wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “recommended”
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 “recommended”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
VK Blocks shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 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.
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #1 2 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #2 3 
AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Breeze Cache 300K+ · 3.6★ (133)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #7 ↑5 2 too low 6 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #12 ↑4 5 too low 8 
Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334)
wp.org #11 ↑2 3 too low 9 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #9 ↑2 10 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #14 ↓6 4 too low 11 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #13 ↑2 1 too low 13 
Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244)
wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #15 1 too low 15 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #19 ↓5 4 too low 16 
Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209)
wp.org #18 ↑3 2 too low 17 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #4 14 too high 19 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑1 11 too high 20 
WPSSO Core – Complete Schema Markup and Meta Tags 4K+ · 4.6★ (306)
wp.org #23 ↓3 3 too low 21 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #17 ↑2 4 too high 22 
Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25)
wp.org #21 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.