Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “same day”

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 “same day”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Posts On This Day shows at wp.org #4 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 50+ 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

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237) wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 On This Day (by Room 34) 200+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #9 ↓2 5 too low 5 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #7 ↑5 1 too low 7 Mercado Pago payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.9★ (693) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #19 ↑4 8 too low 12 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #20 ↑2 8 too low 13 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #13 ↓3 14 Assistant – Every Day Productivity Apps 4K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #17 ↓4 1 too low 17 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Delivery & Pickup Date Time for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (282) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 AgenWebsite Shipping – Plugin Ongkos Kirim & Generate Resi Otomatis Semua Kurir Indonesia 600+ · 4.6★ (49) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Posts On This Day 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 16 too high 21 Verse of the Day Widget for WP 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑5 6 too high 22 Sendcloud for WooCommerce: Automated Shipping, Branded Tracking & Returns 7K+ · 3.0★ (13) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Nomod for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑2 11 too high 24 LAPDI On This Day 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑1 10 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.