19 ↑1 20 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 M Multi Device Switcher 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 
Force Refresh 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 W WP Auto Updater 7K+ · 4.6★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
SMNTCS Disable REST API User Endpoints 8K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 3 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.