wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “resolve”
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 “resolve”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Enable SVG, WebP, and ICO Upload shows at wp.org #15 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 820 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. 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 
Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1549)
wp.org #2 3 
WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375)
wp.org #3 4 
SMTP2GO for WordPress – Email Made Easy 40K+ · 5.0★ (67)
wp.org #4 5 
Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #6 7 3CX Free Live Chat, Calls & Messaging 100K+ · 4.6★ (820)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Tidio – Live Chat & AI Chatbots 70K+ · 4.8★ (395) not PHP-current
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Stop WP Emails Going to Spam 10K+ · 4.8★ (51) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Document Gallery 8K+ · 4.8★ (112) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner 20K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94)
wp.org #12 13 
404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
Username Changer 40K+ · 4.3★ (77)
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
Online Active Users 2K+ · 4.7★ (51)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Enable SVG, WebP, and ICO Upload 10K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 
Link Juice Keeper 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 
ActivityPub 6K+ · 4.9★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 24 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.