wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “range”
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 “range”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 plugins are 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
Range Slider for Elementor Forms shows at wp.org #5 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 19 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.
Buried gem
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 1667 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.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Variation Price Display Range for WooCommerce 9K+ · 5.0★ (43)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Backuply – Backup, Restore, Migrate and Clone 600K+ · 4.5★ (135)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7 TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too low 8 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #11 ↑4 3 too low 9 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #16 ↑8 6 too low 11 
Range Slider Addon for Gravity Forms 1K+ · 4.8★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #2 9 too high 12 
BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160)
wp.org #12 ↑1 13 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14 
Templately – Elementor & Gutenberg Template Library: 6500+ Free & Pro Ready Templates And Cloud! 300K+ · 5.0★ (383)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1338)
wp.org #24 ↓3 9 too low 16 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too high 17 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Multiple Range Slider For Gravity Form 80+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓2 12 too high 22 
Range Slider Field for Contact Form 7 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓2 8 too high 23 
Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) host-installed base
wp.org #23 24 Range Slider for Elementor Forms 300+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #5 19 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.