wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “quality”
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 “quality”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.
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
Sa11y, the accessibility quality assurance assistant | Accessibility Checker shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #3 ↑3 1 too low 3 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #7 ↑3 3 too low 5 
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Location Weather – WordPress Weather Forecast, Air Quality & Weather Widget 10K+ · 4.5★ (103)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 
Converter for Media – Optimize images | Convert WebP & AVIF 500K+ · 4.9★ (1106)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Imsanity 200K+ · 4.9★ (291)
wp.org #9 ↑2 1 too low 9 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too low 10 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #8 ↓5 2 too high 11 
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓5 2 too low 12 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too low 13 
Image Quality Control | Still BE 400+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #2 11 too high 14 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #15 ↓3 1 too low 15 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #21 ↓3 6 too low 16 
Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization 200K+ · 4.7★ (640)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #18 ↑1 19 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #19 ↓4 20 
Robin Image Optimizer – Unlimited Image Optimization, WebP & AVIF 100K+ · 4.4★ (131)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
PNG to JPG 10K+ · 4.7★ (40)
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
ImageMagick Engine 60K+ · 4.4★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Sa11y, the accessibility quality assurance assistant | Accessibility Checker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑2 12 too high 24 
Image Optimizer – Compress Images and Convert to WebP or AVIF 1M+ · 1.7★ (81) host-installed base
wp.org #16 ↑1 8 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.