wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “recognition”
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 “recognition”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Voice Search shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 1039 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. 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★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Perfect Brands for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.7★ (414)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↑18 5 
Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334)
wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too low 6 Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ · 4.8★ (1039)
wp.org #16 ↓2 10 too low 7 
Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar 60K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
FastDup – Fastest WordPress Migration & Duplicator 5K+ · 4.6★ (27)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) not PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓14 7 too low 11 
AAA Autoload Optimizer 9K+ · 4.6★ (25)
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 
Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 
WP eCards – Branded Digital Greeting Cards 300+ · 4.4★ (26)
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 
WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249)
wp.org #19 ↓2 5 too low 15 
WP-Memory-Usage 10K+ · 4.5★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
Secure Passkeys 2K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 Voice Search 600+ · 3.8★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #6 11 too high 18 
PowerPress Podcasting plugin by Blubrry 20K+ · 4.6★ (231) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 
Captcha by BestWebSoft – Advanced Spam Protection, Math & OCR-Friendly Captcha for Site Forms 10K+ · 4.1★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑5 4 too high 20 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑6 2 too high 21 
WP-WebAuthn 2K+ · 4.5★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓8 3 too low 22 
Mediamatic – Media Library Folders 1K+ · 3.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓5 2 too high 23 
Floating Button – Easily Create Sticky, Fixed & Floating Buttons 4K+ · 3.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too high 24 
CodingBunny Database Cleaner 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓3 3 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.