wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “russian”
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 “russian”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 400K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1463 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. 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)
wp.org #2 3 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
Cyr to Lat Enhanced 80K+ · 4.6★ (51)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #6 ↑6 1 too low 6 
SSL Insecure Content Fixer 100K+ · 4.8★ (221)
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489)
wp.org #12 ↓9 4 too low 9 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463)
wp.org #18 9 too low 10 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
Cyr-To-Lat 300K+ · 4.7★ (98)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
Reveal IDs 40K+ · 5.0★ (61)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
WP Sitemap Page 200K+ · 4.8★ (205)
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 
Auto Upload Images 20K+ · 4.3★ (106)
wp.org #21 ↓2 3 too low 19 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95)
wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 
Disable Emails 30K+ · 5.0★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓3 21 
Simple Login Log 5K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #17 ↓3 4 too high 22 
Russian Currency 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 15 too high 23 CookieAdmin – Cookie Consent Banner 400K+ · 5.0★ (4) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑6 18 too high 24 
Log Emails 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 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.