wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “readme”
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 “readme”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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
RTL Localization & Fonts shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Bootstrap Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #1 2 
Translate WordPress with Weglot 2.0 – Multilingual AI Translation 50K+ · 4.8★ (1940)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
ACF Options For Polylang 20K+ · 4.4★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Font Awesome 400K+ · 3.6★ (61)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Simple Product Options for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑2 6 
Year Make Model Search for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (34) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓3 7 
Disable Blog 20K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 8 
PDF.js Viewer 20K+ · 4.4★ (53)
wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 
Kybernaut IČO DIČ 2K+ · 5.0★ (38) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 
Colibri Page Builder 80K+ · 4.4★ (80)
wp.org #13 ↓3 3 too low 11 
Event Countdown for The Events Calendar 3K+ · 4.6★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
Express, Certified Post, Bike Delivery and Iranian Postal Companies for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.1★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Advanced Post Manager 4K+ · 3.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 
Advanced Classic Editor 2K+ · 4.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓3 5 too high 15 
Autocomplete Address for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.8★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
Order Approval for Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
SearchWP Modal Search Form 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #17 18 S SFN Easy FAQ Manager 2K+ · 4.4★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #18 19 
Ultimate Store Kit – Store Builder Addons for Elementor, WooCommerce Store Builder, EDD Store Builder 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 
Online Payment for Bank Mellat 200+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #20 21 
C3 Cloudfront Cache Controller 3K+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Products Showcase – Shopify Integration 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 
LottieFiles 7K+ · 2.3★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 RTL Localization & Fonts 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 12 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.