wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “round”
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 “round”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Cost Calculator for Elementor shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 500+ 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
Chat Button & Custom ChatGPT-Powered Bot by GetButton.io places #11 on merit, 4.5★ from 175 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #1 2 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926)
wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 too high 6 
Product Filter for WooCommerce by WBW 50K+ · 4.8★ (325)
wp.org #6 7 
MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
WP Image Zoom 10K+ · 4.3★ (119)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Chat Button & Custom ChatGPT-Powered Bot by GetButton.io 20K+ · 4.5★ (175)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
Fluent Booking – The Ultimate Appointments Scheduling, Events Booking, Events Calendar Solution 20K+ · 4.7★ (46)
wp.org #15 ↓5 3 too low 13 
MapGeo – Interactive Geo Maps 30K+ · 4.4★ (65)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
Donation Platform for WooCommerce: Fundraising & Donation Management 7K+ · 4.9★ (99)
wp.org #22 ↓6 8 too low 15 
Cost Calculator for Contact Form 7 – Price Calculator Free 5K+ · 3.8★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #7 8 too high 16 
Fuse Social Icons 10K+ · 4.6★ (58)
wp.org #20 ↓1 4 too low 17 
AnWP Football Leagues 700+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Super Testimonial – Testimonial & Customer Review Slider Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.7★ (26)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Bulk Price Update for Woocommerce 2K+ · 4.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
Migrate to WordPress.com 2K+ · 4.7★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 
Simple Scroll To Top WP 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 3 too low 22 
Nooz 500+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Crowdsignal Dashboard – Polls, Surveys & more 200K+ · 2.7★ (34)
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Cost Calculator for Elementor 500+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #9 15 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.