wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “query variables”
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 “query variables”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
IP2Location Variables shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 287 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Snippet Shortcodes 3K+ · 4.7★ (25)
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
WP Remove Query Strings From Static Resources 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #1 4 too high 6 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 
Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load 30K+ · 4.8★ (287)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
Custom Query Blocks 700+ · 4.6★ (25)
wp.org #10 6 too high 17 
Highlight Search Terms 6K+ · 5.0★ (40)
wp.org #14 3 too high 18 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #16 3 too high 20 
DTX – Dynamic Text Extension for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.7★ (99)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Jooosi Fon – Use Custom Fonts, Google Fonts or Adobe Fonts 4K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
Variable Inspector 100+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #7 16 too high 24 IP2Location Variables 100+ · 2.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #6 18 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.