wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “run once”
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 “run once”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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
Run Contests, Raffles, and Giveaways with ContestsWP shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #1 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #2 3 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #5 6 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181)
wp.org #15 ↓2 16 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #20 ↓5 4 too low 17 
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1843)
wp.org #21 ↓4 4 too low 18 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #18 ↓4 19 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #24 ↓5 3 too low 22 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Run Contests, Raffles, and Giveaways with ContestsWP 100+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑11 10 too high 24 
AI 60K+ · 4.2★ (10) 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.