wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sample request”
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 “sample request”, we and wp.org disagree 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
Simple Product Sample shows at wp.org #3 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 21 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 515 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 
Widget Importer & Exporter 200K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 
Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 
Product Import Export for WooCommerce – CSV Product Importer & Exporter 80K+ · 4.6★ (413)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515)
wp.org #15 ↓5 8 too low 8 
Free Product Samples for WooCommerce – Try Before You Buy, Request Samples by Mail 60+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #1 7 too high 9 
WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138)
wp.org #13 4 too low 10 
Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87)
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 
AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 
JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
WPC Product Bundles for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (220)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
Booster for WooCommerce – PDF Invoices, Abandoned Cart, Variation Swatches & 100+ Tools 30K+ · 4.6★ (535)
wp.org #24 ↓3 10 too low 15 
AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #23 ↓3 8 too low 16 
CP Multi View Events Calendar 900+ · 4.3★ (46)
wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 
Changeloger – Changelog, Release Notes, Roadmap & Feature Requests 200+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18 
CF7 Mate – Contact Form 7 Styler, Multi-Step Forms & Conditional Logic 20K+ · 3.9★ (46)
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 
Shared Albums for Google Photos 500+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 R REST API Log 5K+ · 3.6★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 22 
Connect Elementor Forms to Google Sheets Addon 700+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓4 23 
DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 12 too high 24 Simple Product Sample 50+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 21 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.