wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “readers”

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 “readers”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 700K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 237 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Simple Custom Post Order places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 588 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #1 2

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #2 3

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #3 ↑1 4

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #8 4 too low 5

Super RSS Reader – Add attractive RSS Feed Widget 9K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current wp.org #9 ↑3 3 too low 7

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too low 8

Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #7 1 too high 9

Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #11 ↑6 2 too low 10

WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #4 ↑1 6 too high 11

Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12

DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #14 ↓5 2 too low 13

BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) heavy footprint wp.org #17 ↓7 4 too low 14

Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #20 ↑1 6 too low 15

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 #16 ↓1 1 too low 16

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #5 ↓2 11 too high 17

Scriptless Social Sharing 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #18 1 too low 18

Recipe Card Blocks Lite 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #13 5 too high 19

Screen Reader Accessibility – WCAG, Text-to-Speech & AI Accessibility Fixes 600+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #19 1 too high 21

Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 22

Dark Reader – Beautiful Dark Mode for any Website 200+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ · 5.0★ (3) host-installed base thin reviews wp.org #23 24

Stepped Content – Guide readers through content one step at a time 200+ · 5.0★ (1) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 ↑1 9 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.