wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “release form”
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 “release form”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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
Multiple Columns for Gravity Forms shows at wp.org #13 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 30 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 375 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186)
wp.org #1 2 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #2 3 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #3 4 
Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Database for Contact Form 7, WPforms, Elementor forms 60K+ · 4.8★ (124)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Contact Form by Supsystic – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Templates & Form Statistics 6K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #7 8 
Form Vibes – Save Contact Form 7 & Elementor Form Entries to Database 10K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #18 ↓2 7 too low 12 Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375) heavy footprint
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
Webheadcoder Multi-Step Forms for Contact Form 7 50K+ · 4.2★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 5 too high 14 
GDPR Data Request Form 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
Masks Form Fields 9K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 
Input Mask For Elementor Form Fields 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 
DTX – Dynamic Text Extension for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.7★ (99) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑1 18 
Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Multiple Columns for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 4.5★ (30) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 6 too high 20 
Cool FormKit Lite – Advanced Form Builder for Elementor 20K+ · 4.6★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 
Contact Form to Chat Apps | Click to Chat to Order – FormyChat 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
Form Input Masks For Elementor Forms 10K+ · 4.1★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Lead Form Builder & Contact Form 8K+ · 4.3★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Hash Form – Drag & Drop Form Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
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.