wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “question and answer”
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 “question and answer”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Awesome FAQ – answer questions before customers ask shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 1K+ 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.
Buried gem
Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 775 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.
Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186)
wp.org #1 2 
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539)
wp.org #2 3 
Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #6 ↑3 1 too low 6 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too low 8 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too low 11 
HD Quiz 6K+ · 4.9★ (145)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #16 ↑7 4 too low 13 
Watu Quiz 3K+ · 4.7★ (137)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots 70K+ · 4.8★ (395)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Redis Object Cache 500K+ · 4.5★ (179)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
CM Answers – Discussion Forum Plugin for WordPress Q&A 300+ · 3.8★ (86)
wp.org #12 4 too high 17 
Helpie FAQ — Accordion, Docs & Knowledge Base 8K+ · 4.5★ (80)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177)
wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 Awesome FAQ – answer questions before customers ask 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #3 16 too high 20 
CM Search And Replace – Optimize content edits with a powerful search and replace tool 2K+ · 4.2★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 F FAQ Block For Gutenberg 4K+ · 4.4★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 22 
Product Questions & Answers for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.8★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 23 
LovedByAI – GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) & AI SEO Plugin: AEO, llms.txt 1K+ · 4.4★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Y Yes/No Chart 2K+ · 4.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.