wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “romanian”
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 “romanian”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Romanian billing fields shows at wp.org #2 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 100+ 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.
Buried gem
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 3055 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑11 3 too low 6 
Reveal IDs 40K+ · 5.0★ (61)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓4 8 too low 8 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑3 2 too low 9 
ICS Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (72)
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10 
reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391)
wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11 
WP YouTube Lyte 20K+ · 4.8★ (206)
wp.org #18 7 too low 12 
OSM – OpenStreetMap 10K+ · 4.6★ (137)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 
Italy Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law & Cookie Notice) 9K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too high 15 
Estatik Real Estate Plugin 10K+ · 4.6★ (187)
wp.org #22 ↓8 7 too low 16 
SportsPress – Sports Club & League Manager 10K+ · 4.7★ (369) not PHP-current
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
Donations via PayPal 20K+ · 4.7★ (27)
wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too high 18 
PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Romanian billing fields 100+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 17 too high 20 
Bazz CallBack widget 3K+ · 4.3★ (33)
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 
Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↑4 2 too high 22 
CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner 400K+ · 5.0★ (4) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #5 17 too high 23 
My Agile Privacy® – CMP, Cookie Consent & Privacy Tools 7K+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Estimated Delivery for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.