wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “rss”
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 “rss”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
RSS Control shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
XML Sitemap Generator for Google places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 2233 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.
WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565)
wp.org #1 2 
RSS Aggregator by Feedzy – Feed to Post, Autoblogging, News & YouTube Video Feeds Aggregator 40K+ · 4.6★ (361)
wp.org #2 3 
Super RSS Reader – Add attractive RSS Feed Widget 9K+ · 4.6★ (67)
wp.org #3 4 
WPeMatico RSS Feed Fetcher 10K+ · 4.8★ (514)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 
Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More 20K+ · 4.3★ (113)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #15 ↓5 9 too low 7 
Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004)
wp.org #16 ↓3 9 too low 8 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205)
wp.org #17 9 too low 9 
GN Publisher: Google News Compatible RSS Feeds 20K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
RSS Includes Pages 10K+ · 3.9★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #5 5 too high 11 XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233)
wp.org #22 ↓6 11 too low 12 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
RSS Feed Widget 2K+ · 3.9★ (26)
wp.org #7 ↑5 6 too high 14 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #14 ↑6 15 
RSS for Yandex Turbo 20K+ · 4.6★ (145)
wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 
Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 A Add Featured Image to RSS Feed 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too high 18 
Import XML and RSS Feeds 2K+ · 3.8★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓4 19 
RSS Enhancements for The Events Calendar 100+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
RSS Feed Pro 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓4 1 too high 21 RSS Control 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑9 12 too high 22 
Featured Image in RSS Feed by MailerLite 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 12 too high 23 
RSS Chimp – Featured Images for RSS Feeds 400+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 10 too high 24 
Admin Dashboard RSS Feed 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #12 12 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.